Blogs

• Celebrating our right to protest!

  Secretary General’s Update (Aug-Sep 2019)

  

  In the context of increasing attacks on civic space around the world, it seems far more unusual to have an opportunity to celebrate the progress being made through civil society and citizen activism around the world. Fortunately, the months of August and September have been replete with inspiring instances of how CIVICUS’ work has made a difference, and how ordinary people are more ready than ever to overcome restrictions and take direct action for the causes they believe in. 

   

  A tribute to the power of solidarity

  Palestinian human rights activist Ameer Makhoul shared a touching tribute to the value of CIVICUS’ solidarity messages and actions undertaken in the course of his 9-year imprisonment term. In an email message shared a few weeks after his release this year, he said, “….among nine years I got more than one thousand worldwide solidarity letters and postcards. two major things make prisoners feel happy and not forgotten; the family bi-weekly 45 minutes visits as well as letters of solidarity… when I think about solidarity, CIVICUS is on the front of my mind, I'll never forget your stand and your support to my family and me.”

  We are incredibly proud to have supported Ameer in his fight for justice. As members of CIVICUS, each of us has an important role to play in supporting and honouring the efforts of human rights defenders around the world. Our recently released Protest Resilience Toolkit is, in this context, a useful reminder of the range of strategies and tactics that we have developed across civil society to foster collaboration and overcome challenges in the design and implementation of direct action for change.

  Joining forces for global civic action

  

  We had several opportunities to join global mobilisations for climate action, sustainable development and social justice across September. As part of the SPEAK! initiative, CIVICUS partners organised 179 events in 55 countries, ranging from peace dialogues in DRC and Kenya to digital safety workshops in Pakistan. SPEAK! is an annually coordinated global campaign aimed at breaking down social divisions and enabling engagement across diverse groups of people.

  In other parts of the world, we were part of #StandTogetherNow actions that drew attention to the timely achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and walked with the inspired millions who came out in support of the ‘Global Climate Strike’ in a range of locations including Johannesburg, Berlin and São Paulo. Read our interview with Arshak Makichyan, the student who started weekly climate strikes in Moscow earlier this year, and has now been joined by students in other cities of Russia and beyond as part of the #LetRussiaStrikeForClimate campaign here.

  Making our civic space resourcing and research initiatives stronger

  Following on from the excellent response to our study on alternatives for civil society resourcing released earlier this year, we have just concluded an analysis of development funding in Latin America in partnership with the Colombian social impact start-up, Innpactia. The review of over 6,500 calls for proposals – amounting to USD 5.9bn from 2000 donors - exposes the barriers that local and change-seeking organisations face when accessing grant-based resources in the region. Further, only 3-6 percent of the funding proposals reviewed provided support to work related to human rights and the strengthening of CSOs.

  We also had an opportunity to bring core research partners of our online civic space tracking platform, the CIVICUS Monitor together in August. The group reviewed opportunities and challenges related to the methodology and overall uptake of the Monitor, while also agreeing on a set of priorities that need to influence its work going forward. This includes putting in place mechanisms that will allow access to greater levels of disaggregated data, with a stronger focus on access to country-specific reports and sub-regional findings.

  Act with CIVICUS!

  • Review our 2019-2020 Annual Plan and let us know how we are doing against our strategic priorities!
  • Get up to speed with non-traditional approaches to financial resources and sustainability with the ‘Alternative Funding Model Guidebook’ for Civil Society Organisations in Africa. The guide has been developed with feedback from agencies across 10 countries, and is available in English and French.
  • Look out for training and exchange opportunities available through AGNA – the Affinity Group of National Associations. This includes new tools in the AGNA Legitimacy, Transparency and Accountability platform that are available here.
  • Find out how we are applying ‘Primary Constituency Accountability’ principles within CIVICUS and let us know how your organisation relates to our work on Resilient Roots!

  In solidarity,
  Lysa John
  Secretary-General, CIVICUS
  @lysajohn

• Intimidation, censorship and defamation in the virtual sphere

  InSyria, hundreds of thousands of people have died since 2011. Numerous human rights violations have taken place during the Syrian crisis - arbitrary detentions, torture,assassination of journalists and the violent repression of protests, make Syria one of the most volatile countries in the Middle East and North Africa. This region has the worst record for human rights globally; crackdowns on civic and democratic rights are frequent and widespread, and journalists and human rights defenders continue to bear the brunt of authoritarian regimes. Life is particularly hard for women;across the region, therepression of women and those advocating for women’s rights continues.  

  Originally from Syria,Weaam Youssef is Programme Manager for Women Human Rights Defenders for the Gulf Region and Neighboring Countries. This is her story:

  Report, block, speak up, reflect, seek help digitally, and practice self-care

  As an exiled human rights advocate and a feminist coming from a volatile country, I find the online space is sometimes the only cosmos where I can interact with fellow activists and feminists from the same region and beyond. Yet the virtual world is packed with complex challenges and uncertainties. Its backdoors and obscure pathways can lead to jeopardies, persecution, and unanticipated impairments.

  As someone who works on women’s rights by profession and embraces feminism by passion, I tend to use my words as my advocacy tools - written, spoken or conveyed in any way through solidarity and compassion. It is imperative to be assertive in a changeable world, but most importantly, to be ready to be proactive in an interactive space.

  Before the COVID-19 crisis and the world awakening to the misinformation and information associated with it, and even before we were all forced to work online as part of the imposed lockdowns, activists from all around the world had already resolved to use online spaces as alternatives to the vicious physical ones. But even in the online sphere, we have been faced with constant intimidation, censorship, prosecution, defamation and electronic armies that strived to confiscate freedoms and attempted to steal our voices, our words. 

  There have even been unarticulated threats, such as the development of Cyberlaws and anti-cybercrime laws, that are mainly designed to silence rights activists and defenders’ free speech and control any anti-government tweets and posts.

  After the Syrian revolution started in 2011, and by taking inspiration from other revolutions in the region, social media contributed to breaking the fear imposed on us for decades and helped to mobilise efforts, convey solidarity and share learnt lessons. However, this has put many at risk of detention and resulted in a severe backlash from the government’s forces. The violence perpetrated by the Syrian government has put hundreds of thousands in prisons; many have been detained, tortured or have forcibly disappeared. 

  Sometimes, if we survived, we found ourselves in the limbo of exile, participating in online demonstrations and campaigns. Safety remains relatively challenged. If we are unharmed physically, we may lose ourselves in the oblivion of self-flagellation for our insufficient activism, helplessness and inability to be physically present to be part of these unprecedented demands for freedom and dismantling authoritarianism. Yet, despite the internal struggle, we are often called traitors, home country destructors, agents for foreign agendas and more.

  These challenges have never stopped for once, as online harassment mainly affects us as women and, even more, if we are activists. However, this form of gender-based violence continues to vary in its techniques yet is uniform in its cruelty.

  As someone who is - most of the time - wearing so many hats, my work in human rights makes it extremely difficult for me to alienate myself from the other women activists and feminists, especially when speaking up about harassment in all forms and shapes.  Every single story I heard, every online incident I witnessed, every case I documented or supported has not only touched me, but it scared me forever! And pushed me to do what I do every day. Despite the burnout, the blemishes and the vulnerability that might put me off for days, these stories push me to work determinedly for years.

  A week ago, I found myself navigating the newest social media platform, Clubhouse, speaking about the status of women in Arab countries, their challenges and risks; they are called extremist, hysterical, social disruptor, a traitor to religions, traditions and Arab society morals, only for advocating for women’s rights and speaking up about equality, abolishing patriarchy and demolishing authoritarianism. 

  The struggle is real and continues to correlate with the COVID related challenges, as harassers are now spending the majority of their time online to enjoy their favourite hobbies of fabrications, gender-specific verbal abuses, virtual sexual harassments and cyberbullying. 

