Blogs

  • Reasons to be hopeful: Five moments that inspired us in 2016

    The year 2016 was a difficult year in so many ways for those who believe in democratic values, fundamental human rights and social justice. Despite all this, there were several moments of hope demonstrating the power of citizen action which continue to inspire Civil Society.  
  • Reflecting on a Transformative Year and Priorities for the Future

    A message from Lysa John, Secretary-General of CIVICUS

    Dear CIVICUS members and allies,

    As we bid farewell to a remarkable year, I am inspired as we reflect on the growth of the CIVICUS Alliance. I would like to take a moment to highlight what we achieved and learned together and priorities for the coming year.

    The 2017-2022 Strategic PlanReview earlier in the year demonstrated that CIVICUS has not only embraced the lessons learned but we have continuously strived for a higher standard for global impact. Through our 2017 -2022 Strategic Plan delivery, we produced timely and world-class knowledge and analysis. By shifting from retrospective research to up-to-date data analysis on global events, we established ourselves as leaders and trusted partners in the sector.

    Our new2022-27 Strategic Plan hasled to a review andoptimisation of our internal coherence and external impact, includingareview of thekeywork streams led bythe Senior Leadership Team (SLT). Thenewly restructuredfive-member SLTwill leadthe priorities underpinned by our 2022-27 StrategicPlan. 

    New SLT

    We are proud to announce that our 2023 Annual Report clearly shows CIVICUS's progress against the new strategy. Noteworthy headlines from the report include the increasing utilization of knowledge generated by the CIVICUS Monitor and Lens to influence public discourse.  Our advocacy efforts have evolved into sustained and networked approaches, and for example, the#StandAsMyWitness Campaign has helped free 15 human rights defenders from imprisonment. We also pleased to share that CIVICUS was recognised as the top-ranking organisation in the annualFAIR SHARE for Women Leaders Monitor.

    Remaining steadfast in our mission, we launched several initiatives this year aimed at strengthening civil society participation and civic freedoms. These include theWeRise Campaign focused on freedom of peaceful assembly, theLocal Leadership Labs project strengthening the local civil society ecosystem, and theDigital Democracy Initiativepromoting local, inclusive democratic space in the digital age. Additionally, our UN office in New York is working on theUnMute Civil Societycampaign advocating for better civil society participation at the UN.

    Looking ahead, we are thrilled to host the Graca Machel-Nelson Mandela Innovation Awards in 2024 and International Civil Society Week (ICSW) in 2025. Watch out for more information on these exciting events on our platforms!

    While we navigate the complexities of our ever-changing world, the CIVICUS Alliance remains dedicated to its mission of strengthening citizen action globally. Our achievements this year are reflective of our collective resilience and unwavering commitment to positive change.

    Thank you for your continued support, we wish you a joyful end to this year and a refreshing start to 2024!

    In solidarity,

    Lysa John (LinkedIn)
  • Reflections on resource mobilisation realities for youth movements and organisations

    By Alex Farrow

    Alex FarrowYouth movements and organisations are always at the forefront of campaigning for human rights and social change. Whether Brexit in the UK, abortion in Ireland, anti-gun laws in the USA, LGBT rights in Russia, democracy in Armenia, or climate change in Fiji, young people risk their safety – and their lives – in the pursuit of change.

    But changing the world costs money. #MarchForOurLives is up against the NRA - an organisation with an annual budget of $250 million. Having the resources is not just about cash in the bank; it is the time and capacity to plan and deliver, having staff and volunteers with the right knowledge and needed skills, and the ability to respond to changes in external environment (something that is getting worse).

    Too often this is a luxury that only large, formal NGOs can afford. If you are in a small and less formal youth organisation, global research found, you will face the ‘most acute’ challenges. This is due to a lack of internal expertise and capacity to fundraise, the stringent requirements of some funders and donors, and the restrictions (and outright suppression) from governments on civic space.

    So how can we all help?

