The United Nations officially acknowledged international non-governmental organizations. “The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) has been the main entry point into the UN system for NGOs. ECOSOC remains the only main UN body with a formal framework for NGO participation. In 1946, 41 NGOs were granted consultative status by the council; by 1992 more than 700 NGOs had attained consultative status and the number has been steadily increasing ever since to more than 3,400 organizations today” (United Nations, 2011: 2).