  It is unfortunate that harassment reporting mechanisms remain chaotic and arbitrary in many cases, as abusers tend to create multiple accounts with fake names and identities to expand their abuse scale and make it difficult to track them and end their online violence. At the same time, online protection remains unfitting when women are twice as likely as men to experience sexual harassment online and less likely to take action and ask for help. For now, my advice to myself and all women: report, block, speak up, reflect, seek help digitally and practice self-care! 

• The Echo of

  By Ekaterina Porras Sivolobova, from Project 189, Kuwait and CIVICUS member delegate to the EC Partnership Forum 2018.

  Let’s make sure that the echoes of the recent EC Partnership Forum in Brussels do not fade away. The event brought together Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and representatives from different governments to have a dialogue with the European Commission on how to collaborate to implement and localize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – leaving no one behind.

  It was my first time in Brussels, and my first opportunity to engage with representatives from the European Commission. Hearing about the different struggles from civil society, from corruption to gender equality and the rising of the seas. I could not stop reconfirming that this is the time to double our solidarity with the European Commission and others, to roll-up our sleeves and get to work, to share our resources and do what has to be done.

  The decisions that will be taken in the coming years to achieve in unison the SDGs, will be important to pave the way to decentralised development, making sure not to leave anyone behind. I do hope that in the coming years, we all put our individual priorities aside, recognise the value of collaborative action and once and for all start creating a change, a real change. This form of solidarity is what will strengthen efforts and shorten and mitigate challenges.

• "Stubbornly optimistic": Reflections from Lysa John, CIVICUS SG

  FRANÇAIS

  It has been a little over 60 days since I took on my new role with CIVICUS and the question I get asked most frequently is:How does it feel to be SG?Fortunately, this query has an easy answer! It involves being reminded on a daily basis of the need to celebrate and reinforce efforts taken to defend and strengthen rights-based values and freedoms by individuals and organisations worldwide. It also involves being stubbornly optimistic about our ability as civil society to demonstrate greater accountability and impact, while continuing to learn from each other and from unconventional champions of the causes we believe in!

• “Imagine if the Haitian revolutionaries had to write a proposal?”: Reflections from the Shift the Power Summit

  By Taís Siqueira, Local Leadership lab Coordinator

  This quote represents what Shift the Power Summit was to me, a space to hear uncomfortable truths and to collectively reimagine solutions. When Marie-Rose Romain Murphy of the Haiti Community Foundation said that “we can’t shift power without breaking some rules” it got me thinking… Why do we need these rules in the first place? Why can’t we simply co-create guidelines and principles to follow together with the communities we serve?

  The #ShiftThePower Global Summit took place from 5-7 December 2023 in Bogotá, Colombia. With over 700 participants hailing from across the globe the summit aimed to unite changemakers and catalysts from international development, philanthropy, and civil society.

  The Summit showed me that there is appetite to co-create, however we are lacking safe spaces, resources, relationships, and the trust to do so in an honest, meaningful, and transformative way. At CIVICUS we launched a pilot initiative, Local Leadership Labs (LLL), that aims at co-creating solutions to some of the barriers (political, technical, behavioural) preventing governments, donors and other stakeholders from adopting and delivering on commitments that recognize, enable and resource diverse local civil society groups as key development actors in their own right. The initiative will support radically inclusive spaces where local civil society groups can drive, alongside other key actors and decision-makers, the development of context-appropriate policies and solutions.

  In Bogotá, the LLL team, in partnership with Movement for Community-led Development (MCLD), co-organised a session where we had the perfect opportunity to start co-defining gaps, priorities and characteristics that would allow possible catalysing spaces to be relevant and useful for the ecosystem.

  We learned that “catalyst” has multiple meanings beyond the dictionary definition and it is through learning, reflection, and intentional connections that we accelerate meaningful change, but how can we build such disruptive and transformative spaces to ignite dissent and curiosity as driving forces to learning and reflection? The answer that resonated with most participants was 1) co-creation to include diverse perspectives, 2) peer-learning to build intentional connections and 3) flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances.

  The Summit was also a good reminder that liberation happens on the ground and and the possible contribution from global alliances and INGOs, is to mobilise networks of support and solidarity to allow movements, organisations and activists to flourish. Dismantling power imbalances in the funding ecosystem starts with acknowledging that power structures exist, and we need to advocate for more participatory, innovative and courageous approaches to decision-making in the funding ecosystem.

  In conclusion, the Shift the Power Summit was a testament to the power of collective action. It proved that meaningful change arises from questioning existing rules, co-creating solutions, and fostering intentional connections. The journey towards shifting power is ongoing, and as

  we continue to challenge the status quo, the summit serves as a guiding light, reminding us that togetherness is a powerful force in the pursuit of transformed ecosystem.

• “La inclusión es una ilusión”

  English | French 

  Ochoa Ayala, Fundación 11:11, México

  

  ¿A quién no le gusta sentir que pertenece a un lugar, comunidad, espacio, algo? El sentido de pertenencia tiene que ver con la identidad que cada individuo va desarrollando a lo largo de su vida, da una muestra de quienes somos; por ejemplo yo, soy una mujer, joven, mexicana, activista, soñadora etc., es como me identifico y las palabras que elegí para describirme hacen que me conecte con personas afines.

  Al ser una mujer joven mexicana activista soñadora encontré a CIVICUS

  “Una comunidad mundial de ciudadanas y ciudadanos informados, inspirados y comprometidos en el abordaje de los desafíos que enfrenta la humanidad.”[1]

  Al leer su visón de inmediato supe que quería ser parte de esa comunidad y es que me sentí identificada, supe que al otro lado del planeta, en el hemisferio de a lado, existían personas con una visión muy similar a la mía, con la intención de cooperar y crear alianzas para que los problemas de la humanidad se combatieran de manera conjunta e unificando esfuerzos aislados.

  Ingrese mis datos y cada semana me llegaba información sobre sus boletines, actividades y demás, hasta que un día llego un correo invitándome a la convocatoria “the Global Learning Exchange and AGM” en donde se hablarían temas de inclusión y diversidad en Montevideo, Urugay; Sin pensarlo mucho tome una decisión y apliqué, sin imaginar que acababa de abrir la puerta a una de las mejores experiencias de mi vida. Meses después me confirmaron que fui seleccionada y el 13 de diciembre me encontraba en un avión rumbo al intercambio de aprendizaje.

  Fueron tres días donde hablamos sobre el significado de diversidad e inclusión, de entrada tanto las personas seleccionadas como los encargados de dirigir el intercambio teníamos diferentes nacionalidades, idiomas, aspecto, creencias e ideas pero eso no importo para intercambiar experiencias y crear conceptos nuevos, al interactuar entre nosotros le dimos vida y realidad a los conceptos de diversidad e inclusión, puesto que estás dos palabras no significan nada sino las llevas a la acción. Comprobamos de primera mano que las diferencias enriquecen las ideas y la disposición a escuchar da pie a la inclusión.

  Juntos concluimos que la diversidad es la riqueza de lo diferente y la inclusión es la bienvenida de eso, dos conceptos que coexisten puesto que uno necesita de otro para fortalecer cada acción que realicemos en pro de la humanidad.

  Antes de este encuentro veía a la diversidad e inclusión como una ilusión, tenía el anhelo de que en mi país existieran personas que fomentaran acciones de bienvenida a lo diferente, y es que ya llevaba un tiempo trabajando por ello pero no se materializaba.

  Lamentablemente vivimos en una Era de discurso y poco accionar, las personas hablan de aceptación, las leyes de inclusión, pero en la realidad parece más una exclusividad de lo diferente, es decir, “si eres diferente júntate con los que son diferentes como tú” pero entonces ¿dónde está la inclusión? ¿Es una ilusión inalcanzable? CIVICUS respondió mi duda al integrarme a un equipo donde lo que imperaba eran las diferencias, pero aprendí que la disposición, el respeto, la humildad, el reconocimiento, son actitudes que cualquier ser humano puede tener con otro y al hacerlo se da la oportunidad de conocerlo e incluirlo a su mundo.

