On September 3rd, 2020, the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) organized the twenty-ninth 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. Abdou Abarry, Permanent Representative of Niger to the UN, the President of the Security Council for the month of September. WFUNA's Secretary-General, Mr. Bonian Golmohammadi, moderated the briefing, which was virtually attended by approximately 78 participants from over 95 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 Abarry shared the Council's programme of work for the month of September. He spoke about the meetings scheduled for this month in an effort to build on the Security Council’s agenda on issues regarding Libya, the Sahel, Syria among others. Ambassador Abarry also discussed plans to address climate change and issues of violence against schools and children in armed conflict.
The floor was then opened for questions from representatives of civil society organizations on topics such as Children and Armed Conflict, Protection of Civilians, Women, Peace and Security, and Conflict Prevention. Country specific questions relating to the Sahel, Cameroon, Libya, Syria, Colombia, among others, 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 thirtieth CSO Dialogue!
