On April 8th 2020, the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) organized the twenty-fifth installment in a series of monthly dialogues between the President of the UN Security Council and Civil Society organizations. For the first time since the series’ conception, and to uphold transparency at the UN amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the CSO Dialogue was held online in lieu of its standard meeting location at the United Nations Headquarters.
The dialogue featured Ambassador José Singer, Special Envoy of the Dominican Republic to the UN Security Council, briefing civil society representatives on the Dominican Republic's presidency of the Security Council for the month of April. WFUNA's Peace and Security Officer, Mr. Pablo Angulo, moderated the briefing, which was virtually attended by approximately 90 participants from UN-accredited civil society organizations.
The event was broadcast on GoTo Webinar, and it was promoted on social media with the hashtag #MeetUNSCPres to allow for a participation from a global audience and wider stakeholder engagement.
Ambassador Singer shared the Council's programme of work for the month of April. He spoke about the meetings scheduled for April in an effort to build on the Security Council’s agenda. Ambassador Singer also emphasized that the Security Council plans to address Peace and Security issues concerning the novel coronavirus, as well as ongoing issues in Colombia, Syria, and Yemen, among others. The floor was then opened for questions from representatives of civil society organizations on country specific questions relating to Syria and Afghanistan, topics such as Women, Peace, and Security, as well as COVID-19 related topics such as Protection of Civilians & Refugees; Global Ceasefire; and Peace and Security.
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-fifth CSO Dialogue!
