The World Esperanto Youth Organisation (TEJO) has been elected for the first time for a five-year term as a member of the Board of the Conference of Non-Governmental Organisations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CoNGO) following its recent 28th General Assembly, which was held from 27th to 29th October 2025 in New York City, USA and online and hosted representatives of more than 70 international non-governmental organisations worldwide.

Having been nominated by the Institute of Multicultural Counseling and Education Services (IMCES), seconded by the Legion of Good Will (LGW) and the Universal Esperanto Association (UEA), TEJO became one of the 28 organizations seeking election to the 20 open seats for the upcoming Board term (2025-2029). At the same time, TEJO completed all the necessary requirements to be eligible to apply with the help of its very own External Relations Committee and the chair of CoNGO Nominations Committee, Humphrey Tonkin. Finally, during the General Assembly, David Ruíz Sánchez, External Relations Officer of TEJO and its chief delegate to the said Assembly, presented the organisation’s candidacy and action plans through a three-minute speech delivered online. A round of electronic voting which followed soon thereafter saw TEJO gaining a seat for the first time in the CoNGO Board.

TEJO notes that it is the only organisation that focuses exclusively on Esperanto and the youth among all newly elected Board members. In light of this historic achievement, TEJO pledges to use its voice in the Board to raise awareness of the problems of international communication, advocate for the role of Esperanto as an appropriate solution to the language problem, and stress the necessity of caring for the youth and defending their linguistic rights as a way of promoting human rights as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other internationally recognised instruments.
CoNGO is an independent, international membership association founded in 1948, the same year the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the UN General Assembly. As a non-governmental organization in general consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council, CoNGO’s work focuses on encouraging mutual cooperation between NGOs and the UN and its attached agencies and relates to the entire UN system. The day-to-day activities of CoNGO and its top officers are directed by the Board, its second highest decision-making body, next to the General Assembly. As a newly elected member, TEJO is entitled to participate in the Board’s agenda and decision-making processes.

TEJO wishes to thank IMCES, LGW and UEA for their support and express its steadfast commitment to continue the longstanding work for language rights that UEA had built during its membership in the past two CoNGO Board terms.