  Recordemos que desde nuestra existencia pertenecemos a un mundo en el que todos coexistimos y al que todos tenemos la oportunidad aportar algo valioso.

  Gracias CIVICUS por hacer mi ilusión realidad.

  [1] https://www.civicus.org/index.php/es/quienes-somos/acerca-de-civicus

• “Open Up The Space”: A call for inclusivity by CIVICUS Youth

  The world is filled with injustice, hate speech, violence and oppression. Variant forms of power are exercised to police bodies, groups and human rights work in the interests of privilege. This should not reflect within spaces of advocacy and accountability.

  Civil society should understand the importance of sharing power and enabling inclusion in a meaningful and uplifting manner. We as young people of diversity acknowledge and recognise the importance of having voices of vulnerability at the forefront of change. We need to redefine how we provide solutions and build togetherness. Everyone's area of influence should consider issues of displacement, migration, decolonisation, disability, albinism, indigenous origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics and mental wellbeing.

  Young people are present and ready to steer the mantle of challenging the complex systems and ideologies that impede our progress. We are willing and able to ensure no one is left behind.

  At the Youth Assembly of International Civil Society Week 2019, many topics about youth empowerment were discussed among delegates. We were particularly interested in collaborating to identify ways to bring forward the narratives and concerns as young people of diverse identities. We hence call upon civil society organizations, donor and funding agencies, youth-led and youth-serving organizations and especially, CIVICUS member organizations to:

  1) Continue engaging young people and enhancing civil society organizing without discrimination of age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, religious belief, political affiliation and any other social, economic, cultural or political identity.

  2) Target the most vulnerable groups, including youth and LGBTIQ, to ensure equity and not just equality in achieving your programming.

  3) Provide resource for youth-led marginalized organizations at country level without pre-empting and restricting

  4) Open up the space, in anyway you can,by listening, linking and learning to/with/about the most marginalised in society.

  5) Broaden your perspective in sharing these elite/exclusive spaces because the voices that are not in the room is likely to be most affected

  Sign the call by filling in this form.

   

  This call was endorsed by the following youth activists at the Youth Assembly:

  Justin Francis Bionat - Youth Voices Count, Philippines

  Amanda Segnini - Engajamundo

  Dariele Santos - Brazil

  Nini Oñate - DAKILA, Philippines

  Marijoy Liwag - Commission on Human Rights PH

  Wilson Villones - ANSA East Asia and the Pacific, Philippines

  Peng - China

  Natasha - India

  Malebo- South Africa

  Nikhil Taneja - India

  Oliver Andreevski - CYA Krik, North Macedonia

  Jelena Mitrovic, Serbia, Youth Worker, Board member of National Youth Council of Serbia

  Fouzi Mathey, France, Yes! For humanity

  Alan Jarandilla Nuñez, IYAFP

  Wiem Chamsi, Tunisia YAT CIVICUS

  Cynthia Muhonja, Kenya Life Lifters

  Vandita Morarka, One Future Collective

  Ximena Arrieta, Mexico

  Joseph Kagabo, Rwanda

  Dumiso Gatsha, Success Capital NGO, Botswana

  Dessy - Indonesia

  Tracey Martin - Plan International, United Kingdom

  Ripley Wang - Beijing Gender

  Christine - Jordan

  Sohou Enagnon Brice, Bénin

  Karin Watson, Chile

  Kalisito Biaukula , Fiji

  Abdul Mufeez Shared, Fiji

  Jasmina Golubovska, Republic of North Macedonia

   

  Photo by daisuke1230 (CC-BY-SA)

• “Walk in My Shoes”: Change starts with us!

  By Patrick Newton Bondo
  Chief Executive Officer/ Social Justice Activist/ Main NGOs Representative To United Nations

  Every day we are inspired by the stories our girls, youth, women and young families share with us. The Outreach Social Care Project team’s job is to fuel their passions by giving them the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to turn their inspirational stories into real world actions that change lives forever. The Outreach Social Care Project wants a world where social and environmental development justice is assured and all people are able to live in a prosperous, healthy and peaceful environment, access to basic rights.

  As a grassroots non-profit organisation, Outreach Social Care Project was pleased to have the opportunity to attend the launch of the former public protector Thuli Madonsela’s foundation at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg on United Nations Wold Social Justice Day under the theme “Walk in My Shoes”. The Thuli Madonsela Foundation partnered with Khulisa Social Solutions to host the event to empower the most disadvantaged and underprivileged communities.

  Social justice is a fundamental principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations. We advocate for the principles of social justice, promote gender equality and the rights of children, girls, youth, men, women and the LGBTIQ community. We advance social justice by removing barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability in South Africa and around the world. Working together we can make the world a better place for all.

  This event was an eye opener for where our resources are strongly needed and how we can continue being a light to many of our beneficiaries living in the most disadvantaged and underprivileged communities.

• #SiConLasOSC - Yes with CSOs!

  By Oriana Castillo, CIVICUS

  In July 2019, the VUKA! Coalition, a group working to coordinate civil society actors to reclaim civic space across the globe, supported VUKA! ally Alternativas y Capacidades to bring together 25 CSOs from across Mexico for a pilot workshop on strategies to counteract the stigmatisation and demonisation of civil society in the country.

  

  There is a growing perception of insecurity and corruption in the country, which has affected everything, including public perceptions of CSOs.^[1] Mexico’s corruption index, as announced by Transparency International, is one of the worst in the region.^[2] Furthermore, the CIVICUS Monitor lists Mexico’s civic space as “Restricted”, with many CSOs facing surveillance, harassment and intimidation from the government or other non-state actors like organised crime groups like the drug cartels.^[3] One tactic used by actors who are trying to avoid scrutiny from CSOs is to undermine their legitimacy via campaigns to discredit their work and leaders, which has contributed to a narrative that CSOs are also part of the country’s corruption problem.

  Therefore despite a fairly strong institutional framework on paper, much of the country continues to lack a political and legal culture in which CSOs are able to operate freely and hold decision makers to account.^[4] In order to maintain their independence from those in power, there is therefore much onus on CSOs to be transparent and rigorous in their approaches, as well as vigorously defend their space and access to resources.

  Against this backdrop, the workshop brought participants together to explore ways to directly confront the discrediting messages they face. This included via campaigns to share impact stories through videos and other accessible formats, to change the narrative about the role and work of Mexican civil society. As a next step, allies in Mexico created a civil society campaign called #SiConLasOSC (Yes with CSOs), which currently involves more than 200 groups. In particular, #SiConLasOSC aims to rebuild trust and awareness of the role CSOs play in the community and the positive effects their work has in the country.

  For example, CSOs are currently generating the equivalent of 3% of Mexico’s GDP and reinvesting that money in promoting social welfare, providing public services such as education and health to vulnerable population groups, renewing and safeguarding the environment, and preventing domestic violence directed towards women and children.^[5]

  One of the coalition’s strengths is the diversity and plurality it represents, with a presence throughout the country, and most importantly, a clear understanding of the needs of the population. Now more than 1.5 million people work for organisations involved in the campaign, who have a further 2 million volunteers all around the country.

  They have gained legitimacy by listening to those communities they seek to represent, but also by working together they have generated fresh momentum for their respective causes. The organisation Fondo Guadalupe Musalem, for instance, which advocates for women’s rights, is helping members of indigenous groups to access formal education. Whereas another organisation, ASHOKA, created an alliance with American Express to host a workshop on Social Entrepreneurship for Development, in order to address needs related to income generation identified by the communities they work with.

