On Friday January 6 2017, the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) convened the first ever Civil Society Dialogue with the President of the United Nations Security Council at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, continuing the momentum from 2016, a landmark year for transparency at the United Nations.
The dialogue featured H.E. Mr. Olof Skoog, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations and President of the United Nations Security Council for the month of January, together with over 30 UN-focused civil society representatives.
Mr. Bonian Golmohammadi, WFUNA’s Secretary-General, delivered introductory remarks in which he recalled that the objectives of this initiative is “to support the health of other work that many CSOs already undertake in relation to the Security Council, while also offering an opportunity for wider global audiences to submit questions and follow along remotely.”
During the session Ambassador Skoog explained the main priorities for Sweden during its Presidency, and answered questions from CSO representatives’ on a wide range of topics including conflict prevention, peacebuilding, women, peace and security, the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the opportunity of the Security Council reform, among other issues.
The World Federation of United Nations Associations looks forward to building upon this inaugural event by holding monthly briefings with subsequent Presidents of the United Nations Security Council.
For more coverage of this event, see our Twitter moment and photo gallery.