    If you’re an established NGO:

    1. Offer your space and resources – youth organisations often only need a desk, a printer and somewhere to store their things. Could your organisation help by giving space, resources or facilitates? Being generous and collaborative with other organisations – especially newly formed or youth-led groups – is a way of giving back to the movement.
    2. Be flexible with your funding – if you’re a funder, change your model. Some funders still only give funding to formal, accredited organisations. If you’re a Syrian human rights organisation, government accreditation puts you on a hit list, not a funding list. Funders like FRIDA - the young feminist fund - give to informal movements, have limited reporting requirements and focus on relationship building. Be more like FRIDA.
    3. Reimagining youth power post COVID-19: Lessons from the Goalkeepers Youth Action Accelerator

      GoalkeeperspicCIVICUS’ recently concluded experiment with a group of young activists offers interesting insights for youth power in a post-Covid-19 world. Many youth-led organisations say traditional grants by northern donors are not quite suitable for them due to, among other factors, donor’s impact expectations and reporting requirements. Are there better ways to resource youth so they can create effective change towards sustainable development in their communities? Here is what we learned through the Goalkeepers Youth Action Accelerator.

      by CIVICUS Youth

      The global COVID-19 pandemic is changing the world as we know it. Many organisations have adjusted by adopting new and better ways of working, co-existing and resourcing efforts to defend democracies, hold leaders accountable and protect civic rights.

      CSOs are leading theresponse to COVID-19, including youth groups, who are reimagining and adjusting ways to ensure more resources are channelled towards the most vulnerable and in need around the world.

      The story of a youth resourcing pilot

      In the spirit of social innovation, learning and experimenting, CIVICUS and partners have  been testing different resourcing models to support grassroots individuals, organisations and movements who are less likely to work withtraditional donors. Many youth-led organisations, while addressing some of the most pressing challenges faced by humanity today, have limited opportunities to access funding, and when they do receive resources, they often come with rigid requirements and conditions, or relationships with donors that are hard to manage. One of the alternative models we tested is theGoalkeepers Youth Action Accelerator, which was launched in 2018 with six partners to showcase what young activists can achieve through holistic support that goes beyond funding. The launch of the Accelerator was a direct response to the challenges young people face in accessing sufficient and appropriate flexible resources to meaningfully engage in development decisions and activities that affect their communities. The results were a rich source of learning for us at CIVICUS and all the programme partners and we hope to you too.

      Provide resources that support civil society in different ways

      The 20 month-long project supported 26 promising youth advocates (ages 18-35) from Africa, Asia and Latin America who are using data and storytelling in innovative ways to address Sustainable Development Goals 1-6 (poverty, hunger, health, education, gender equality, and water and sanitation). In addition to flexible funding, the advocates received technical support, mentorship, travel, engagement opportunities as well as a space to provide feedback on adjustments to programming to better address their needs and amplify the impact of their work. This ensured a truly “participant-led approach” where their voices were heard and meaningfully engaged and part of the process. 

      As a result, all of the participants report having increased their skills, 80% say they have forged new partnerships and more than half of them have managed to secure additional funding to sustain their projects. 

      Give activists space in media

      After over a year of working with the Goalkeeper advocates, we noticed a significant growth and prominence in the role they play in their countries of intervention. Their projects and profiles were shared publicly and they achieved improved services, scale, recognition and increased accountability among key decision-makers on the issues/thematic areas they are advocating. 

      Be open and flexible throughout the process

      Being open and responsive to feedback and the context and needs of advocates, allowed space for the programme to experiment new ways of doing things. Every three months, the 26 advocates met in small groups online to share success stories, challenges, needs, questions and suggestions for improvement. The space for reflection among peers also boosted creativity and ideas for collaboration.

      While experimenting with flexibility and trust, we learned to prioritise the principle of “do no harm” (especially in potentially dangerous contexts). Traditional grant-making has not always facilitated holistic support that provides for the physical, mental and financial security of young people.

      It was also very important to document and evidence the results of this approach so funders and organisations like CIVICUS have the certainty that flexibility, trust and meaningful equal relationships with grantees can lead to valuable learnings, strong partnerships and community impact.

      Avoid hefty reporting requirements

      We tried to avoid burdening participants by designing a very simple monitoring and evaluation framework that allowed for quick understanding and usability when reporting. Our previous civil society resourcing research revealed that reporting requirements from donors are often rigid, burdensome and come at a high cost, proving an obstacle to activists working towards the actual needs of the community. The framework we used allowed the advocates and us to really analyse progress achieved and it was adaptable to each of their programmes based on their quarterly updates and changes in their contexts. As a result, many participants started to use these tools beyond this particular program and adopted similar methodologies for other work within their organisations. 