  The support these organisations give to the excluded communities has proven to be effective in reclaiming spaces and overcoming previously hostile attitudes and perceived connections to the corruption and waste that continues to contribute to poverty, violence and lack of access to health and educational services.

  By bridging divisions, offering support, and fighting government laws that promote the use of “legitimate” force against protests, for example, the organisations involved in the campaign are attempting to strengthen a culture of citizen participation, accountability, and create a sense of community. Furthermore, the coalition has accrued legitimacy by constantly demonstrating how they are spending and investing their money, and explicitly communicating how their activities are helping community-embedded CSOs in Mexico to flourish. And, in doing so, they continue to say “yes with CSOs” and the fight for further public support. #SiConLasOSC!
   

   

  ^[1] Una fotografía de la Sociedad Civil en México

  ^[2] México detiene caída en el Índice de Percepción de la Corrupción: Transparencia Mexicana

  ^[3] CIVICUS Monitor: Mexico

  ^[4] Una fotografía de la Sociedad Civil en México

  ^[5] Picture translated by the authors. For the original version please visit Alternativas y Capacidades

• 10 Young Activists using Art to Create Change

  Politics and art have always been deeply connected. Art has always been used to challenge the status quo and empower silenced voices. From Banksy’s political street art to David Alfaro Siqeuiros’ murals to the songs of Fela Kuti, there is no shortage of examples of creatives that spread their political message through art. We also must not forget the creativity and contributions of young people, who make up nearly half of the world’s population, who have been at the forefront of rights’ struggles across the globe and who are using art to subvert harmful systems. Here are 10 activists using art to disrupt the status quo, amplify repressed voices, and provoke and inspire change.

  1. Madeline Sayet // @MadelineSayet Madeline Sayet is a Native American director, writer, performer, and educator. As a member of the Mohegan tribe, Sayet reimagines classic plays “to give voice to those who have been silenced.” Sayet stages classic plays with completely Native casts. By bringing these performances to life with an untraditional cast she hopes to show that Native people are more than the typical tokenized characters they often perform. In fact, they can occupy many different roles. Madeline Sayet is a recipient of The White House Champion of Change Award for her work as a director, writer, performer, and educator.

  2.Daniel Arzola // @Arzola_d Arzola used his love of graphic design to challenge bigotry and inspire LGBTQIA+ people through his artivism.  In his home country of Venezuela, Arzola experienced violence and discrimination because of his sexuality. In 2013, Madonna retweeted one of his illustrations and his work went viral shortly after. Unfortunately, following this recognition he began receivingdeath threats and had to flee Venezuela.

