On August 4th, 2020, the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) organized the twenty-eighth 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. Dian Triansyah Djani, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Indonesia to the UN, the President of the Security Council for the month of August. WFUNA's Secretary-General, Mr. Bonian Golmohammadi, moderated the briefing, which was virtually attended by approximately 80 participants from over 90 civil society organizations that RSVPed from different parts of the world.
The event was broadcast live on UN Web TV and also promoted on social media with the hashtag #MeetUNSCPres to allow for a participation from a global audience and wider stakeholder engagement.
Ambassador Djani shared the Council's programme of work for the month of August. He spoke about the meetings scheduled for this month in an effort to build on the Security Council’s agenda on issues regarding Syria, Yemen, Somalia among others. Ambassador Djani also discussed plans to maintain peacebuilding endeavors amidst this pandemic along with discussing threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.
The floor was then opened for questions from representatives of civil society organizations on country specific questions relating to Myanmar, Syria, Sudan, Venezuela, and Libya, among others. Topics such as Civil Society engagement, Counterterrorism, Youth, Peace and Security, and Women, Peace and Security, as well as, the most recent COVID-19 UNSC Resolution were also addressed.
In case you missed it, you can watch the full debate below.
WFUNA will continue hosting monthly briefings with subsequent Presidents of the United Nations Security Council. Stay tuned for more information on the twenty-ninth CSO Dialogue!
