Briefings by civil society are a regular, well-established practice[1] of the UN Security Council. In particular, the Council has specifically recognized the importance of briefings by women civil society or explicitly invited women civil society to brief the Council, in both country-specific and thematic discussions, in multiple resolutions on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), including Resolution 2122 (2013), Resolution 2242 (2015) and Resolution 2467 (2019). Through initiatives like the Shared Commitments on WPS,[2] Council members have expressed even greater support for women civil society’s participation at the Security Council.
The NGO Working Group on Women, Peace, and Security regularly tracks such briefings at the Security Council in order to promote diverse women civil society’s participation at the Council and ensure their independent perspectives and recommendations meaningfully inform the Security Council’s work. Below is a summary of briefings by women civil society at the Council for the period January–April 2026.
- Between January–April 2026, five women civil society[3] representatives were invited to brief the Security Council, a 50% decline compared to the same period last year and a 69% decline compared to 2024.
- Their briefings took place at meetings on the situations in Colombia, the Middle East, including on Iran and the Palestinian question, and Sudan, as well as a meeting on Venezuela, held under the ‘threats to international peace and security’ agenda item.
- The continuation of the decreasing trend in briefings by women civil society since 2025[4] likely reflects the impact of travel restrictions to the United States,[5] concerns regarding the security of civil society representatives from particular contexts, and difficult political dynamics in the Security Council.
- Notably, in January, under Somalia’s presidency, the Council heard from Iranian and Venezuelan woman civil society representatives for the first time ever.[6]
- During this period, 40% of briefings (2) by women civil society representatives to the Council were delivered virtually.
- Despite holding regularly mandated open meetings during this period on these country or regional files, the Security Council did not hear from any women civil society representatives from Afghanistan, Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Great Lakes, Haiti, Kosovo, Libya, South Sudan, Syria[7] and Yemen.
- In the four open meetings the Security Council held on Ukraine during this period,[8] there were no briefings by Ukrainian women civil society representatives.
Photo: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
[1] The Security Council has long recognized the importance of civil society, which is referenced hundreds of times in Council decisions. In addition, the Council has specifically recognized the value of briefings by civil society to the Council or explicitly invited civil society to brief the Council in at least eight outcome documents spanning various thematic agendas, including Protection of Persons with Disabilities in Conflict, Trafficking in Persons in Armed Conflicts, Women, Peace and Security, and Youth, Peace and Security.
[2] Through the WPS Shared Commitments initiative, started by Ireland, Kenya and Mexico in 2021, and expanded in 2022, 26 former and current Security Council members have committed to ensuring strong representation of diverse women civil society briefers in Security Council meetings. The 10 Security Council member signatories of the 2025 WPS Shared Commitments were Denmark, France, Greece, Guyana, Panama, Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
[3] Under Rule 39 of the Security Council’s Provisional Rules of Procedure, the Security Council “may invite members of the Secretariat or other persons, whom it considers competent for the purpose, to supply it with information or to give other assistance in examining matters within its competence.” It is under this rule that civil society speakers are invited to brief the Council. The NGOWG’s count of women civil society briefers at the Security Council comprises only those briefers invited under Rule 39 who are explicitly members of women civil society—that is, who brief the Council in their capacity as an individual or on behalf of a local, national, regional or international non-governmental or nonprofit organization or network that is nonviolently promoting human rights, gender equality and/or peace, and contributing to positive social change for their communities. This includes women leaders, peacebuilders, human rights defenders, journalists, academics, experts or representatives of social movements advocating for or otherwise contributing to the promotion of human rights and peace. The NGOWG’s civil society briefer numbers do not include: individuals with clear links to a Member State or Member State-run entities; politicians or representatives of political entities; religious figures or leaders; celebrities; individuals who work in the private sector or business; individuals representing UN entities or regional or intergovernmental bodies; individuals who serve as Ambassadors, Champions or Envoys for Member States, UN entities or regional or intergovernmental bodies. Individuals that do not meet the definition above may be invited to brief the Security Council under Rule 39 but are not necessarily considered independent and genuine civil society representatives.
[4] See our analysis of women civil society briefings at the Security Council in 2025.
[5] As of January 2026, the Trump administration has imposed a full suspension on entry to the United States for nationals from a number of countries on the Security Council’s agenda, including Afghanistan, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, as well as Palestinian passport holders.
[7] In February, under the United Kingdom’s presidency, the Security Council heard from a woman briefer from Syria who represented a political entity (S/PV.10106). In March, under the United States’ presidency, the Security Council heard from a woman briefer from Syria who serves as a Goodwill Ambassador for a UN entity (S/PV.10123).
[8] Meetings on Ukraine during this period were called on an ad hoc basis under the agenda item ‘Maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine.’