The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has been formally granted Special Consultative Status by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

The granting of the Consultative Status to the MFWA followed ECOSOC’s adoption of the recommendation of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) at its Coordination and management meeting of April 2018.

“Your status now entitles you to designate official representatives to the United Nations Headquarters in New York and the United Nations offices in Geneva and Vienna,” the letter notifying the MFWA of the granting of the Consultative status stated.

Photo:  Sulemana Braimah is the Executive Director of the MFWA

The granting of Special Consultative Status will allow the MFWA to register for and participate in events, conferences and activities of the United Nations, as well as sit as observers at public meetings of the ECOSOC and its subsidiary bodies, the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council and other United Nations intergovernmental decision-making bodies.

ECOSOC serves as the central mechanism for the activities of the United Nations system and its specialised agencies. It supervises the subsidiary and expert bodies in the economic, social and environmental fields. ECOSOC is one of the six main organs of the United Nations and is the principal body for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue and recommendations on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as for implementation of the internationally agreed development goals.

Over the years, the MFWA has been engaging with the human rights Council and Committee and working with UN agencies such as UNDP and UNESCO on promoting the media’s role in sustainable development and in the promoting of press freedom.

“The granting of Special Consultative Status at the UN is a welcome development that will further facilitate and strengthen the MFWA’s  engagement with the UN on matters of promoting sustainable development, press freedom and freedom of expression in Africa in general and in West Africa in particular,” said Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director of the MFWA.