The Commission on the Status of Women is the United Nations’ principal intergovernmental body dedicated to promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women. Held annually in March at UN Headquarters in New York, CSW serves as a key platform for shaping global norms and policies on gender.

At CSW, CIVICUS amplifies grassroots voices and brings forward critical insights on the intersection of gender and civic space, ensuring that civil society perspectives inform international gender equality efforts. For more information, please click here.

Read our recent CSW69 policy brief here.

• Our contributions include:
• Publishing op-eds to highlight key civic space trends affecting women and gender rights activists
• Issuing a press release to spotlight civil society priorities in the lead-up to CSW
• Supporting, leading, and contributing data and research to civil society-led side events
• Hosting a membership meet-up to encourage collaboration and strengthen connections
• Supporting civil society actors to attend, participate in, and organise key events that shape global gender governance

CIVICUS has played a vital role in shaping and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) since their inception. During the formulation of the SDGs, CIVICUS helped ensure meaningful civil society participation in official negotiations—facilitating dialogue between stakeholders, governments, and UN agencies on the goals, targets, and indicators that form the 2030 Agenda.

Today, we focus on ensuring civil society voices are central to SDG implementation and review, especially through the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF)—the UN’s main platform for reviewing progress on the SDGs. The HLPF is held every July at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.

Our work at the HLPF includes:

• Sharing civic space data and analysis related to the SDGs during panel discussions and workshops
• Supporting civil society participation, especially grassroots voices, at official side events
• Hosting and co-organising side events and networking opportunities
• Coordinating advocacy with partners such as Action for Sustainable Development (A4SD)

HLPF 2025

See highlights from our participation at the 2025 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF).

• HLPF 2025 Event Guide: Events and Opportunities
• CIVICUS at HLPF 2025: Advancing Civic Space and Inclusive Global Leadership for the SDGs
• CIVICUS Lens Article: SDGs: accountability under threat

HLPF 2024

See highlights from our participation at the 2024 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF).

• HLPF 2024 Event Guide: Events and Opportunities
• CIVICUS at HLPF 2024: Advancing Dialogue and Advocacy in New York City
• News article: Why Civic Space Matters: Safeguarding Participation for SDG Success at HLPF 2024

Civil society has engaged with the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) since its founding. Over the decades, civil society representatives have contributed to meetings of the General Assembly, its committees, and various subsidiary bodies. As the UNGA’s systems and procedures have evolved, new spaces have emerged for civil society leaders to address Member States and offer input on the Assembly’s deliberations and decision-making processes. The UNGA convenes every September at UN Headquarters in New York City.

We are currently in the 79th session of the UN General Assembly. For more information, please click here.

Read our joint civil society statement on outcomes of the UNGA 78 Third Committee.

For an overview of previous sessions, click here.

CIVICUS is committed to advancing meaningful and sustained civil society engagement within the United Nations system. Through strategic partnerships, advocacy, and thought leadership, we work to expand civic space and ensure inclusive multilateralism.

Coalition Support and Leadership

We actively support, lead and engage in diverse civil society coalitions that advocate for a more open, participatory, and accountable UN. These include:

• 1 for 8 Billion Campaign – CIVICUS serves as a Steering Committee member.
• TAP Network – CIVICUS serves as a Steering Committee member.
• UNMute Civil Society Initiative - CIVICUS serves as a Core Group and founding member.
• We the Peoples Campaign – CIVICUS serves as a founding member.
• Coalition for the UN We Need - CIVICUS serves as a founding member.
• Action for Sustainable Development - CIVICUS serves as a founding member.

Advancing International Policy on Civic Space

CIVICUS contributes to policy development and institutional reform at the UN through:

• UN policy and practice reviews on civic space and civil society engagement
• Thought leadership via op-eds and public commentary
• Regular consultations with UN Missions and diplomats to build support for civic space
• Strategic submissions and interventions—based on CIVICUS research—to the UN Security Council, General Assembly, and agencies including UNDEF, OHCHR, UN Women, UNDP, and the Executive Office of the Secretary-General

Together with our partners, we aim to ensure that civil society is not just heard but also empowered to shape global decisions that affect people and the planet.

