full participants in international life".The underlying reasons for this profound change have been suggested earlier. But transformation of the UN/INGO relationship has not come easily. Disputed issues have emerged during the past five years and some remain unresolved today. Before examining these issues, however, it is important to recall the variety of relationships which have developed over the years and the benefits -- to both the UN and the NGOs -- that the experience of earlier decades has made indisputable. From the UN point of view,1) NGOs can provide expert knowledge and advice, both to the decision-making bodies of the UN and to the Secretariat which implements UN decisions; 2) NGOs can present the views of important constituencies whose voices may not be adequately represented by national delegations but whose views are important to informed decision-making; 3) NGOs can be major channels for dissemination of information to their members, thus helping to fill the knowledge gap left by the inadequate coverage given by the media to UN developments; 4) NGOs can build support for UN programs by carrying out educational activities directed at the wider public (the promotion of various "days" proclaimed by UN agencies e.g., World Food Day - is one example) or by raising funds (e.g., for UNICEF); 5) In some cases close cooperation with NGOs is indispensable to UN agencies in carrying out their missions; the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, for example, contracts and cooperates extensively with NGOs in the majority of refugee situations. And the UNDP has designated certain NGOs as executing agencies for projects which it funds.Of course the INGO/UN relationship has not been a one-way street; non-governmental organizations serve their own purposes when they urge UN action or educate the public about UN activities. And the UN framework has also proved of value as a mechanism around which to build cooperation among themselves. The Consultative Relationship Despite the many ways in which the non-governmental world interacts with the intergovernmental world, the consultative relationship has remained at the heart of the interaction. And with the early 90s, and especially following UNCED, the existing pattern of this relationship came under increasing scrutiny. In 1993, therefore, ECOSOC created a special Working Group to re-examine the relationship, and its report is expected in 1996. A central issue, of course, is which organizations shall be accorded status at the UN. On this question, the starting point is the criteria set out in Resolution 1296 which provides, inter alia:"The organization shall be concerned with matters falling within the competence of the Economic and Social Council... The aims and purposes of the organization shall be in conformity with the spirit, purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations... The organization shall undertake to support the work of the United Nations and to promote knowledge of its principles and activities... The organization shall be of representative character and of recognized international standing... The organization shall have an established headquarters, with an executive officer. It shall have a democratically adopted constitution... which shall provide for determination of policy... by a representative body...