  3. Sonita Alizadoh // @SonitaAlizadeh Sonita Alizadoh is an Afghan rapper and activist or ‘raptivist’ who spoke up against forced child marriages, after having been almost forcibly married as a child herself, twice.  She was almost married off first when she was 10 years old and again when she was 16 years of age. She reacted to her experience by creating a song and video entitled “Brides for Sale.”  In an interview with Rolling Stone, Sonita explained the potential risks of the video when she said, “My voice shouldn’t be heard since it’s against Sharia. Women must remain silent; this is our tradition.” The video received international attention, and Sonita, continues to perform rap. 2020 to reshape the future of humanity By Hafiz Jawad Sohail, Climate Reality Leader and SDGs Advocate from Pakistan 2020 was a year of real superheroes. Never before has there been a borderless event of this magnitude that has influenced our thinking, lifestyle, decision making, and inter-dependence. Local and global dynamics have totally changed and 2020 has not been a normal year in any way.  We cannot deny the fact that this year was dramatic and horrific for many of us. On top of nearly two million deaths from the virus there has also been a rise in domestic violence, unemployment and economic instability. Disinformation was also widespread and the role of social media was criticised for not fulfilling its due responsibilities. COVID- 19 disrupted the operational capabilities of businesses across the globe and put in danger many small and medium enterprises. In short, this year has changed the economic, political, social and environmental dynamics forever.  Now we realise the devastation caused by the pandemic but COVID-19 has also acted as a wake-up call for all of us to adapt to the changing environment and to reimagine the roles of industry, government, and civil society. We saw many positive things this year and believe me, the events of 2020 are going to reshape the future of humanity. For instance, this was the year of creativity, digital connectivity, virtual events, remote working, innovation, and dare I say evidence-based decision-making. We saw many inventions in the field of healthcare, fintech, and online education. We also witnessed many acts of kindness & charity, sacrifice, and gained a new appreciation for those that work on the frontlines. This was also the year of social activism, women leadership, and Black Lives Matter.  There has also been a greater demand for accountability and transparency in decision making, inclusive of all sectors. We also looked back at our food production strategies and the risks facing our global supply chains. During this year we also talked about the prospects of digitalization, the digital economy, green finance, data protection, and the importance of cybersecurity. Most importantly, our planet got a breather after many centuries of resource-intensive industrialization. In a year that science could not be denied, many of the skeptics finally woke up to both the crisis and the opportunity of climate change. As we welcome another new year, we also have many challenges ahead of us in 2021. Successful recovery requires redesigning our economies so that we prioritise sustainability over short term profits. Building back better will also require us addressing rising inequality. The distribution of the coronavirus vaccine will be a critical test to see if we are serious about equitable access to public goods. 2024 in Review: Celebrating Civil Society’s Resilience and Impact A message from Interim Co-Secretary Generals, Claire Nylander and Mandeep Tiwana  Dear CIVICUS members, partners and allies   As a tumultuous 2024 draws to a close, we would like to celebrate the remarkable courage of civil society in the face of adversity. In South Korea, people recently came out onto the streets in large numbers to protest the imposition of martial law, forcing its reversal in less than 24 hours. Citizen action led to the stepping down of a long-standing oppressive government in Bangladesh this year. In Kenya, persistent demonstrations despite widespread police brutality forced the government to back down on the imposition of unpopular taxes. In Venezuela, people outvoted an incumbent authoritarian government that ended up stealing the election. But that doesn’t mean that the struggle for democracy has been permanently suppressed. Our just-released People Power Under Attack report attests that throughout 2024, civil society activists and organisations continued to demand a better life for all. Many among us put their lives and livelihoods on the line in the pursuit of justice. Across the world, people are not just resisting oppression; they are actively seeking to shape a future where rights and equality prevail. But as the most recent CIVICUS Monitor findings attest, nearly three-quarters of the world’s population live in countries where civic space is ‘closed’ or ‘repressed.’ Among the more alarming findings, the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) accounted for nearly 10% of documented global violations. Israel’s military actions, including attacks on civilians, journalists, and humanitarian workers, have led to a downgrade in civic space ratings in the occupied territories, underscoring the severity of ongoing abuses amounting to genocide. It should concern us all that Palestine solidarity protests have been actively suppressed in the United States and several European countries. Notably, the People Power report also references significant civil society victories, such as Thailand’s passage of a marriage equality bill and Greece becoming the first Christian Orthodox country to legalise same-sex marriage. Countries like Japan, Jamaica, and Poland received upgrades to their CIVICUS Monitor ratings for progress on civic freedoms, including advancements in women’s rights and public health. Our 2023-2024 Annual Report, presented at the CIVICUS Members’ Annual General Meeting in early December, highlights our role in supporting struggles for justice and equity. It reminds us, for instance, how through the #StandAsMyWitness campaign, we were able to celebrate the release of courageous Guatemalan prosecutor Virginia Laparra, who stood up to the previous corrupt regime in her country, and how our Crisis Response Fund delivered 29 grants in support of local responses to civic space restrictions. Throughout the year we continued to emphasise the importance of locally led initiatives, culminating in a Donor Transformation Challenge that inspired over 30 commitments to dismantle systemic barriers for smaller organisations and adopt more inclusive practices. Our recently launched Local Leadership Labs initiative seeks to develop civil society-driven and context-appropriate solutions to development challenges. At the international level, we have continued to amplify the voices of our members, supporting national level organisations from the Global South to participate in the Human Rights Council and the African Commission for Human and People’s Rights while pushing for greater civil society say in global governance through campaigns like UNMute Civil Society and 1 for 8 billion. In the face of mounting restrictions on civic freedoms, our annual report underscores our commitment to empowering civil society as a force for justice, equality, and sustainability.  As we approach 2025, we are clear-eyed about the challenges that lie ahead from anti-rights authoritarian-populist forces. They may try to threaten our existence, but they will never deter us from our mission to support citizen action and civil society throughout the world. Our vision of a worldwide community of inspired, informed and committed citizens confronting the challenges facing humanity remains ever relevant. In solidarity and gratitude, Claire Nylander and Mandeep Tiwana Interim Co-Secretary Generals, CIVICUS 21st century activism is complex, persistent and all-pervasive. Governments and businesses will have to reinvent themselves Message from Lysa John, CIVICUS Secretary-General The nature of civic space has changed significantly since the start of the pandemic. The CIVICUS Monitor, which systematically tracks the status of civic freedoms across countries, has shown that even in established democracies, governments have used the pandemic to disproportionately curtail fundamental freedoms. Nearly 9 of 10 people now live in countries where civic freedoms are under attack, and over a quarter of the world’s population – 4 of 10 people –  live in countries where civic space is completely closed. That is, in contexts where they can be routinely attacked, arrested, or even killed by state or non-state actors for simply exercising their universally recognised right to expression, peaceful assembly, and association. Across 2020, we have seen an exponential rise in two trends that seriously threaten the work and lives of both activists and active citizens: one, the devastating misuse of technology to increase censorship, surveillance and targeted misinformation or propaganda against civil society, particularly journalists and human rights defenders; and two, the impunity with which state and non-state actors are able to attack and intimidate civil society and active citizens who speak out against governments and organize for their rights. The CIVICUS Monitor has also made a special note of the rise in attacks on women and peaceful protestors in the past year. Despite this, we see that civil society has striven to find new ways to fulfill its unique purpose. Our annual State Of Civil Society report, now in its 10th edition, provides evidence that social movements are more diverse, more connected, and more mainstreamed than ever before. Technology has made access to opportunities for cross-border, multi-sector, and inter-generational civic action more possible. The old playbook of leadership that thrives on fear, hierarchy, and control is hopelessly insufficient in present times as 21st-century activism is complex, persistent and all-pervasive. Governments and businesses will have no choice but to reinvent themselves to be more open, accountable, people-centered in the coming years. This not only requires us to rethink mechanisms for civic participation and people-centered accountability at the level of global and multilateral institutions but also requires a radical change in the way public and private institutions operate at national and local levels. As evidenced in this pandemic-related survey on sustained support systems for civil society,  every country must put in place the infrastructure and investment needed for a strong, well-networked, and fully empowered civil society. We need stronger national and international laws that protect civil society and civic freedoms, and we need greater public engagement to demand and ensure the effective implementation of these laws. People of all ages and affiliations should have the means and resources to actively understand, influence, and engage with public policies. In addition to this, we need to foster dialogue & initiative across all sections of society and demonstrate an inclusive approach to leadership that celebrates a creative & collaborative engagement with diversity and dissent. In Solidarity,  Lysa John 25 years later, looking back at my CIVICUS journey French  by Anabel Cruz, Board Chair 2016-2019 In early 1993, democracy was rather “young” in many parts of the world. Only less than four years had passed since the fall of the Berlin Wall; Apartheid had not yet been totally dismantled and the first elections in South Africa held with universal suffrage were to happen the year after, in 1994. At the same time, the early nineties saw several countries in Latin America taking their first steps towards elected democracies, after more than a decade of military dictatorships. Internet did not exist yet, and global communications were something at least very new, slow and difficult. Only one year earlier, in 1992, a professor of sociology at the University of Aberdeen had described globalisation as the compression of the world and the intensification of the consciousness of the world as a whole. So, in that context, isn’t it really admirable that a group of individuals, from diverse regions and parts of the world, came together to found CIVICUS, as a global alliance of civil society organisations? Those