How does one bid farewell to the job I believe is the best in the world? Regrettably, that is what I must do. As you have probably already heard I will step down from my post as CIVICUS Secretary General at the end of March to attend to some pressing family matters.
There are two main reasons I have described this role as being “the best job in the world”. One is the privilege it has afforded me of meeting some of civil society’s greatest champions, innovators, change-makers and supporters, you not least among those. The other is the unique moment we find ourselves in. The vision that inspired the founding of CIVICUS and that lies at the heart of many, if not most, civil society groups has never been more relevant or achievable
Above my desk at CIVICUS is a poster whose opening line reads: “Within every border, across every country, exist a multitude of silenced voices. Over the past 15 months many of those voices have found utterance. From Sidi Bouzid in Tunisia and Tahrir Square in Cairo to the heart of Wall Street, New York and from the tiny coastal village of Wukan in China to Santiago, Chile, those citizens we so often label ordinary have defied the odds and risked lives, liberty and livelihoods to, inch by inch, force open the door to a generational opportunity. For the first time in my life, the challenge to the unjust, dominant paradigms that are at the root of the convergent crises humanity now confronts, is global.
Yet even as we celebrate the new forms of citizen action and the opening up of political space, re-engagement of young people and the middle classes with social and political issues, the use of new technologies for mobilisation, and the emerging focus on inequality, accountability and governance that are their consequence, new threats and new forms of marginalisation loom.
Governments around the world, in countries North and South, are taking measures to control dissent, quell protest and hamper organising. Only 11% of countries surveyed in the last round of CIVICUS’ Civil Society Index reported a conducive environment for civil society. The fiscal crises in the developed world are being exploited to excuse reneging on aid commitments, postponement of action on climate change and redirection of support away from politically inconvenient goals. In emerging and developing economies new forms of authoritarian control are being deployed to constrain freedom of expression, association and assembly as well as access to information. The shifts in geo-political power are paralysing global decision-making and the reform of global governance institutions. A new scramble for resources is displacing marginalised communities in Asia, Africa, North and South America and silencing criticism of tyrants who rule resource-rich countries. The considered state response to the financial crisis that emanated from historic concentrations of wealth and power has been to engineer even bigger transfers of resources to the 1%.
CIVICUS and organisations like yours are faced with an historic opportunity to re-shape the social contracts that govern citizens’ lives towards a more just balance between states, markets and citizens. We must build on the successes of 2011 to forge a critical mass of informed, empowered citizens who can reclaim governance from the elites who have held them hostage for decades. We can now envision a future for our species that simultaneously ensures both, guaranteed rights for all as well as respect for planetary boundaries.
I am pleased that CIVICUS has developed the depth of leadership and the institutional resilience to cope with the increasing demands for its knowledge products, convening processes and solidarity. Its core priorities – protecting the rights of civil society actors, sharing best practice across its network and enabling citizen voice in governance – have never been more critical. The challenges and opportunities we confront together are enormous.
I am deeply grateful for your support through my tenure. It has been a journey of intense and rapid learning and growth for me and for CIVICUS. Wherever in the world I have travelled I have been told of the immense value of CIVICUS’ mission and role as a connector, protector, amplifier and sense-maker. I hope that we will stay connected and find new ways to advance our common goals. As I depart I appeal to you, who most appreciate and value what CIVICUS does, to reaffirm your commitment to it. Your support at this critical juncture is vital.
To make a donation, click here.
For more information on opportunities for engaging CIVICUS, email: Amy Miller-Taylor, Resource Mobilisation Manager,
In solidarity,
Ingrid Srinath
