In almost every country in the world, both in the global North and South, civil society is facing increasing threats to its existence. Parallel to the growing backlash against democracy and the spread of highly restrictive security and counter-terrorism measures a growing number of countries are introducing laws, policies and practices that stifle rights to free association, assembly and expression – and the ability of civil society to operate freely.

Across the globe, we are witnessing a cascade of restrictive laws that prevent civil society groups from carrying out their legitimate activities, including barriers to funding as well as strict and highly intrusive regulatory measures that permit the authorities to restrict the activities and mandate of civil society organisations. In too many cases however, these threats are exposed and addressed only after they have already impinged on civil society space and prevented human rights defenders from carrying out their work. In some cases, organisations have had to face extreme setbacks which have resulted in their closure

In realisation of this global trend, CIVICUS and the International Center for Not-for-profit Law have developed an Early Warning System (EWS) to identify and respond to the initial signs of threats to civil society. CIVICUS and ICNL believe that by addressing the first signs of impending restrictions on civil society, we can alert both activists and decision-makers to the threats and possibly prevent them from progressing further.

The Early Warning System aims to identify moves to introduce restrictive laws or practices so that effective advocacy can take place before enactment or implementation of such measures rather than after and once governments are vested in the result. The system relies mainly on indicator-based monitoring through national partners in respective countries. Select on of the following links to read more:

• Background
• Methodology
• Indicators of threats to civil society

The Early Warning System is currently being implemented in 12 countries.  View the report on the Report on threat patterns and trends
identified by the Early Warning System for October-December 2009. Alternatively, click below for the latest reports and summaries from individual countries.

To view actions taken based on information from the Early Warning System, visit the CSW Take action page. For more information, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .