The Third Committee of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly addresses human rights and a range of social, humanitarian and cultural issues.

The 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81) opened on 8 September 2026 under the theme “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All,” led by newly elected President H.

As the United Nations (UN) marks its 81st year, civil society continues to face significant barriers to meaningful participation.

The United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development convened from 7 to 15 July 2026 under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

The 2026 UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) will take place from 7-15 July under the theme: “Transformative, equitable, innovative and coordinated actions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals for a sustainable future for all.

The 2026 Civil Society Forum on SDG16+, held on 16 June 2026 at UN Headquarters in New York, brought together practitioners, civil society organisations, and networks working across the SDG16+ agenda on peace, justice, civic space, human rights, and accountable institutions, while highlighting the interlinkages between these issues and the broader 2030 Agenda.

Civil Society and Member States Dialogue On the 5th of May 2026, CIVICUS hosted the New York launch of the State of Civil Society Report 2026, convening representatives of UN Member States and civil society organisations for an interactive dialogue on the report’s key findings and emerging global trends affecting civic space and citizen action.

Civil society’s full and independent access is vital for the UN to fulfil its mandate.

CIVICUS participated in the Blue Sky Retreat 2026, convened as part of preparations for the Ninth Review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, held from 31 March to 2 April 2026.

At this year’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), CIVICUS engaged across a range of high-level discussions and strategic convenings to push for stronger protections for civic freedoms at the UN and beyond, more inclusive feminist policymaking, and greater accountability within global governance systems.

On behalf of CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation we thank the Permanent Missions of Ireland and Senegal for their co-facilitation of this important UN Human Rights Council Review (HRC) Process.

The 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) is a critical opportunity to reaffirm global commitments to gender equality, civic freedoms, and women’s leadership in multilateral governance.

CIVICUS Statement: Civil Society Townhall, President of the UN General Assembly   UN Headquarters, New York Madame President,  Thank you for organising this civil society townhall.

CIVICUS welcomes the interim government’s steps to respect and protect civic space since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime.

UNGA 80 marks an important milestone, eight decades of the United Nations’ work.

Civil society continues to face restrictions on access and participation at the United Nations (UN).

  At the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) 2025 in New York City, the CIVICUS New York Hub, represented by Mandeep Tiwana and Jesselina Rana, played a central role in engaging with member states, UN officials, and civil society representatives from across the world.

CIVICUS and partner human rights organisations have raised concerns over Norway’s decision to triennialise the Human Rights Defenders resolution at the UN Third Committee, urging continued support for defenders worldwide.

The United Nations’ latest annual review of progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) saw numerous states that restrict civil society and repress human rights participate in a public relations exercise to talk up their achievements.

The 2025 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) will take place from 14–23 July under the theme: “Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs for leaving no one behind.

The Fourth Financing for Development (FFD4) Conference will be held in Sevilla, Spain, from 30 June to 3 July 2025.

By Jesselina Rana, the UN Advisor at CIVICUS’s New York office and Mandeep S.

CIVICUS is a global alliance of civil society organisations and activists dedicated to strengthening civil society and citizen action around the world.

The 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, set to take place from 30th June to 3 July in Spain, presents a crucial opportunity to reform global financing systems, including much-needed changes to the international financial architecture; with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) off track and progress on poverty and hunger stalling, or even reversing.

12 NGOs that closely follow and engage with the General Assembly Third Committee have published a joint statement on outcomes of this 79th session.

The 79th United Nations General Assembly, held in New York City in late September, was a pivotal event highlighted by the adoption of the Pact for the Future.

On the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 79), CIVICUS and other international organisations called on Member States to place greater emphasis on human rights in Bahrain, with a specific focus on the ongoing arbitrary detention of human rights defenders.

The 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, starting on 10th of September 2024, represents a pivotal moment to advance global governance and multilateralism.

At the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) 2024 in New York City, the CIVICUS New York Hub, represented by Mandeep Tiwana and Jesselina Rana, played a pivotal role in engaging with member states, UN officials, and civil society representatives from around the globe.

Without civil society, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) would not be possible.

The upcoming Summit for the Future, set for September 22-23, 2024, in New York City, marks a significant United Nations effort to tackle global challenges.

The UN Civil Society Conference took place in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 9th and 10th, 2024.

The upcoming Summit for the Future, set for September 22-23, 2024, in New York City, marks a significant United Nations effort to tackle global challenges.

Over 350 civil society organisations part of the #UNmute initiative have come together to issue a united call for inclusivity and participation in the preparatory process of the forthcoming Summit of the Future.

CIVICUS is a global alliance of civil society organisations and activists dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society throughout the world.

This submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights was made to inform the mandate's priorities for the three-year term from late 2023 to 2026, concerning new and continuing thematic issues and geographic focus.

The undersigned civil society organisations mark the conclusion of the UN General Assembly's (GA) 78th Third Committee session with the following observations on both thematic and country-specific outcomes.

The 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 78) saw CIVICUS, a global alliance for civil society, at the forefront of discussions and interventions aimed at bolstering civic space, human rights, and sustainable development.

The General Assembly is the main policymaking organ of the United Nations.

Without civil society, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) would not be possible.

The 77th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 77) will start on the 13th of September 2022.

The High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism launched a wide range of public consultations on ideas for more effective multilateralism with experts, leaders, practitioners, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders.

We, civil society groups from the five continents of the world working together for a just, peaceful, sustainable and prosperous world, jointly call for a negotiated solution to end the war in Ukraine as promptly and swiftly as possible.

On 17 Novemner, Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly shared his priorities and perspectives for the 76th Session and civil society engagement during the Civil Society Townhall Meeting (see event more information).

17 NGOs that closely follow and engage with the Third Committee have joined together to publish a joint statement on outcomes of this 76th session.

The 76th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 76) started on the 14th of September 2021.

Unmute Civil Society recommendations are supported by 52 states and over 300 civil society organisations from around the world.

CIVICUS' Chief Programmes Officer, Mandeep Tiwana, participated in the 65th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 65) intersessional dialogue on building alliances for women's full and effective participation in public life.

Summary of insights & recommendations from mult-sectoral discussion on how take forward the UN75 Declaration and its commitments to "Leave no one behind" and "Be prepared"  On February 18, 2021, a consortium of civil society stakeholder organizations initiated the first in a six-part “Fulfilling the UN75 Declaration Expert Series,” where thought leaders from global civil society engaged UN Missions and Secretariat officials in a candid dialogue on progress, challenges, and further measures needed to meet two of the twelve commitments presented in the UN75 Declaration.

Women civil society leaders, activists, protesters and human right lawyers are central to shaping public life - through campaigns, protests and policy interventions.