CIVICUS regularly prepares policy reviews, strategic submissions, and interventions—grounded in our research—to inform UN processes. Recent contributions are listed below:

CIVICUS at the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development

The Fourth Financing for Development (FFD4) Conference, taking place in Sevilla from 30 June to 3 July 2025, comes at a critical moment of global instability, shrinking aid, and growing restrictions on civic space. CIVICUS will be participating, raising key issues around civic space and inclusive financing.

CIVICUS input on the First draft: Outcome document of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development
CIVICUS welcomes the draft’s recognition of global challenges but remains deeply concerned by the absence of key foundations for sustainable development. These include protection of civic space, support for locally led development, and recognition of civil society as independent actors. The framework must also ensure accountable financial flows and international policy coherence. Without these, its ambition will fall short. CIVICUS urges their urgent inclusion in the next draft.

CIVICUS Input on the Zero Draft: Outcome Document of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development

CIVICUS urges the Zero Draft to include stronger commitments to protect civic space, support locally led development, and recognise civil society as an independent actor in sustainable development. Our input highlights the urgent need to address the repression of civil society actors, shift from transactional development approaches, and ensure financial flows prioritise accountability and human rights. We call for integrating civic space protection into international frameworks to foster inclusive, transparent, and equitable development. Read our full input to learn more about our recommendations for a people-centred financing model.

CIVICUS Submission to UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders

CIVICUS has submitted its input to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders in response to the call for contributions on the role of human rights defenders in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The forthcoming report to the General Assembly will focus on the vital contributions of human rights defenders to state efforts in realizing the SDGs, as well as the challenges they encounter in this crucial work. CIVICUS' submission highlights key examples of collaboration and the successes and obstacles faced by defenders in this endeavor.

CIVICUS Submission to UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism

CIVICUS has submitted its input to the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, outlining its priorities for 2024-2026. The submission highlights the escalating threats faced by civil society due to the misuse of counter-terrorism measures. Drawing from findings documented in 2022 through the CIVICUS Monitor, the submission emphasizes the alarming erosion of civic space and the chilling impact on Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). CIVICUS expresses deep concern over the persistent misuse of anti-terrorism laws and other state-driven efforts to suppress voices in the global civic space.

CIVICUS' submission on the Zero Draft of the Pact for the future

CIVICUS seeks to engage the Summit of the Future as a key opportunity to shape global governance outcomes to enable the creation of peaceful, just, equal and sustainable societies. This submission should be read in conjunction to our previous submission to the Summit of the Future co-facilitators in December 2023. Overall, we believe that the Summit of the Future offers a once in a generation opportunity to reframe the parameters of global governance amid a confluence of global crises including violent conflicts, inequality, climate change and breakdown of the rules based international order.

CIVICUS’ submission to the High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism
The High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism launched a wide range of public consultations on ideas for more effective multilateralism with experts, leaders, practitioners, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders. CIVICUS’ submission examines the main challenges facing multilateralism and provides a United Nations (UN) reform agenda to ensure greater access to civil society. 

CIVICUS submission to the UN Committee on NGOs
The UN Committee on NGOs invited CIVICUS and all NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC to submit written contributions on ways to improve NGO engagement with the United Nations. 

High-Level Political Forum Report: Civil Society Engagement in Monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals
The HLPF provides the pre-eminent space for dialogue with the UN system on sustainable development. 2016 is the first year of implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and in this context 22 countries have volunteered to undertake national reviews to be presented at the HLPF. This paper aims to provide some initial reflections on the engagement with civil society in the countries under review and to set out some recommendations on how this engagement can be further strengthened.

User Guide for the High-Level Political Forum
This user guide will answer key questions about the engagement in the High Level Political Forum and its governance of the Sustainable Development Goals.The HLPF accords NGOs the most far reaching participatory privileges and rights in the history of the UN. But how can civil society most effectively engage with this process? How does the UN enable voices to be heard from the people who are most directly affected by these policies?