In 1980 the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University gains affiliation as a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) with the United Nations (UN) Department of Public Information (DPI) and in 1983 the Brahma Kumaris are put on the roster of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) at the UN. In 1998 the Brahma Kumaris were given general consultative status with ECOSOC affording them the opportunity to contribute a spiritual expertise to matters of global concern, in a substantive way. Dadi Janki makes a formal address at the UN.