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 in 2025, with updates from September–December.[3]
- Between September–December 2025, 11 women civil society[4] representatives were invited to brief the Security Council, including at meetings on the situations in Afghanistan, Central Africa and Syria, as well as at thematic meetings on the maintenance of international peace and security,[5] threats to international peace and security,[6] working methods of the Security Council, and WPS.
- In total, the Security Council heard 31 briefings by women civil society in 2025. This figure is the lowest yearly total since 2020, when 28 women civil society representatives briefed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of briefings by women civil society in 2025 decreased by 44% compared to 2024 (55), and is just half of the all-time high number of women civil society briefings in 2021 (62).
- The sharp decline in briefings by women civil society in 2025 likely reflects the impact of travel restrictions to the United States,[7] concerns regarding the security of civil society representatives from particular contexts, and difficult political dynamics in the Security Council.
- In 2025, the Security Council did not host more than four women civil society representatives in any given month. In 2024, there were four months during which the Security Council heard from at least eight and up to 11 women civil society representatives.[8]
- 87% of briefings by women civil society at the Council in 2025 took place during the presidencies of signatories to the WPS Shared Commitments.
- Of the women civil society who briefed the Council in 2025, 42% represented international NGOs or NGOs from the Global North, came from the Global North or otherwise were not from the country concerned.[9] In 2024, this percentage was 36%.
- In 2025, 32% of briefings by women civil society representatives to the Council were delivered virtually.
- Of the country situations on the Security Council’s agenda, the Council heard most frequently from women representatives from Syria, likely reflecting the opening up of civic space since the fall of the Assad regime. The Council heard five briefings from Syrian women throughout the year, including three briefings by women civil society[10] and two briefings by women leaders.[11]
- Notably, after a three-year period during which the Council did not hear from any Palestinian women civil society representatives, two briefed the Council in 2025.[12]
- Despite holding regularly mandated open meetings in 2025 on these country or regional files, the Security Council did not hear from any women civil society representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Central African Republic (CAR),[13] the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),[14] the Great Lakes, Iraq, Kosovo or Libya.
- In the 19 open meetings the Security Council held on Ukraine in 2025,[15] there were no briefings by Ukrainian women civil society representatives.
- In 2025, the Security Council held no open meetings on Somalia, despite a biannual reporting requirement, and Myanmar;[16] as a consequence, no women civil society representatives from Somalia or Myanmar briefed the Council in 2025.
- In 2025, the Security Council heard from just one Sudanese woman civil society representative, at the Open Debate on conflict-related sexual violence.[17] No Sudanese women civil society representatives briefed at any of the five country-specific meetings on Sudan in 2025.[18] By contrast, at country-specific and thematic meetings in 2024, the Security Council heard six briefings by Sudanese women civil society representatives.[19]
__________
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] See our analysis of women civil society briefings at the Security Council in January–April 2025 and May–August 2025.
[4] 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.
[5] This included meetings on “The future of peace operations” (S/PV.9991), ‘Artificial intelligence and international peace and security’ (S/PV.10005) and ‘Leadership for Peace’ (S/PV.10067).
[6] The theme of this meeting was ‘Climate and security’ (S/PV.10035).
[7] In June 2025, the Trump administration 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, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. In August 2025, the United States also suspended issuance of non-immigrant visas for Palestinian passport holders.
[8] This includes April 2024 (presided over by Malta, with eight women civil society briefers), September 2024 (presided over by Slovenia, with eight women civil society briefers), October 2024 (presided over by Switzerland, with 10 women civil society briefers) and December 2024 (presided over by the United States, with 11 women civil society briefers).
[9] ‘From the country concerned’ includes individuals from the diaspora or living in exile.
[10] S/PV.9937, S/PV.9945, S/PV.9999.
[13] In February, under China’s presidency, the Security Council heard from a woman briefer from CAR, who represented the private sector (S/PV.9864).
[14] In March, under Denmark’s presidency, the Security Council heard from a woman civil society briefer who represented an INGO at a country-specific meeting on the DRC (S/PV.9887).
[15] Meetings on Ukraine during this period were called on an ad hoc basis under the agenda items ‘Maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine’ and ‘Threats to international peace and security’.
[16] Security Council meetings on Myanmar are called on an ad hoc basis. In 2025, there were two private Council meetings on Myanmar (S/PV.9910, S/PV.10076); the last open briefing on Myanmar was held in April 2024 (S/PV.9595).
[18] In June, under Guyana’s presidency, the Security Council heard from a woman civil society briefer who represented an INGO at a country-specific meeting on Sudan (S/PV.9947).
[19] S/PV.9614, S/PV.9659, S/PV.9700, S/PV.9761, S/PV.9780, S/PV.9797.