      The Goalkeepers Youth Action Accelerator was an opportunity to take part in an innovative piece of work. Young people are the key to sustainable development and their creativity and innovation could be the missing link to solving some of the world’s intractable challenges of today. The Accelerator was a constant process of learning how to support a systemic shift within civil society to address long-standing injustices experienced by marginalized young people, especially in terms of resourcing. And, learning happens not in the moments when we think we are doing well, but most often through the difficult and challenging times – so we need to embrace those.
    4. Remise en question des structures verticales de prise de décisions dans le secteur des Organisations de la Société Civile (OSCs) à travers l'amélioration des pratiques de redevabilité

      Par Gaetan Mertens (Accountability Lab) et Resilient Roots (CIVICUS)

      Resilient Roots est une initiative de CIVICUS, menée en partenariat avec Keystone Accountability et Accountable Now. Il s’agit d’un projet ambitieux qui implique 15 organisations de la société civile basées dans des pays différents, comprenant deux organisations en Afrique francophone, et plus particulièrement en Mauritanie et au Bénin.
    5. Resilience in times of shrinking civic space: How Resilient Roots organisations are attempting to strengthen their roots through primary constituent accountability

      Soulayma Mardam Bey (CIVICUS) and Isabelle Büchner (Accountable Now)

      The systematic crackdown on peaceful protests and demonstrations across the world has shaped our understanding of repression against civil society organisations (CSOs). Yet, less-spectacular restrictions such as increased bureaucratic requirements imposed by governments are not necessarily less threatening to CSO resilience.

      While those tactics significantly hamper CSOs’ ability to operate and can reduce primary constituents' trust in CSOs' ability to represent them legitimately, we also need to acknowledge that these symptoms can stem from our own inappropriate approaches to accountability. When CSOs are not accountable to their roots, this can serve as a breeding ground for governments’ and other non-state actors’ anti-CSOs strategies and rhetoric.  

      The Resilient Roots initiative is aiming to test whether CSOs who are more accountable and responsive to their primary constituents are more resilient against threats to their civic space. 15 organisations from diverse countries and contexts have partnered with us to design and rollout innovative accountability experiments over a 12 month period. These experiments will explore how public support and trust in CSOs can be improved through practising what we call primary constituent accountability, which aims to establish a meaningful dialogue with those groups that organisations exist to support, and increase their engagement in CSO decision-making.

      Accountability and resilience are both highly context-specific and vary not just from country to country but also along an organisation’s thematic focus, size and approach. This means that we need to explore the relationship between accountability and resilience on a case by case basis and across a variety of very different contexts. Keeping this in mind - and without further adieu - read on to meet the some of Resilient Roots Accountability Pilot Project organisations:

      One of these organisations is the Poverty Reduction Forum Trust (PRFT) from Zimbabwe. In the rural area of Dora, in the district of Mutare, they aim to systematically validate actions and strategies through constituent-led monitoring of programme progress. As a platform for civil society that aims to address the root-causes and diverse manifestations of poverty in Zimbabwe, they may face very different challenges from an organisation that works on more politically polarising topics.

      For example, Russian CSO OVD-Info is an independent human rights media project that monitors detentions and other cases of politically motivated harassment, informs media and human rights organisations on the state of political repression in Russia, and provides legal assistance to activists. For the Resilient Roots initiative, OVD-Info seeks to set up a dashboard to serve as a data visualisation tool, which will help evaluate the efficiency of its projects and motivate their constituents to play a stronger role in the organisation’s decision-making.

      In contrast to the technology and data-driven approach of OVD-Info, FemPLatz is a women’s rights organisation from Serbia that seeks a more direct and personal approach. They plan to gather feedback from their constituents through focus group discussions, interviews and workshops while also improving their communication with their constituents through the publication of a regular newsletter. This will allow their constituents to monitor their work and get in contact with them to provide feedback.

      A newsletter can also contribute to closing the feedback loop. Projet Jeune Leader (PJL) from Madagascar, for example, will engage young adolescents, their parents and school administrations to establish a coordinated and systematic means to collect feedback. They will collect feedback through participatory scorecards, stories from primary constituents around the changes triggered by the project, and an updated youth magazine to get closer to their constituents. PJL works on a comprehensive sexual-reproductive health education and leadership development program integrated into public middle schools.

      A particularly creative approach comes from Solidarity Now. Through multimedia productions, their primary constituents will express their daily perceptions, challenges, and dreams through the making and sharing of interactive material like video clips. Solidarity Now consists of a network of organisations and people whose goal is to assist and support the populations affected by the economic and humanitarian crises in Greece. Through the provision of services to both local Greeks and migrant populations, it seeks to restore the vision of a strong Europe based on solidarity and open values.

      In Asia, Climate Watch Thailand (CWT) is an organisation working to drive changes in attitudes towards climate change, and trigger action on the topic. As part of the initiative, CWT is going to strengthen how they formulate policy asks, by continuously testing their relevance to their constituents and this gaining wider support.

