An Open Letter on Civil Society Inclusion in the UN80 Initiative
9th September 2025
Dear Secretary-General Guterres,
As networks representing more than 600 organisations worldwide, we are writing to express our concern that civil society – particularly national and local actors – has so far been excluded from the UN80 Initiative.
We recognise that the UN is at a critical juncture, faced with steep funding cuts and the deprioritisation of peace efforts, an increasing retreat from multilateralism and rejection of the principles on which the UN was founded and built. The ambition of UN80 to revitalize the UN and equip it to meet these challenges by realigning mandates, simplifying bureaucracy, and addressing systemic dysfunctions is welcome, but the exclusion of civil society risks undermining both the legitimacy and the impact of the initiative.
Our members work at the forefront of the world’s humanitarian crises and on the ever-escalating climate emergency. As humanitarians and as civil society, our members not only save lives, they lay the foundations for and protect development gains. They develop, enable and deliver climate adaptation strategies that are a core component of realising the Paris Agreement. Like UN aid agencies, our members have faced significant challenges from the drop in funding from the United States of America and other countries, and have had to reprioritise, improvise and strategise to continue to help those in need.
Our members have unique insight into the added value of the work of the UN, what could be and what needs to be improved and changed, and the needs of the communities we serve.
We recognise that efforts have been made by the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator to include civil society participation in the related Humanitarian Reset but also note that our members work across the humanitarian-development divide, on climate action, peacebuilding and refugee crises that are effectively outside its scope. In addition, changes which may be instituted through UN80 will possibly have a far wider impact on the functioning of the UN-led humanitarian system than the Humanitarian Reset.
We therefore request that there is meaningful, regular and structured participation of civil society organisations in the UN80 initiative processes and roll out.
This should include:
- Civil society representation within the UN80 task forces and workstreams, including those reviewing mandates and coordination structures,
- Publication of a clear timeline and decision points, with mechanisms for public feedback and review,
- Consultation beyond UN hubs, especially with organisations in the Global South, including women-led, refugee-led, and disability-inclusive groups,
- A public recommitment to participatory governance as a core pillar of UN renewal, including a co-designed civil society advisory mechanism to UN80 and beyond.
For the UN80 initiative to achieve its goals of revitalising the ideals of multilateralism and restoring the impact, effectiveness and legitimacy of UN institutions, civil society voice cannot be considered an optional extra.
Our networks stand ready to engage constructively with your office to help ensure the initiative achieves its full potential.
Sincerely yours,
ICVA Network
Network for Empowered Aid Response (NEAR)
Start Network
