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. This occurred against a backdrop of diminishing civic space worldwide and amidst a series of intersecting global crises. As global leaders presented what is being termed a "UN 2.0" Blueprint—the Pact for the Future—civil society watched with cautious optimism.
During the Action Days of the Summit of the Future and various side events at UNGA79, CIVICUS engaged in discussions about the shrinking civic space, both globally and within the UN. We emphasised the urgent need to strengthen the UN's human rights pillar and presented several forward-looking proposals to create a more people-centered United Nations.
UNMute Manual: Reviewing Civil Society Inputs, Best Practices, and Strategies for Inclusive Global Governance
Co-organised by the UNMute Core Group, including CIVICUS, this side event aimed to explore key recommendations from civil society for addressing the ongoing shrinking space at the UN for civil society organisations worldwide. The session, moderated by CIVICUS, featured insights from our youth engagement lead, who shared perspectives on how young people can effectively engage with multilateral institutions. By highlighting these recommendations, we aimed to foster dialogue and promote actionable strategies related to the upcoming UNMute manual for civil society engagement in UN processes in New York City.
Source: UN webtv
The Critical Role of Human Rights in Realising the Pact for the Future
With the UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, CIVICUS urged for increased funds for the UN's independent experts who currently operate on shoestring budgets; creation of a transparently managed pooled fund to enable better civil society participation; accountability and follow through on cases of reprisals against those who engage the UN; strengthening of the investigative capacities of UN mechanisms to deal with genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity; and urgent implementation across UN agencies of the 2020 Guidance on Civic Space.
Feminist Organisations and Global Accountability Mechanisms: Engagement in the Summit of the Future, the UN System and Beyond
Alongside Maritza Chan, the Ambassador of Costa Rica to the UN, and other leading feminist civil society organisations, CIVICUS highlighted the ongoing crackdown on Women Human Rights Defenders and LGBTQIA+ defenders. Drawing from this data in CIVICUS’ State of Civil Society report, we emphasised the urgent need to expand civic space at the UN and beyond. One approach to achieving this is through the UNMute Civil Society initiative, which CIVICUS is co-leading with the Permanent Missions of Costa Rica, Denmark, and other civil society organisations.
Local Action, Global Accountability
Co-organised by CIVICUS and partner organisations- Peace Direct, NEAR, WINGS, The Movement for Community Led Development- the session demonstrated concrete examples of initiatives and actions already taken across the triple nexus - it demonstrated that locally led commitments and accountability mechanisms are not only possible but are actively being implemented under the leadership of Global South actors. The session also offered an opportunity to hear from different funders on their progress towards commitments made to support the Locally Led agenda, with particular emphasis on the Donor Statement on Locally Led Development.
Picture by: Benedicte Yenyi
Global People’s Assembly
During the panel discussion on Defending Civic Space: Opportunities and Challenges for Civil Society from the Local Level to the Summit of The Future, CIVICUS emphasised the gaps within the Pact for the Future, particularly the absence of innovative solutions for enhancing civil society engagement at the UN. While there are notable shortcomings, there is a commitment to strengthening the human rights pillar, which provides a valuable foundation for our efforts. CIVICUS highlighted the need to build on this commitment to develop more effective strategies that ensure meaningful participation of civil society in UN processes and decision-making.
Launch of the 1 for 8 Billion Policy Platform
On Friday, September 20, the 1 for 8 Billion campaign unveiled its policy platform, issuing a strong call for a woman to be appointed as the UN Secretary-General after 80 years of male leadership. The discussion was moderated by Natalie Samarasinghe, co-founder of 1 for 8 Billion, and featured distinguished panelists including H.E. Maritza Chan-Valverde, Ambassador of Costa Rica to the UN; Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and member of the Elders; Susana Malcorra, President and Founder of GWL Voices; and Shamala Kandiah Thompson, the incoming Executive Director of Security Council Report. All panelists unanimously supported the campaign's central demand that Member States nominate only women candidates, emphasising the importance of appointing a feminist leader who embodies the future we aspire to and the UN we need to achieve it. CIVICUS is proud to be a member of the steering committee for the 1 for 8 Billion campaign.
Prior to the #UNGA79 high-level week, CIVICUS communicated its key messages through the following publications:
- CIVICUS Press release: Global Leaders Adopt UN 2.0 blueprint as civil society remains cautiously optimistic
- CIVICUS Op-ed: A UN 2.0 needs robust people’s civil society participation
- CIVICUS Lens Article: UN Summit of the Future: Too much at stake to waste
