In 1945, at the UN Charter Conference, the League of Women Voters was invited by President Harry Truman to serve as a consultant to the U.S. delegation. Since that time, the League has continued its presence at the United Nations through its one official and two alternate observers. In July 1997, the League was granted Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which provides the opportunity to make interventions on issues the League supports.  Consultative status allows the League to:  make formal oral or written statements to the UN and be consulted by the UN in areas which the League has expertise

The current UN Observers for the League are:

Rosalee Keech, U.N. Observer.  Rosalee has been a member for more than 10 years.  At the UN she serves on the NGO Working Group on Girls and serves as co-chair for its task force to prevent violence against women and girls.  Her focus at the UN is to promote the democratic process and the prevention of violence.   

Suzanne Maltz, First Alternate Observer.  Suzie has been involved with different Leagues in leadership capacity for many years.  At the UN she enjoys working on issues relating to women and democracy and attends the meetings and briefings of the Department of Public Information Nongovernmental Organizations (UN-DPI).  

Margery Cohen, Alternate Observer.  Margery became an alternative observer at the UN in 1987 and full UN Observer in 1990.  Margery works for the human rights of women and girls.

Mary Fox, Alternate Observer.  Mary is a member of the League of New Castle, NY where she has served in a variety of positions.  Her focus at the UN is environmental sustainability and issues surrounding aging.  She serves in the NGO Committee on the Aging.

Nancy Lyman Orem, Alternate Observer.  Nancy's work at the UN is climate change and environmental sustainability.