Intergovernmental Negotiations And Decision Making At The - NGLS

12 Negotiations and Decision Making at the United NationsNGO Participation: Guided by the UN Charter, ECOSOC is the oneUN body that has established rights for NGOs to observe and contributeto its work. The process of approving NGOs for official consultativestatus with the Council is handled through the ECOSOCCommittee on NGOs. Consultative status offers privileges such asaccess to meetings of ECOSOC and its commissions, as well asrequiring the fulfillment of certain obligations, such as filing a reportevery four years on an organization’s contributions to the work of theUN (see section two, chapter one on NGO accreditation, as well asAnnex III).Security CouncilUnder the UN Charter, the members of the United Nations have giventhe Security Council primary responsibility for the maintenance ofinternational peace and security and have agreed to carry out SecurityCouncil decisions, making them mandatory on Member States.When a situation arises that may pose a threat to international peace,the Security Council usually demands that the parties reach a settlementby peaceful means. It can also propose mediation, develop principlesfor a settlement, or ask the Secretary-General to investigate thesituation. If fighting breaks out, the Council will attempt to broker aceasefire. This can include the use of peacekeeping forces. TheCouncil can enforce its decisions through economic sanctions andcollective military action. In 1990, the Council imposed general tradesanctions on Iraq, but since then the Council has imposed more targetedsanctions, including arms embargoes, travel, banks, restrictionson diplomatic relations, and bans on key commodities like petroleumand diamonds on a range of different governments or belligerents inconflicts such as civil wars.