Major Groups and Other Stakeholders

Major Groups and other Stakeholders (MGoS) is a framework created by the United Nations to organise the participation of non-state actors in intergovernmental processes pertaining to sustainable development.

MGoS divides stakeholders into a set of recognised constituencies and stakeholder groups that select their own representatives and speak on behalf of the stakeholder constituency or group in relevant intergovernmental meetings.

The framework was mandated by Section III of Agenda 21, the action programme adopted at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development at Rio de Janeiro, which identified the nine original "major groups".

The nine original major groups are children and youth, women, indigenous peoples, non-governmental organizations, local authorities, workers and trade unions, business and industry, the scientific and technological community, and farmers.

Following the negotiations of the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, commonly known as Rio+20, the United Nations began using the longer formulation "major groups and other stakeholders" in order to accommodate constituencies that had emerged since 1992, which included volunteer groups, migrants, and older persons.

The General Assembly subsequently designated private philanthropic organisations, educational and academic entities, persons with disabilities and volunteer groups alongside the original nine.

The framework now governs the access of non-state actors at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the body responsible for global follow-up and review of the Sustainable Development Goals, and a comparable arrangement of stakeholder groups and constituencies is operated at the United Nations Environment Programme and at several of the United Nations regional commissions.

Scholars have described MGoS as the principal means by which non-state stakeholder participation was facilitated in the global follow-up and review of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Terminology

The United Nations uses the term "Major Groups" for the nine categories named in Agenda 21 and "major groups and other relevant stakeholders" for the wider set of major groups and other stakeholder groups recognised after 2012. The abbreviation MGoS is also commonly used.

The framework operates independently of consultative status for non-governmental organisations with the Economic and Social Council, which is mandated by Council resolution 1996/31.

Constituencies

+ Constituencies recognised in United Nations sustainable development processes Constituency Category Basis Children and Youth Major Group Agenda 21, Chapter 25 Women Major Group Agenda 21, Chapter 24 Indigenous Peoples Major Group Agenda 21, Chapter 26 Non-Governmental Organizations Major Group Agenda 21, Chapter 27 Local Authorities Major Group Agenda 21, Chapter 28 Workers and Trade Unions Major Group Agenda 21, Chapter 29 Business and Industry Major Group Agenda 21, Chapter 30 Scientific and Technological Community Major Group Agenda 21, Chapter 31 Farmers Major Group Agenda 21, Chapter 32 Persons with Disabilities Stakeholder Group Other stakeholder Resolution 67/290, paragraph 16 Education and Academia Stakeholder Group Other stakeholder Resolution 67/290, paragraph 16 Volunteers Stakeholder Group Other stakeholder Resolution 67/290, paragraph 16 Stakeholder Group on Ageing Other stakeholder Recognised in practice after 2012 LGBTI Stakeholder Group Other stakeholder Recognised in practice after 2012 People of African Descent Stakeholder Group Other stakeholder Recognised in practice after 2012 Stakeholder Group for Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent Other stakeholder Recognised in practice after 2012 Civil Society Financing for Development Group Thematic mechanism Financing for Development process Sendai Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism Thematic mechanism Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction Together 2030 Thematic mechanism Implementation of the 2030 Agenda Africa Regional Mechanism Regional mechanism Africa Asia Pacific Regional CSO Engagement Mechanism Regional mechanism Asia and the Pacific ECE Regional Civil Society Engagement Mechanism Regional mechanism Economic Commission for Europe region

Governance

Paragraph 16 of resolution 67/290 invited stakeholders to establish coordination mechanisms voluntarily and autonomously. In response, participating constituencies formed the Major Groups and other Stakeholders Coordination Mechanism.

Organising partners, who serve as the elected executive heads of each respective constituency or stakeholder group, constitute the mechanism. From such participating organising partners, two or three co-chairs of the mechanism are elected for a term of two years, renewable once.

Major Groups and Other Stakeholders

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