IAPO was granted special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in May 2014.  

Working with ECOSOC?

This means we will now be able to actively engage with ECOSOC, the United Nations Secretariat, and across programmes, funds and agencies in a number of ways. This includes:

• Attendance at meetings and access to the United Nations
• Submission of formal statements and oral presentations to the Council and other UN bodies on relevant topics 
• Taking part in consultations with ECOSOC and other UN bodies.  

What is ECOSOC?

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is the United Nations’ central platform for reflection, debate, and innovative thinking on sustainable development.

ECOSOC's mandate involves the following:

• ECOSOC, one of the six main organs of the United Nations established by the UN Charter in 1946, 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.
• ECOSOC serves as the central mechanism for the activities of the United Nations system and its specialized agencies, and supervises the subsidiary and expert bodies in the economic, social and environmental fields.
• ECOSOC has undergone reforms (A/RES/61/16, A/RES/68/1) in the last decade to strengthen the Council and its working methods, giving special attention to the integrated and coordinated implementation of, and follow-up to, the outcomes of all major United Nations conferences summits in the economic, social, environmental and related fields. 

Text taken from the official 'About ECOSOC' website.