      Unfortunately, not all the organisations we work with in this initiative feel comfortable enough to publicly associate themselves to Resilient Roots, without the fear of inciting further anti-CSO responses in their local context. Such is the case of our Ugandan partner, a reminder of how delicate civic spaces are and how important it is for our sector to better understand how to strengthen CSO resilience in recent times.

      These diverse organisations are using a variety of approaches to work on CSO accountability, and we are incredibly excited to be exploring with them how different accountability practices fare in different regional and thematic contexts. What factors will make them successful and where will they need to adjust? In what circumstances does increased accountability actually lead to increased resilience? We are looking forward to sharing this journey with you: how they progress with their projects, the things they are learning, and what you can draw from their experiences to inform the work of your own organisation.

       

      Resilient Roots blog
    6. Resilient Roots: Debunking the Myths around Primary Constituent Accountability

      By Isabelle Büchner (Accountable Now) and Laurence Prinz (Keystone Accountability)

      When you are passionate about something and join others to work on it collectively, you quickly start to develop your own group language. You start using jargon and acronyms. This is a central part of creating a close community of peers. Yet this language can also become exclusive, where others misinterpret or feel uncomfortable to ask for clarifications on what has become a common part of your group’s vocabulary.
    7. Resources for civil society in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic

      Defending civil society, democratic rights, and our fundamental freedoms can be challenging, let alone having to do it while under “lockdown” practicing social distancing in the midst of a global health crisis spreading rapidly across the world. In times like these, solidarity and social compassion play the most important role. To help connect and inform the alliance and civil society during this time, we will be collecting information, resources, and support to share. 

      We will be updating this page as this crisis unfolds and as new information is shared. You can also contribute with useful information by contacting us at:

      CIVIL SOCIETY RESPONSES

      Civil society and human rights analyses:

      Donor messages:

      Civil Society statements and messages

      Amnesty International

      Asian Venture Philanthropy Network

      CIVICUS

      Council on Foundations

      		 Fireflight Foundation Fireflight Foundation

      Harvard Kennedy School

      		 Red Argentina de Cooperacion Internacional (RACI)
      Salam for Democracy and Human Rights The People's Assembly The World Organisation Against Torture The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

       

      RESOURCES

      Now that we all have to be physically distant and isolated from each other, our daily routine will have to change. These resources offer tips and guidance on dealing with isolation, working from home and carrying on our fight for civil society while practicing social distancing. 

      working from home 

      Working from home? Some resources to help you:
      Civil society and online activism:

      Do you need help in shifting your campaigns and movements to the online world? 350 Org are giving you the chance to ask a digital organiser to help you!

      OPPORTUNITIES FOR CIVIL SOCIETY

      In the midst of this pandemic, it is very easy to find ourselves face to 'fake news' and disinformation about the virus. Open Democracy has shared this quiz that will help you spot common Coronavirus disinformation circulating on the internet.
    8. Ressources pour la société civile en période de pandémie COVID-19

      Défendre la société civile, les droits démocratiques et nos libertés fondamentales peut être un défi, sans parler du fait de devoir le faire pendant le "confinement", en pratiquant la distanciation sociale au milieu d'une crise sanitaire mondiale qui s'étend rapidement dans le monde entier. Dans des moments comme celui-ci, la solidarité et la compassion sociale jouent le rôle le plus important. Pour aider à connecter et à informer l'alliance et la société civile pendant cette période, nous allons collecter des informations, des ressources et un soutien à partager.

      Nous mettrons cette page à jour au fur et à mesure de l'évolution de la crise et du partage de nouvelles informations. Vous pouvez également contribuer avec des informations utiles en nous contactant à l'adresse suivante :

      Tout d'abord, quelques informations de base sur la prévention du National Council for Voluntary Organisations