visionaries defined the mission of the new Alliance as: “to strengthen citizen action and influence, based on the underlying principle that free and effective societies exist in direct proportion to their degree of citizen participation and influence." (CIVICUS Organising Committee, minutes Lisbon meeting January 1993). Today, more than 25 years later, this mission is still valid and current, and it is also our permanent challenge. Freedom, participation and solidarity remain as one of our basic goals and fundamental values. My 25-year journey with CIVICUS As I reflect on my own journey with CIVICUS, a series of images come to my mind, and I relive my first contacts with CIVICUS like one of those high-speed movies. I learned of the new organisation in the first months of 1993: while helping to consolidate local democracy, civil society organisations in Latin America were seeking new international horizons and collaborations. I never imagined that my visit to Independent Sector in Washington DC, at that moment hosting the recently founded Alliance, would result in such a long-lasting and enduring relationship. For the last 25 years, I have had the privilege of following and participating in CIVICUS history, its achievements, challenges, strategies and course corrections, from diverse positions: I have been a member, a partner, a Board member, the Chair of Board in two different opportunities. One of CIVICUS first successful steps was probably its first international meeting. Soon after the organisation was founded, in 1995, the first CIVICUS World Assembly took place in Mexico City: 500 people from more than 50 different countries came together to learn about the new organisation and to have conversations on how to strengthen citizen action and cooperation opportunities. Since that moment, 16 global events have been organised in all parts of the world, global gatherings for civil society to connect, debate and create shared solutions, now known as International Civil Society Week (ICSW). The most recent one, in Belgrade, Serbia happened just last month, and was a vibrant gathering attended by over 700 delegates from 92 countries. From the very beginning, CIVICUS prioritised activities such as networking, information-gathering and building the capacity of existing and new national and regional associations. Consistent with this, the Affinity Group of National Associations (AGNA) was one of CIVICUS’ first, and still enduring, programmes, bringing together national associations and regional platforms from around the world for more than 20 years to foster greater cooperation across boundaries. Building civil society knowledge in a changing world From its inception in 1993, CIVICUS has sought to make a significant contribution to recording the rise of civil society around the world, and to building a knowledge base on civil society by civil society. A first World Report on Citizen Participation came out as early as 1995, intended to get a grasp on the state of civil society worldwide. Later in 1997 The New Civic Atlas was published, as a compilation of civil society profiles from 60 countries around the world. In order to provide consistency with regard to the issues covered and a more rigorous comparative framework and after a number of consultations, in 1999 CIVICUS was ready to launch a new idea, the Civil Society Index (CSI). I remember so well the words of former CIVICUS Secretary General Kumi Naidoo, reporting years later that participants of the CSI consultations had described the project as “an exercise in madness,” especially due to the lack of data on civil society in most countries, and the contested definition of civil society that would not allow comparisons or global analysis. But CIVICUS challenged the paradigms once again and the so-called Diamond Tool was presented in the CIVICUS World Assembly in Manila, as the preliminary methodological design for the CSI project. Subsequently, CIVICUS developed a fully-fledged project design and the CSI had its pilot phase from 2000 to 2002, with the CSI implemented in 13 countries. The evaluation of the pilot phase recommended modifications in the methodology and considered the Index project as “an innovative, contextually flexible, empowering and uniquely participatory tool for self-assessment by civil society stakeholders of the state of civil society in their countries” Two full phases followed, from 2003 to 2006, with the participation of 53 countries, and from 2008 to 2011, with the CSI implemented in 56 countries and also at regional level in six African countries. The results of the decade of CSI implementation yielded an enormous contribution to the body of knowledge about civil society around the world. The world was changing very fast, new actors burst onto the scene: The Indignados Movement in Madrid, the student protests in Chile and in other countries, the Arab Spring, all these new started to rise in late 2010 with peaks during 2011 and 2012. The CSI findings were clear and very well oriented, pointing out a noticeable disconnect between established civil society organisations and the increasing number of citizens involved in both new and traditional forms of activism. It does not come as surprise that the final CSI report title was “Bridging the gaps: citizens, organisations and dissociations” (2011) and concluded that the CSI needed to evolve to encompass the changing landscape. Conditions for civil society proved to be volatile and can change very rapidly, so information cannot be out of date. Indeed, more agile tools were needed, without compromising the rigor that characterized the CSI tool, in order to continue providing a leading barometer of that human impulse to freedom, justice and collective endeavour. CIVICUS has listened and has tried to respond to the changing situations and the multiple demands. The State of Civil Society Report, published annually since 2013 and the CIVICUS Monitor launched in 2016, are part of that necessary evolution. The State of Civil Society Report has become CIVICUS' flagship annual publication, providing the key trends affecting civil society organisations (CSOs) and citizen movements. Furthermore, the CIVICUS Monitor is a research tool aimed to share reliable, up-to-date data on the state of civil society freedoms in all countries. Danny Sriskandarajah, our Secretary General from 2012 to 2018, defined the CIVICUS Monitor as “the first robust and comprehensive tool to track conditions for civil society around the world”. The road ahead… CIVICUS is indeed one of the few organisations whose main job is to protect and promote civil society writ large, all over the world. And in the years to come, no doubt that CIVICUS will continue listening to our members, partners, to our primary constituencies and will always be ready to innovate, will work hard to understand realities to defend civic and democratic freedoms, to strengthen the power of people, and to empower a more accountable and innovative civil society. As we prepare to address new challenges, we are fortunate to find ourselves in a position of strength at CIVICUS: with a stable financial base, a committed and diverse board, a broad and growing membership and a talented secretariat team led by Lysa John, our inspiring new Secretary General. We have the best conditions to continuing strengthening citizen participation around the world. As I step down from the Board soon, I can only say how privileged and grateful I feel. Thank you for the opportunity of having served for so many years, for all the learnings, for the love and friendship that I have received, for having met the most committed people to justice that can exist. CIVICUS is about shared values, solidarity and inclusion. I will always be a champion for those values. Thank you CIVICUS! Anabel Cruz Chair of the Board of CIVICUS 2016-2019 3 funding concerns for civil society during this pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly exacerbated, accelerated, and further exposed global challenges. For civil society, COVID-19 has also meant new challenges - not least of all stable funding during these increasingly stretched times. What is the impact of the pandemic on the resilience and sustainability of the sector? Over the last four months, CIVICUS  hosted and participated in several virtual conversations with a range of practitioners and activists. These 3 recurring concerns have been raised across the board:   1. Economic crisis and lockdown measures put civil society jobs and sustainability at risk  The COVID-19 crisis hit the global economy pretty hard, including civil society organisations (CSOs), social enterprises, community-based groups, and activists. Many are losing even more donor funding, at the same time as having to stop their income-generating activities due to lockdowns. The result is threatening their already fragile sustainability, the possibility to continue serving communities, and the jobs of many civil society workers around the world.   “One of the main challenges, in addition to what governments are doing [imposing restrictions on civic space], is that many donors and governments who had supported our work have suspended our grants and are freezing funding. That is causing many civil society organisations to put their activities on hold, and many in our sector have lost their jobs,” highlighted Sarah Ali, Executive Director at HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement, during the webinar ‘Social movements before, during and after COVID-19.’ “There is a need for new mechanisms and sustainable regulations that protect people working in this sector. We don't have the same conditions and regulations that protect us in the long term [compared to other sectors]. Every time there is a problem with funds many of us lose our jobs, and we are unable to fight against what’s happening, against violations,” added Ali. Facts:  Up to 1.6 billion workersin the informal economy will lose their livelihoods as a result of the pandemic, estimates the International Labour Organisation. 42% of CSOs in the global south have lost funding for their current programs due to the pandemic, and 50% reported that they would have to close within 3 months without additional funding, according to a survey of 125 CSOs conducted by LINC.  CIVICUS has been energetically advocating for the social security of civil society workers. Check out our Social Security Protocol for Civil Society. 2. Funding for COVID-19 relief is ignoring critical issues that usually affect the most vulnerable  “Funding is being re-directed to COVID-19 relief efforts, but what qualifies as COVID-19 relief is quite limited and does not always account for the different realities of different communities,” said Vandita Morarka, feminist and founder at One Future Collective, India, in the recent webinar ‘Domestic violence during COVID-19: what CSOs can do to address this pandemic in a pandemic’. During this webinar, activists expressed concerns about the lack of funding to address other health and social issues that are critical during the pandemic and that usually affect marginalised groups more, for example, mental health, reproductive health, violence against women, and the needs of LGBTQ+ communities. “CSOs that provide critical support such as mental health services have had funding removed and redirected to other health interventions. This has reduced their capacity to provide sustainable mental health support during the pandemic. We have big expectations of CSOs but we should consider that funding at this time is limited and the access to resources keeps shrinking, affecting their critical work... And we already see the impact of this in many communities,” said Roshika Deo, coordinator of the One Billion Rising initiative in Fiji. Facts: 3 months of quarantine could result in a 20% rise in intimate partner violence and cause from 325,000 to 1 million unwanted pregnanciesthroughout the world, according to the United Nations Population Fund. Mental disorders affect 1 in 4 people worldwide, according to the WHO. Isolation, job loss, barriers to access mental health care, and burnout among frontline health care workers are additional burdens that could hurt people’s mental health during the pandemic. From 75,000 to 150,000 people could die from mental health-related outcomes of COVID-19 in the United States, estimates a study by the Well Being Trust. The UN has called for a US $2.5 trillion coronavirus crisis package for developing countries. 