A/HRC/44/25 40. In his recent call to action, the Secretary-General stated that the United Nations would: (a) Review and strengthen its tools aimed at empowering civil society, protecting civic space and encouraging participation by all groups in democratic processes; (b) Ensure that resident coordinators, United Nations country teams and heads of United Nations peace operations, in partnership with civil society organizations, contributed to an enabling environment for civic space, including for women’s organizations and women’s rights defenders; (c) Increase United Nations support at field level for the promotion of laws and policies that protected the right to equal participation and civic space, including a free and independent media, which was a foundation of open, democratic societies and most critical at a time when citizens demanded accountability. 41. During the global online consultations, civil society actors recommended that the United Nations and its leadership more strategically advocate with Member States for the expansion of civic space and the abolishment of laws that restricted civil society. Advocacy was needed to prioritize the participation at the country level of the most excluded and discriminated groups, in line with the “leave no one behind” commitment of the 2030 Agenda and with State obligations under international human rights law. Furthermore, as part of its advocacy for the expansion of civic space, the United Nations should continually highlight the positive contributions of civil society as key partners and active agents of change. 42. United Nations entities engage in civic space advocacy to varying degrees and often not systematically: for example, less than one fifth of United Nations mapping respondents often and openly advocated for the rights of freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, and the right to participate in public affairs. Most entities recognize that the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals offer opportunities and entry points to advance human rights and civic space issues: for example, UNDP leverages global sustainable development and other frameworks to open up spaces for meaningful participation at the country level and seeks to assist in removing barriers limiting the participation of population groups experiencing discrimination. UNDP has also long worked with national parliaments, civil society actors and international organizations to advocate for and provide detailed guidance on the meaningful participation of civil society actors in law-making and other parliamentary processes. 43. The Inter-Agency Standing Committee’s Operational Policy and Advocacy Group has a work stream that seeks to address bureaucratic impediments imposed by States that curtail civil society access and their ability to carry out humanitarian activities. UNAIDS, UNEP and UN-Women engage with Member States on advocacy for an enabling environment for civil society, diverse participation and better protection mechanisms. The Human Rights Council special procedures and treaty bodies advise States on how to ensure that their legislation complies with international human rights. 44. Civil society awards are a means of giving visibility to their contributions. For instance, the United Nations awards a human rights prize to honour individuals and organizations for outstanding achievements. The UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize is awarded to defenders of press freedom anywhere in the world, especially those at risk. The Nansen Refugee Award of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees celebrates and supports individuals, groups and organizations that strive to protect refugees, and displaced and stateless people. 45. Many United Nations country teams stressed the importance of: (a) facilitating and supporting strong partnerships with and between civil society for better engagements with State authorities and other stakeholders; (b) increasing the visibility of human rights defenders in their advocacy with State authorities; (c) recognizing the Sustainable Development Goals as important entry points and as a platform for dialogue with State authorities on civil society issues; (d) utilizing effectively the continuous advancement of web technologies and social media as powerful and effective communication tools; (e) strengthening the capacity of civil society organizations and their access to financial resources; and (f) increasing engagement with a diversity of local and grass-roots civil society organizations. Furthermore, processes related to the United Nations human rights 10