      LA RÉPONSE DE CIVICUS 

      • Le secrétariat de CIVICUS répond à l'urgence qui se propage rapidement et aux besoins qui en découlent dans divers endroits. Il s'agit notamment de soutenir notre personnel dans ses efforts pour faire face aux défis personnels et professionnels qui sont apparus à la suite de la pandémie COVID-19. Les mesures institutionnelles clés qui sont en vigueur jusqu'à présent comprennent un moratoire sur les voyages du personnel, la suspension des réunions pour les prochains mois et des systèmes permettant aux collègues de travailler depuis leur domicile et de concilier leurs responsabilités envers leurs familles et leurs communautés. Une équipe interne d'intervention COVID-19 est en place pour s'assurer que nos processus opérationnels et humains répondent aux réalités changeantes et soutiennent les besoins du personnel et des partenaires conformément aux directives de l'OMS en matière de prévention et de protection.
      • Dans l'intérêt de l'alliance CIVICUS et du soutien nécessaire aux petites et moyennes organisations en particulier, nous appelons les donateurs et les intermédiaires à faire preuve de souplesse et de compréhension car l'épidémie de COVID-19 nécessitera une redéfinition des priorités et des ajustements dans la programmation et les activités de sensibilisation des organisations de la société civile dans le monde entier. En ce moment, nous avons besoin que les bailleurs de fonds et les soutiens travaillent ensemble pour s'assurer que la société civile reste forte et résiliente alors que nous faisons face aux crises et incertitudes actuelles et futures, y compris dans la sphère sociale, politique et économique.
      • Ce faisant, nous sommes également conscients de la nécessité de nous soutenir mutuellement par des messages d'espoir, de résilience et de solidarité pour faire face aux conséquences négatives potentielles sur la cohésion sociale, la confiance et les luttes civiques. Aujourd'hui plus que jamais, nous devons mettre en place des mesures qui réduisent l'impact de la pandémie sur les groupes rendus particulièrement vulnérables par l'inégalité, la discrimination, le handicap et l'absence de mesures de sécurité sociale.
      • Enfin, comme beaucoup de membres de nos réseaux s'emploient activement à dire la vérité au pouvoir et à contester les inégalités de pouvoir, nous sommes préoccupés par la manière dont les mesures d'urgence peuvent être réorientées dans certains contextes pour réduire encore l'espace réservé à la société civile. Nous comprenons que l'exercice des libertés civiques, en particulier les mobilisations publiques, devra se faire en ligne temporairement. Cela nécessite des efforts supplémentaires pour appeler et contrôler une surveillance illicite renforcée. Les attaques contre les acteurs de la société civile pourraient également s'intensifier, car l'attention du monde est détournée ailleurs. Les prisonniers politiques, les défenseurs des droits humains détenus arbitrairement, les journalistes et les prisonniers politiques sont extrêmement vulnérables dans ce contexte et nous nous joignons aux appels à la libération immédiate et inconditionnelle de ces acteurs, en abandonnant toutes les charges retenues contre eux face à la surpopulation et à l'accès limité aux soins de santé qui existent déjà dans les systèmes pénitentiaires.
      • Il est impératif que nous restions vigilants et que nous agissions ensemble, en puisant efficacement dans nos réserves d'innovation et de résilience.

      DÉSINFORMATION

      Au milieu de cette pandémie, il est très facile de se retrouver face à des "fausses nouvelles" et à la désinformation sur le virus. Open Democracy vous propose ce quiz qui vous aidera à repérer les désinformations courantes sur le Coronavirus qui circulent sur Internet.

      LES RÉPONSES DE LA SOCIÉTÉ CIVILE

      Analyses de la société civile et des droits de l'homme :

      Avec la diffusion du COVID-19 dans le monde entier, les différents systèmes nationaux ont des réponses différentes à cette crise. Et l'état de la société civile est donc influencé par la réaction ou l'absence de réaction des gouvernements. Lisez les différents cas signalés dans les différents pays :

      Messages de la part des donateurs:

      Déclarations et messages de la société civile:

      RESSOURCES 

      Maintenant que nous devons tous être physiquement distants et isolés les uns des autres, notre routine quotidienne devra changer. Ces ressources offrent des conseils et des orientations pour faire face à l'isolement, travailler à domicile et poursuivre notre combat pour la société civile tout en pratiquant la distanciation sociale.

      Puisque nous sommes confinés à la maison, un bon moyen d'apprendre sur les droits de l'homme et l'espace civique est de suivre des podcasts et des cours en ligne. Vous trouverez ci-dessous une liste de ressources permettant d'explorer et de découvrir des faits et des réalités concernant les droits de l'homme, la conduite du changement et bien plus encore.

      Cours gratuits :
    9. Safety & Cyber Security: 8 Tips for Civil Society Digital Defense

      The month of October is officially declared as CyberSecurityAwarenessMonth, and the digital age has ushered in a new era of human rights activism, journalism, and social justice. But it has also introduced new risks, such as hacking and surveillance. The ability to produce, share and disseminate information has empowered social movements in many countries to demand basic human rights. But it has also facilitated efforts by authoritarian regimes and the private sector to monitor citizens—such as using sophisticated facial recognition software—and identify those who pose a threat. For digital rights to be upheld, digital activists must develop strategies to protect their online presence from surveillance and hacking.

      This guide provides some basic cyber security tips to help vulnerable internet users protect themselves online. It is intended for those who are not experts in the field but may be at risk because of their work. The 8 tips below will give you some basic knowledge and insight on what to do next.

