People-Centered. Policy-Driven. Globally Connected.

The NGO Committee for Social Development (NGO CSocD) is a coalition of non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). It works to ensure that the perspectives of civil society are heard in UN decision-making processes related to social development.

Founded in 1998, shortly after the landmark Copenhagen UN World Summit for Social Development in 1995 – where governments made a historic pledge to put people at the center of development. We champion one powerful idea:people must be at the center of development.

Today, we are a vibrant global network — bridging grassroots communities and the halls of the United Nations, ensuring that real lived experiences drive international policy.

The Latest

Read NGO CSocD’s Vision for the Next Secretary-General by clicking on the links below:

What We Stand For

We believe that lasting change begins when civil society is not just present — but heard, respected, and whose inputs are acted upon.

Our work is anchored in three pillars of social Development, the achievement of the Copenhagen Declaration 1985, The Doha Political Declaration 2025, and Agenda 2030

Each year, we design and deliver the Civil Society Forum, a flagship event held alongside the Commission for Social Development, where civil society comes together to align, advocate, and amplify.

A Message From Our Chair

At the most recent Commission session in February 2026, Gillian D’Souza-Nazareth, Chair of NGO CSocD, said that civil society seeks “policies that work, systems that protect and participation that is real” — and urged formal civil-society engagement across the entire policy cycle.