The high‑level General Debate of the 81st session of the [UN General Assembly](https://www.un.org/en/ga/) ended on 28 September 2026. The agenda for the year – “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All” – coincided with the search for a new Secretary‑General and resonated strongly with African civil‑society organisations. Although African governments and private‑sector delegations were well represented at UNGA 81, African CSOs were noticeably absent. In a statement released on 7 September, the CSO umbrella body [CIVICUS](https://civicus.org/) criticised the UN’s accreditation system for imposing “barriers and suspension of badges for ECOSOC‑accredited NGOs.”
For NGOs that could not obtain accreditation for the main General Assembly sessions, alternative avenues still existed to learn, influence policy and make their voices heard through a range of side events open to African organisations. These gatherings were organised by INGOs, family foundations and even by CIVICS at the Ford Foundation office. One of the few Nigerian civil‑society groups present at UNGA 81, the [dRPC](https://www.drpc.org.ng/) (Development Research and Projects Center), participated in several of these side meetings, including GCE‑US forums, Global Partnership for Education (GPE) sessions and the 23 September high‑level exchange hosted by [International IDEA](https://www.idea.int/). The event featured Maria Espinosa, a leading contender for the next UN Secretary‑General, who outlined her vision for the role. International IDEA Secretary‑General Kevin Casas‑Zamora framed the discussion by asserting that “democracy is the single most powerful instrument to promote development.” In a written request to International IDEA, the dRPC highlighted the organisation’s inclusive strategies for Nigerian NGOs.
Most Nigerian NGOs, however, found it difficult to attend these side sessions due to limited domestic funding, scarce philanthropic support and the recent withdrawal of USAID financing. Consequently, although many Nigerian organisations gathered for the pre‑GPE replenishment meeting in Abuja on 15 September and launched the Abuja Call to Action on Sustainable Education Financing, only a handful made it to the New York replenishment meeting on 23 September. That gathering, a $3.5 billion global summit on education financing, was chaired by the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the first time in GPE history – a missed opportunity for broader civil‑society participation.
Another lost chance for Nigerian CSOs was their non‑attendance at a meeting of seven north‑west governors who pledged a shared regional agenda for peace, resilience and economic opportunity on the margins of UNGA 81. Attendance at the International IDEA side event partially compensated for this gap, addressing conflict‑related challenges with direct relevance to Nigeria. In a dialogue with International IDEA’s Secretary‑General, academic Robert Orr noted that 65 countries are currently experiencing active conflicts – the highest number since World War II – and warned that the greatest risk lies in the “messy middle” of states with modest democratic performance that lack robust checks on executive power and mechanisms for peaceful conflict resolution.
As African NGOs remain on the periphery of development decision‑making, the UNGA has become a strategic platform for shaping national commitments and reporting on development and humanitarian issues. Allocating dedicated resources to enable African civil‑society participation at the UNGA is essential to ensure that organisations attuned to local realities have a seat at the global table where national policies are debated and forged.
**Judith‑Ann Walker (PhD) is the Executive Director of the dRPC and a member of the Presidential‑High Level Council on Women and Girls.**