      1. Avoid Spear Phishing and Advanced Persistent Threats (APT) Attacks

      Recent studies have found a surprisingly high number of journalists, human rights defenders, and activists who have experienced cyberattacks. Most of these attacks targeted those who received phishing emails and email attachments. These individuals are often targets because of the information they possess or distribute and their popularity. One needs to differentiate between authentic email addresses and authentic email. Remember that hackers can send you an email from your trustworthy friend or colleague through spoofing techniques, and victims mostly trust the mail content and perform action communicated as the email address is real. At the same time, it is been spoofed by hackers.

      Recently researchers discovered an APT group based in China, tracked as TA412 or Zirconium, targeting U.S.-based journalists largely using spear phishing attacks.

      Fake domains are another challenge in Spear phishing attacks where victims cant see a minor difference. e.g google.com, and googIe.com look the same, but one is google with small “l” while the other is with a capital “i.” The same Turkish alphabets (Ç, Ş, Ğ, I, İ, Ö, Ü) are used to create fake URLs that look trustworthy to victims who are unaware of technicalities. Make sure you read and confirm the URL you click via your emails or messages.

      2. Safe Browsing and Social Engineering Attacks

      Today we browse the internet regularly with our devices. As we browse, we leave a trail behind us. This trail can be collected by others and used for personal and targeted attacks on our digital selves. There are various ways to avoid this, such as not clicking on links from unknown sources or creating strong passwords that can't be easily broken.

      Social engineering is the psychological manipulation of victims to perform actions. It is used to gain access to computer systems, networks, and physical locations to commit crimes such as espionage, sabotage, or data theft. Social Engineering attacks propagate via attackers guiding victims to install a malicious app, software, and device update, which can lead to monitoring and surveillance. Pegasus spyware is an example of social engineering, executed via URL click and monitors your phone activity, including camera, microphones, apps and gallery etc.

      3. Data Backups and Encryption

      You need to be very aware that there's a huge chance for someone in civil society to suffer an incident that can result in losing their phone and laptop, or someone can snatch your devices and retrieve data despite them being password protected; the data remains readable through data retrieval techniques. An attacker can easily remove the hard drive from your PC and install it in an external case to use with a new computer so that you don't have to log in. Encrypting the devices can help in this case which makes your data unreadable until valid secret keys match and decryption happens. Veracrypt is recommended by security experts, while TrueCrypt or Bitlocker is a service offered by Windows for encrypting drives, and FileVault is available for Mac devices in the same way. Phones have limited options in the same way, but few mobile companies offer encryption abilities. To protect the security of your iPhone, you can configure the device to delete all its data after several unsuccessful attempts at unlocking it. (see privacy settings)

      4. Enable two-factor authentication and Rotation of Passwords

      Having different passwords for each website is a good practice. Not only will it ensure that your personal information isn't leaked, but it can also help you remember what password you had last time and which site you used it on. Hackers have a multitude of different methods for breaking into accounts, and even strong passwords get compromised. 2-step verification will add a better layer of security to help keep your information secure. All social media and email platforms provide you with a 2-step authentication option which can be implemented easily with a phone number.

      5. Caution for Fake & Malicious Apps

      Hackers have become well-equipped to develop fake apps and malware, but being attentive is easy to identify them. These apps generally have some common features that are dead giveaways. These apps have good reviews (Hackers buy fake reviews to maintain a safe reputation) and good usability. They are simple to use to ensure they do not raise any alarms but ask for many permissions, which the apps don’t need to perform functions but to execute the real spyware or malware by using the privileged permissions. Sometimes authentic apps are also being developed by nation-state actors to monitor and retrieve data from users. So we never know how approved and the well-reputed app is accessing our data and how they are utilizing it. It is suggested to take precautionary measures and avoid any extra app installation especially cracked and nulled apps that offer premium services as free, and check the phone regularly for any unknown app existence (Settings>Applications) as there are FUD (fully undetectable) apps that don’t appear on phone menu but exist.

      6. Secure Communication

      Activists, Human Rights Defenders, Bloggers, and Journalists risk being spied on when they cover sensitive stories. This can lead to self-censorship, resulting in journalists limiting their journalistic output to avoid government surveillance. In E2E (End to End) encryption, conversations are protected from third-party surveillance and interference so that messages can be read only by the sender and recipient. The Signal app is the best encrypted messaging app offering custom security features, including metadata privacy, and doesn't share your data with third parties.

