On July 6th 2021, the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) organized the thirty-seventh installment in a series of monthly dialogues between the President of the UN Security Council and Civil Society organizations. To uphold transparency and accountability at the UNSC amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the CSO Dialogue was held online via Zoom Meetings in lieu of its standard meeting location at the United Nations Headquarters.

The dialogue featured H.E. Mr. Nicolas de Rivière, Permanent Representative of France to the UN. WFUNA’s Secretary-General, Mr. Bonian Golmohammadi, moderated the briefing, which was virtually attended by approximately 75 civil society organizations that RSVPed from different parts of the world.

The event was broadcasted live on UN Web TV and promoted on social media with the hashtag #MeetUNSCPres to allow for a participation from a global audience and wider stakeholder engagement.

Ambassador de Rivière shared the Council’s Programme of Work for the month of July. He spoke about meetings schedule for the month in an effort to build on the Security Council’s agenda including strengthening humanitarian space and access, and the situation in Libya.

The floor was then opened for questions from representatives of civil society organizations on country specific questions relating to Syria, Ethiopia, Libya, Myanmar and Cameroon, as well as topics including civil society inclusion, climate security, geopolitics and the functioning of the United Nations, terrorism and organized crime.

WFUNA will continue hosting monthly briefing with subsequent Presidents of the United Nations Security Council. Stay tuned for more information on the next CSO Dialogue!