3. The funding pie for youth-led activism is shrinking even more While youth activism is on the rise, funding for youth and managed by youth is nominal, and young activists are worried that the crisis will make this worse.  “During the current COVID-19 situation – where we see the governments tightening their controls and civic spaces, and also placing this within the broader context where there is reduced funding [for civil society] – what’s happening essentially is that the funding pie is shrinking and a lot of the young organisations are fighting for a pie that already started shrinking ages ago. And with COVID-19 some of this funding is being redirected to COVID-19 relief efforts,” highlighted Tharinda de Silva, a young activist and Peacebuilding Project Assistant at Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, during the webinar ‘Supporting Youth-led Movements and Groups as Key Drivers of People Power’. Under these circumstances, added de Silva, the future funding landscape is bleak not only for youth activism but also for LGBTQ+ issues, women’s rights and other social causes and development needs in general. However, de Silva insists that young activists must continue working to maintain and grow the space they’ve won in political and civic engagement, especially in countries with restrictive governments.  Facts There are 1.2 billion young peoplein the world (ages 15-24) and 88% of them live in developing countries in Africa and Asia. Unfortunately, this generation of young people faces the highest risk of being left behind in large numbers, highlights the OECD.  Youth civil society funding is scarce, fragile, almost exclusively short term, highly restrictive and prohibitive of institutional development, and donor-dependent (Restless Development).  91% of young feminist organisations consulted for the Global State of Young Feminist Organizing indicated that the lack of financial resources as their top challenge.   3 hard lessons learned during the ICSW/Virtual webinar series Organising our webinar series was a joy met with a few challenges like dealing with Internet trolls. Check out what difficult lessons we learned in the last months. Webinar overload and video call fatigue are challenging online engagements We conceived the ICSW/Virtual webinar series last year, in a pre-COVID-19 world. People seemed to have a little bit more time and excitement for joining online events, and we knew that there was a strong interest in the topics we planned to cover. Then the pandemic happened and all human interactions moved online. The number of Zoom’s daily meeting participants grew from 10 million in December 2019 to 200 million in March 2020. The web also became flooded with webinars - webinar platforms reported hosting from 330% to 500% more webinars compared to last year. In the meantime, people started experiencing online and ‘video call fatigue.’ In March, we realised that we would have to compete harder for space, resources and attention to organise, promote and deliver our webinars. We had to reconsider our planned content because people had new worries and priorities. The pandemic had serious implications for civil society and we wanted to provide relevant information. We tried to adapt quickly and to keep the events relevant and engaging, considering that people are increasingly overwhelmed by webinars and are tired of being on video calls all day. But in the end, we had to accept that things like attendance or the time people could stay in our events could drop, and sometimes did. We are still learning how to adjust to these circumstances to keep providing valuable online engagements for civil society. Prepare to avoid but also to face Internet trolls and Zoombombings Our first ICSW/virtual webinar, ‘Supporting Youth-led Movements and Groups as Key Drivers of People Power,’ was very successful in attendance and engagement, but it was also the first time that we had to deal with an Internet troll. We were very aware of all the Zoombombings happening with the increased use of videoconferencing platforms due to the pandemic and we took precautions to avoid having our sessions hijacked. However, we kept the chat enabled to allow webinar participants to engage with comments during the conversation, and that is how the troll posted insulting comments directed to a speaker. We removed the troll immediately, but it was technically impossible to remove the comments. Luckily, we did not have any security issues in our six remaining events. We became much more alert and are regularly improving our security practices to provide safe and inclusive spaces for conversation. But we know that there is always the risk of facing something similar and we must be prepared to deal with it. An interesting fact is that we considered disabling the chat during public webinars, but attendees request having this space to interact, share their name, post a comment (most of the time positive and enriching), and say thanks and goodbye. People crave some interaction; it gives online events a soul! We continue looking for ways to keep our online events safe without having to sacrifice human connection. We need to get better at hosting inclusive events The CIVICUS alliance has 10,000 members from all around the world, who speak many languages and have different needs in terms of accessibility to content. During the ICSW/virtual series, we made sure to have speakers from several countries, contexts, ages, areas of work, etc. We promoted the events in English, French and Spanish (the three main languages spoken by our audiences), and provided simultaneous interpretation in these languages during the events – once we had eight interpreters! That took a great deal of coordination, effort and investment. But we acknowledge that we were not inclusive enough. We know that a good number of people have limited access to the Internet and joining online events is not an option, or their attendee experience is not the best. We are aware that part of our target audience speaks other languages that we are not providing interpretation for or need captions or other supports that we were not able to provide. Sometimes our interpreters had technical issues and attendees could not hear them, or people joined from devices that did not allow them to access the interpretation feature. In a way, we learned that online events can’t be 100% inclusive, but we took notes and are committed to improving our strategies and practices to make sure that more people have quality access to online spaces and conversations. 3 lessons learned about resourcing civil society in the 21st century By Yessenia Soto, Community Engagement Officer on Civil Society Resourcing at CIVICUS In 2019, CIVICUS set out to find ways to better support and resource citizen action in the 21st century. Why? Resourcing challenges are not new to civil society, but in this century we are in the middle of changing political, social and economic dynamics that have made those challenges even more complex.  Authoritarian, repressive and anti-rights governments are gaining ground around the world and they are imposing restrictions on the civic space and on the access to both foreign funding and domestic support for citizen action. International donors are withdrawing from middle income countries despite their ingrained social problems, and most funding is focused on service delivery, providing little to nothing for social change, accountability and safeguarding human rights. Grassroots and youth actors have stood out as key changemakers, but their resourcing needs are mostly unmet by the existing modalities of international and domestic funding and support, which usually favor adult-led and more established civil society organisations (CSOs). And let’s not forget how the digital age has transformed civil society’s actions, reach and the threats it faces.  To help promote an environment that sustains a diverse array of civil society forms and responses in these contested and uncertain times, this year we focused on two priority areas. First, identifying the greatest needs and challenges of individual activists and new generation changemakers who may not work within or associate themselves with established or traditional CSOs; and, second, exploring more meaningful, direct and democratic resourcing avenues for smaller and spontaneous civil society formations.  We ran two consultations to understand the resourcing landscape of youth-led groups and movements and of grassroots – we emailed, called, and met face-to-face over 50 activists and donors. Using consultations’ findings, design thinking and co-creation methodologies, we identified and sense-checked four potential resourcing mechanisms for grassroots. And, currently, a team of nine young diverse activists from the Global South is co-creating an innovative mechanism for resourcing youth. We also brought together a diverse range of entities that provide rapid response funds and support activists and a few back-donors to coordinate actions for enhancing rapid response grant-making across the world and to make it more accessible to the increasing number of attacked and threatened activists and CSOs. Lastly, we published an experimental data-driven analysis that offers evidence about the barriers that CSOs in Latin America face to access resources, which has fueled important debates between civil society and donors in the region.  This work will continue during 2020. We will roll out the youth co-designed resourcing mechanism, called Youth Action Lab 2020, explore ideas of pilot activities based on the four resourcing prototypes and support a grassroots-led advocacy initiative aimed at influencing funder’s behavior. Moreover, we will mobilise the CIVICUS alliance to advocate for changes that could lead to more accessible and meaningful resources for civil society. As we prepare for these next steps, we would like to share three key lessons we’ve learned so far about resourcing citizen action in the 21st century:  Youth-led organisations, groups and movements have specific resourcing needs and it is time to address and prioritise them Our engagement with youth activists has been a truly eye-opening and transformational part of this workstream. For years, youth leaders around the world have been tackling important social problems, leading political and environmental protest and providing innovative solutions to development issues, however, resources specifically available to support them directly remain minimal. We realised that barriers to accessing resources not only limit the impact and sustainability of their work, but make them feel undermined, misunderstood and even disconnected from the development sector, other CSOs and donors. Young people request and should get now more financial resources but also more acknowledgment, spaces and connections with funders, CSOs and other stakeholders based on empathy, understanding and respect. More co-creation and collective work is needed These activities emphasised the importance of co-creation, participatory decision-making and collective approaches in the development, testing and rollout of effective resourcing modalities. Different views, voices, lived experiences and contexts of civil society groups, donors and other actors, who may benefit or be affected in any way by proposed actions, should be included in these processes. However, we also learned that co-creating and being truly inclusive and diverse requires a significant investment of time, efforts, coordination and plenty of dedicated resources.  