From 9–10 May 2024 ACCORD joined the United Nations (UN) Civil Society Conference, held in Nairobi, Kenya. As the premier event in the UN’s civil society calendar, the conference, which was the first of its kind held in the global south, brought together civil society organisations (CSOs) and representatives from across the globe to contribute towards the Summit of the Future, to be held from 23 to 24 September 2024, at the UN Headquarters in New York.
A key outcome of the conference has been the formation of ‘ImPact Coalitions’, which are groups of concerned stakeholders that organise to progress reform initiatives which they identify as important, up to and beyond the Summit of the Future. Upon the invitation of
Interpeace and the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), ACCORD joined an ImPACT Coalition on Connecting the Pact for the Future to the 2025 Review of the UN Peacebuilding Architecture. Along with ACCORD, Interpeace, and DPPA, this coalition also received contributions from a core group of eight other global civil society organisations and networks including the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO), Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP), Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), Grupo Internacional de Paz (GIP), Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID), Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation (CMI), Pacific Women Mediators Network, and the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP). Prior to the conference itself, ACCORD also participated in a Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Building Sustainable Peace in Africa, hosted by the Life & Peace Institute, Saferworld, and Interpeace.
Along with the ImPact Coalitions, the conference provided a platform for civil societies to meet, organise and contribute to the UN’s agenda in the build-up to the Summit of the Future. As such ACCORD attended several workshops at the conference, including topics such as peacebuilding, youth peace and security, women peace and security, and UN Charter reform. The event featured keynote addresses from H.E. William Ruto, the President of the Republic of Kenya and H.E.Antonio Guterrez, Secretary-General of the United Nations. In his address, Mr Guterrez stressed his admiration for the work of CSOs and the frontline knowledge they possess, and stated the need for civil society to engage with national governments and demand ambitious commitments at the Summit of the Future.
Attendance and participation at the Civil Society Conference contributes to ACCORD’s work in advancing the role of civil society, among other multidimensional stakeholders, in addressing complex conflicts. As such, ACCORD will continue to engage with this ImPact Coalition to ensure sufficient attention is put on peacebuilding as a transformative force, both in the build-up to the Summit of the Future and the Peacebuilding Architecture Review.