      7. Digital Security Awareness and Drills

      Digital security has become a growing concern over the past decade and is a topic that we are all likely to hear about on the news. The best way to keep safe is to be aware of new techniques used by hackers and conduct cybersecurity training and real-time attack drills to check your organization's preparedness and defensive approach. Cybersecurity training is an important aspect of keeping your information safe. When you are aware of the kinds of threats, it becomes easier to avoid them.

      8. Final Defense Cheatsheet

      • It is important to use strong passwords, and it is also not effective to use the same password on all accounts.
      • It is important to always check the URL before entering a password.
      • Avoid clicking on any links that are irrelevant to what you're looking at or seem suspicious. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. These messages are often just a ploy by hackers to get into your system with malicious intent.
      • Encrypt the drives of all your computers
      • Avoid downloading attachments at all costs. If you do need to view them then make sure to do so in a well-protected environment.
      • Protect your accounts by enabling 2-step verification, a crucial defense in the battle against hackers.


      About Author

      Babar Khan Akhunzada is a cyber wizard and hack-o-preneur, Founder of SecurityWall and CIVICUS Solidarity Fund grantee-member. SecurityWall is a first-generation cyber security startup stacked on technology to help enterprises and individuals to enhance security capabilities through a hybrid audit approach, actionable threat prediction, and processed remediation. Babar also leads Civic Digital Security Forum, an Emerging secure digitalization forum for the safe civic community through cyber diplomacy and confidence building.

      The author is a speaker who gives his thoughts and analyses on Cyber Security Operations, Cyber Warfare, Privacy, Cyber Policy, and OSINT. The author can be reached at

    10. Saluons le 10000ème membre de notre solide alliance!

      Mise à jour de la Secrétaire Générale : Août 2020
    11. Scenario planning for agile strategic alignment

      By Tamryn Lee Fourie, Jerusha Govender and Khotso Tsotsotso

      For CIVICUS, and civil society as a whole, the COVID-19 pandemic drastically shifted the way we work, and the world we work in.  Keeping this in mind, moving towards the end of the Alliance’s current Strategic Plan 2017-2022, we asked ourselves – how can we stay strategically relevant, given the lack of clarity on what lies ahead, and realising the already stretched capacity of staff and membership?

      In these uncertain times, Foresight Approaches such as scenario planning, are one potential tool for strategy development, and is a key element of CIVICUS Alliance current strategic realignment process. 

      Across February and March 2021, we engaged Data Innovators to review existing foresight analysis and scenario planning documents from members and partners, interact with CIVICUS members, and produce future scenarios related to civic space and citizen action. We then sense-checked these scenarios with allies from other sectors to identify potential disruptors and strategic opportunities that we may have missed. 

      The Scenarios 

      Four scenarios emerged to guide CIVICUS leadership and support other CSOs in similar stages of reviewing strategy, documented from the perspective of ‘Olwethu’, a civic activist and our persona. The four scenarios are summarised below:

      scenario planning blog

      Read more about the scenarios here

      These scenarios are helping CIVICUS to unpack necessary amendments to our existing strategy, use the four potential futures to open discussion on where specific implementation focus is needed, and keep our constituents (i.e. “Olwethu”) at the centre. Similarly, other CSOs may also find these scenarios useful when considering strategic refinement.

      How you can use these scenarios to realign your own strategies:

      This exercise stress-tests current strategies for different contexts. It is good practice to identify "No brainers,” - strategies robust across the range of scenarios. However, scenarios may also be sufficiently diverse to require strategies unique to each context. 

      Recommended steps to test strategies against these scenarios:

      Step 1:Take one scenario at a time, for a moment, assume this scenario occurs. Discuss and explore different aspects, ensuring all participants understand the critical elements.

      Step 2:Once the scenario is understood, pose the following questions and document the responses:

      • Is your set of strategic objectives appropriate in the scenario?
      • What obvious gaps are there in the current strategy for the scenario?
      • What additional/alternative strategies should be developed to close the gaps?
      • Considering the gaps/alternatives, how should the Theory of Change (ToC) be adjusted?

      Step 3:Repeat steps one and two for each scenario until all scenarios are covered.

      If you have sufficient time, move on to step 4…

      Step 4:Stand back, look at the lists of strategic options for each scenario. Identify those that show up on all or most scenarios. These are the "no brainers," the strategic options that look good in all scenarios. Start working on a consolidated Theory of Change that draws on the common strategic options, with gaps covered/replaced by alternative strategies. Take steps to address potential bias by asking those outside your regular “circle” to review and validate your work.

      Step 5:Test the ToC for logic and refine it. And finally, update the current strategy.

