Civil Society speaker for Women, Peace and Security Open Debate / UNSC

Ahead of the 19th anniversary of the women, peace and security (WPS) agenda and the annual WPS Security Council Open Debate in October (specific date not yet known), the NGO Working Group on WPS (NGOWG) is seeking nominations for potential speakers who could address the United Nations Security Council on behalf of the NGOWG and civil society, and provide an update on WPS implementation by the Security Council, Member States and UN Leadership. The NGOWG is committed to creating consultative and strategic openings for women civil society leaders from conflict and crisis-affected areas to address the UN Security Council in order to influence decision-makers and create positive change at the country level.

Nominations are requested by Friday, 19 July 2019 at 5:00 pm EST. Here is the link to the online form: http://bit.ly/301mZ0U

The online form is available in English, French, Spanish and Arabic. Comprehensive translations will be available in the coming days.

Nominations are being sought for women civil society representatives across different conflict and crisis-affected areas who:

• Come from a country or area currently on the UN Security Council’s agenda, including Afghanistan; Burundi; Central African Republic; Colombia; Democratic Republic of Congo; Haiti; Iraq; Liberia; Libya; Mali; Myanmar; Nigeria; Sudan; South Sudan; Somalia; Syria and Yemen
• Are able to deliver a statement in Arabic, English, French or Spanish
• Promote progressive gender human rights values and commitments and advocate for the full implementation of the WPS agenda
• Represent the interests of women’s civil society and not those of government, private sector or other interests
• Have WPS expertise at the country-specific level and be able to provide domestic and global recommendations to the international community
• Can provide a new or unique perspective to the Security Council and the international community
• Come from diverse ethnic, regional, religious and gender identity backgrounds

Organizations and individuals can nominate multiple women civil society representatives. Please submit one form per individual you are nominating.

Logistical aspects, including travel and visa costs, for the final selected speaker(s) are managed by the NGOWG Office.

If you have any questions, please email the NGOWG Office at info@womenpeacesecurity.org