Civil society-donor relationships must improve We are not speaking here about the transactional relationships between donors and civil society actors (which have their own set of challenges). After several workshops and dialogues between youth, grassroots and donors, we realised that there are tensions, frustrations, communication barriers and even lack of trustbetween them. It is not rare to hear civil society actors saying that “donors don’t listen, don’t reply to emails, have very different values.” On the other side, donors share frustrations of being under-resourced, overworked, and of the language gaps between donors-youth/grassroots. We learned that facilitating safe spaces and moments where donors and civil society actors can meet, speak and connect beyond that transactional dimension of grant-giving was highly valued by both groups, and this is a stepping stone towards improving some operating challenges that limit access and quality of resources for civil society groups. This year of listening, experimenting and learning would not have been possible without the support of all CIVICUS members and partners who believed in the importance of finding new and better ways of resourcing civil society groups on the frontline of change. We would like to specially thank the support of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) who dared investing in innovative approaches to strengthen 21st century citizen action and is blazing new trails towards more effective development aid. 3 positive lessons learned during the ICSW/Virtual webinar series After celebrating seven online conversations about people power, we are inspired by the potential of virtual engagements and the resilience of civil society Virtual events can be fertile ground for people power Through our seven ICSW/virtual webinars, over 400 people (between attendees, speakers, collaborators and video viewers) engaged in meaningful conversations and exchanges that enriched our knowledge, souls and amplified the voices of civil society. Diverse activists from several countries shared their work, perspectives, concerns, recommendations and real-life solutions to current civil society issues related to COVID-19, global governance, youth activism, funding, digital security, positive narratives, self-care and even artivism! Some participants built connections during our webinars that translated into greater visibility and new collaboration opportunities. And these virtual conversations will be the foundation for the next step of our journey: in 2021, activists around the world will organise local events (COVID-19 permitting) to expand on these topics at a community level. We acknowledge that there are significant gaps that must be addressed to make virtual engagements more safe, inclusive and enabling for all civil society, but we must recognise the good and try to build on it. After ICSW/virtual we are inspired by the potential of virtual events as fertile ground for people power! 2. People power is tenacious and resilient Hosting these conversations in the middle of a pandemic allowed us to see how the crisis exacerbated the threats and challenges faced by civil society around the world, but they also evidenced the tenacity and resilience of people power. For example, young activists in our events showed how they are working under very adverse financial conditions, but they keep leading powerful social, political and environmental movements around the world. Other activists shared how lockdowns increased restrictions on key freedoms and stopped crucial mobilisations in their countries while funding for their work plummeted, but they were very solution-driven and focused on reinventing strategies to face this new reality. While issues and injustices were voiced, people focused on the way forward, on collaborations, sharing lessons and creating solutions in every conversation. And that attitude shows in the field. Movements like #blacklivesmatter got stronger during this crisis, and as we documented in this report, despite the limited resources and other restrictions, civil society everywhere has provided vital, bold, creative and innovative responses to the pandemic. 3. Turn your good and hard lessons into useful tools Organising and delivering a series of webinars does not seem like a big deal. But it is. Coordinating with many teams of partner hosts and numerous speakers spread around the world is quite complex. Delivering all the engagements in three languages is hard. And technically, everything can go wrong before, during and after a webinar! From dealing with problematic software to manage participants or host the events; having a bad internet connection, microphones not working or Internet trolls threaten your webinar; to losing your webinar recording. But we learned so much! We had a learning log to track all the things that went great, not so well and very bad, and those reflections were used to develop protocols and tools to improve our webinars. Thanks to the ICSW/virtual experience, we have new checklists, security protocols, consent forms, and knowledge that helped our small team and also other colleagues in our organisation. We also have a good list of things left to do, learn and fix. We are determined to translate this learning into better experiences and an improved global conversation about people power for everyone who is following the ICSW 2020-21 journey. 3 Reasons Why Relationships are Vital to Expanding Youth Networks The Youth Action Team (YAT) and Youth Action Lab at CIVICUS has now had several rounds of calls for candidates to champion youth engagement and civic space. A question we are now asking ourselves is - how are we making sure there is a diverse, committed, and innovative pool of candidates to select from? Here are some of the key lessons we have learned so far, highlighting the relevance of building strong social capital -through fostering reciprocity, trust and generating value for individuals and the community.  1. Past participants of your programme are your ambassadors to attract new ones When creating a programme, we need to make sure to give participants a great experience. Of course, this includes the project length but goes beyond it. Keeping in touch and being a witness to their journey, ongoing communication and providing support to make sure they reach their full potential are ways in which we can build long-term connections. This is an end in and of itself, but the benefits do not stop there. When people have a good experience, they are compelled toshare it with friends and networks. In fact, a recent survey showed that 90% of YAT participants said they will recommend the programme to peers. That is exactly what happened ahead of the call for applications for the YAT this year, where 92% of the chosen candidates applied because the experience was recommended by a colleague who participated in a CIVICUS programme.    2. Young activists acting locally are well-connected and can extend this network to your organisation    The Youth Action Lab co-design team has a great bearing on the representation of countries and the number of applications received in 2020 for the Youth Action Lab. Even though CIVICUS membership has a global coverage of over 175 countries, receiving more than one application from countries like Iraq or Trinidad & Tobago in an open call is not very common. The local networks of the co-design team served as a direct pathway to these countries and, instead of relying only on the reach of CIVICUS alone, their outreach in the recruitment process was very valuable to achieve more diversity in the pool of applications.    3. A good relationship can last for years and lead to ongoing collaboration  The co-design team had its first engagement with CIVICUS in 2019, when co-creating the Youth Action Lab. Yet, a network is about a constant flow of exchanges. This connection was nurtured through ongoing participation in the call for applications of the first Lab in 2020. To keep engaged with the Lab, all 9 co-design team members were invited to select the new 2021 cohort voluntarily, 4 said yes. Being it a time-consuming process, the fact that they have helped to shape the programme, motivated them to ensure that the best candidates are part of it. 5 amazing funds that are making a difference for women Did you know that only 4% of the total Official Development Assistance (ODA) supports programmes that integrate gender equality and women’s empowerment as the main objective? And only 3% of that fraction goes to women’s rights organisations. Fortunately, a growing number of groups, organisations, and funds are mobilising and allocating resources for women, their specific needs and agendas. Even better, many of them are led by women! Today, we want to share five funds that are making a big difference for rural women, adolescent girls, women and transgender activists and human right defenders, and sex workers.              1. Tewa – Nepal’s women fund Tewa was founded 25 years ago and since then has been breaking new grounds in fundraising locally to promote self-reliant development and the empowerment of emerging groups of rural women in Nepal. This women-led fund has awarded almost 700 grants to 500 organizations strengthening women’s leadership, voice, visibility, and collective organizing power throughout the country. These organisations work in a wide variety of areas like income-generating activities, skill development training, women’s rights, environmental rights and justice, legal and health rights, and advocacy to stop violence and discrimination against women. To learn more about Tewa, visit their website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.            2. With and for Girls This is the world’s only participatory fund by, and for, adolescent girls! It joins a collective of 11 donors who contribute with funding, expertise and time to co-resource and execute the annual ‘With and For Girls Awards’. Under this programme, up to 25 exceptional, local and adolescent girl-led and centred organisations worldwide are chosen every year, by regional judging panels of adolescent girls, to be awarded flexible funding, opportunities for collaboration, mentorship, accompaniment, and profile-raising. Since 2014, With and For Girls has supported 60 organisations in 41 countries, reaching more than 1.5 million people. To learn more about With and for Girls, visit their website and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.            3. FCAM - Central American Women's Fund FCAM is the first and only feminist fund in Central America to raise funds in support of the financial, political, fiscal, and emotional sustainability of groups, organizations, human rights defenders, networks, and movements that work for the human rights of women and their communities. These women are exposed to high rates of violence because of their activism and generally can’t access traditional sources of funding. FCAM’s partners receive flexible, multi-year general financial support, and are the ones who define their agendas, priorities, and methods. Since 2003, FCAM has supported and strengthened almost 400 women’s groups, organisations, networks, and activists in Central America. To learn more about FCAM, visit their website and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.            4. Red Umbrella Fund This is the first global fund guided by and for sex workers. The Red Umbrella Fund mobilises resources, provides grants, and offers capacity building, technical assistance, and communications and donor advocacy to help strengthen and sustain the movement in achieving human rights for sex workers. While it brings together a diversity of funders and sex workers, the fund’s grant decisions and overall governance are led by sex workers themselves. Since its creation in 2012, the Red Umbrella Fund gave out 157 grants to 104 sex worker-led groups and networks in over 60 countries to organize themselves and speak out against the human rights violations they face. To learn more about The Red Umbrella Fund, visit their website and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.            5. Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights This feminist fund can be a lifeline for women and transgender human rights defenders at critical moments. It provides rapid response grants and advocacy and alliance-building support when activists are poised to make great gains or face serious threats to their lives and work. They use online, text and mobile funding applications to respond to requests from activists within 72 hours and have funds on the ground within 1-7 days. They work in partnership with three sister funds, Urgent Action Fund-Africa, Urgent Action Fund-Latin America, and Urgent Action Fund-Asia & Pacific. Collectively, they support women’s leadership and activism in over 110 countries. To learn more about Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights, visit their website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 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