A/HRC/44/25 safe online interactive forums, and create feedback channels through which civil society could advise on how the United Nations could improve its work. 1. Participation in the United Nations intergovernmental processes 24. As reported previously, non-governmental and civil society organizations, with or without consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, continue to face multiple barriers when participating in intergovernmental forums, many of which persist. The rules of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations are often described as a hurdle to civil society participation in the United Nations. A work stream in which transparency and civil society participation has been found to be particularly weak is the development and implementation of standards to regulate and counter terrorism and extremism.9 25. Positive examples of civil society engagement in intergovernmental processes include the following: (a) The Committee on World Food Security is the only intergovernmental forum where the participation of civil society is facilitated by its own autonomously established coordination mechanism: the Civil Society Mechanism; (b) In line with rule 70 of its rules of procedure, meetings of the United Nations Environment Assembly, its subsidiary organs and subcommittees, are held in public, allowing for the participation of, and written and oral inputs from, accredited major groups and stakeholders. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change manages 2,400 accredited civil society observers and implements a quota-based system to provide space for different civil society constituencies; (c) The Peacebuilding Commission encourages participation of civil society in its sessions, including national and local civil society organizations from countries under review by the Commission; (d) The Human Rights Council allows NGOs with consultative status with the Economic and Social Council to attend and observe all of its proceedings (with the exception of deliberations under the complaints procedure), submit written statements, make oral interventions and organize parallel events on issues relevant to the work of the Council.10 2. Participation in other United Nations processes at global and country levels 26. Most United Nations entities at different levels have overall policies on civil society engagement, and the majority have also put in place rules on how civil society can participate. In addition, many entities have specific guidelines and tools on engagement with organizations led by women and women’s rights organizations, and sometimes include other communities and groups, such as young people. According to United Nations mapping, only one third of respondents have mechanisms that enable civil society to contest restrictions on civil society participation. In 2019, the Secretary-General launched the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy, a policy and accountability framework aimed at strengthening system-wide accessibility of organizations of persons with disabilities to, and mainstreaming of the rights of persons with disabilities in, the United Nations system. 27. Many United Nations entities propose a variety of measures to improve civil society engagement, from traditional (e.g., direct support, training workshops, consultations, meetings and sharing of information) to more innovative approaches and platforms: (a) Civil society continued to play a key role in various entities’ civil society advisory committees, groups and boards, including of the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and UN-Women, which allow participation of civil society actors in their work, decision-making and programme 9 10 6 European Center for Not-for-Profit Law, “Soft law, hard consequences”. Accessed on 12 April 2020. Human Rights Council, “A practical guide for NGO participants”, 2013 (revised edition). Available at www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Pages/NgoNhriInfo.aspx.