The Charter of the United Nations starts with “We the peoples”. In the interests of restoring these peoples to their central role within the UN, we the undersigned individuals and organisations, believe it is in our common interest to improve collaboration between the United Nations and civil society.

As recognised at the San Francisco Conference, over 75 years ago, and reiterated throughout the years in various forms, notably in the Sustainable Development Goal 17, civil society is an invaluable partner in helping the United Nations achieve its potential and deliver the future we want. Civil society is also the expert with local knowledge and the vigilant watchdog we need. And most importantly, civil society acts as a crucial bridge between the United Nations and the peoples in whose interest the organisation must always act.

We urge the Secretary-General of the United Nations to use the opportunity presented by member states’ request that “the Secretary-General to report back before the end of the seventy-fifth session of the General Assembly with recommendations to advance our common agenda and to respond to current and future challenges” to advance his promise to “design a system-wide strategy on civic space” and to “create and reinforce channels for effective participation.”

Specifically we call on the Secretary-General to designate a senior official and supporting office as a champion for civil society, and to give that official the resources and support to enable them to deliver on much-needed objectives:

- Increasing capacity: greater coordination and resourcing for efforts across the Organisation to expand civic space and better engage with civil society around the world;

- Improving standards: More consistency in arrangements for civil society engagement across the UN system, with a focus on addressing asymmetries and streamlining practices supported by civil society;

- Championing new voices: Increasing opportunities for civil society organisations to engage with the UN, particularly those from the Global South, to ensure that the Organisation hears from new, more diverse and representative voices, and to ensure that those voices are protected from reprisal.

Signed (in chronological order)

- The Together First Coalition
- UN2020 Campaign
- UNA-UK
- CIVICUS
- Human Rights Watch
- Stimson Center’s Just Security 2020 Program
- Igarapé Institute
- Kosmos Associates

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