      We hope you find these useful! Please let us know if you have any feedback on how you have used these scenarios in your strategy reviews. We would be most interested to hear your experiences and insights!
    12. Secretary General, Lysa John, transitions from CIVICUS

      A message from Lysa John, Secretary General of CIVICUS

      Dear CIVICUS members and allies,

      Lysa John Headshot June24

      At the end of 2024, I will complete six years with CIVICUS. I am incredibly proud of the many milestones achieved with the CIVICUS team and alliance in this period. We navigated through the pandemic and set several precedents related to our institutional systems and external impact. This feels like a good time to make space for new leadership and move on to my next role. I willtransition from my role as CIVICUS Secretary General at the end of September, and move into an exciting new position (to be announced shortly) in October. 

      I am aware that this news may come as a surprise to many of you, and at a time when we face significant external change and challenges. We live in a time when the reversal of rights and restriction of fundamental freedoms is a ruthless reality for an overwhelming majority – only 2.1% of the world’s population now live in contexts where they can freely exercise their civic freedoms. 

      On the other hand, the voice and agency of traditionally excluded communities and our ability to take direct action and to demonstrate solidarity at scale is the highest it has been in decades. These trends reinforce the reasons for CIVICUS’s existence and the benefits to be gained from new thinking and leadership in our quest for inter-generational impact and relevance. 

      The CIVICUS Board and Senior Leadership Team have had the opportunity to discuss my transition and coordinate a well-thought-out plan for stability and continuity in the organisation. This plan includes an interim co-leadership arrangement that will allow the Board adequate time to coordinate a meticulous search for the next Secretary-General. Theinterim arrangement will seeClaire Nylander (our Chief Operations Officer) andMandeep Tiwana (our Chief Officer for Evidence & Engagement) working together asco-leaders of CIVICUS from October 2024 to June 2025. 

      Many of you know Claire and Mandeep already. They will be actively supported during the transition period by our two other senior leaders, Jessica Corredor (Chief Officer, Advocacy & Solidarity Action) and Tamryn Lee Fourie (Chief Officer, Innovation and Sustainability) during the transition. Additional efforts will also be made to strengthen our mid-level leadership who play an important role in managing our programmes and teams. 

      I want to emphasize how proud I am of CIVICUS's achievements over the past years. This includes adopting a refreshed strategy for 2022-27, prioritising communities and contexts worst affected by civic space restrictions and systemic discrimination in all aspects of our work and securing the support to sustain our work across the current strategy period. This would not have been possible without the trust and support that our members and allies have CIVICUS’s work. 

      I leave feeling hopeful about the next chapter of the CIVICUS story. I am grateful for the wealth of lessons, insights and relationships that will continue to inspire and inform the next steps in my professional journey.

      Thank you for your trust and support.

      In solidarity,

      Lysa John(LinkedIn |X)
    13. SG Update: For May-June 2019

      Dear members & friends of CIVICUS,

      The past weeks have been a busy but exciting time for a number of our networks and initiatives! We were proud to have hosted over 80 activists representing work on civic freedoms from across the world in Johannesburg in May for a dialogue with Clement Voule, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association (FoAA). The discussion focused on understanding the impact of civic space restrictions on sustainable development, and made it evident that for the Agenda 2030 to be fully realised, governments must collaborate with civil society and communities at all levels during the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in monitoring their impact. Our take on the rich inspirations gained from this discussion – including mechanisms for civil society organisations to engage more actively with national SDG mechanisms - is available here.

      In another exciting development, AGNA and CIVICUS Youth announced the launch of a Youth Engagement Platform in May. The platform serves as a peer-learning site on strategies to break down barriers to youth participation and strengthen relationships between young activists and experienced organisations. It also showcases innovative ways in which member organisations have addressed the unique challenges they face in engaging youth. In this period, we also joined our peers within the Fair Share for Women Leaders initiative to explore how we progress efforts to create equitable opportunities for women to take on leadership roles. In addition to publishing an annual Women’s Leadership Monitor, the initiative aims to bring together a community of gender specialists and feminist leaders in civil society. More information on how to engage is available here.

      CIVICUS joined a number of other organisations to convey our deep concern regarding the impact of the failure of UN member states to pay their assessed contributions on the operation of its human rights mechanisms. We also joined the world in expressing our outrage against the brutal clamp-down on citizen protesters in Sudan and continuing attacks on activists in the Philippines. And yet despite these concerns, we had occasion to celebrate new breakthroughs that civil society (and CIVICUS members) have directly contributed to, including the landmark judgement by the Gaborone High Court decriminalising same sex sexual relations in Botswana. A policy brief calling on the government of Equatorial Guinea and the African Union to take the urgent steps needed to ensure an enabling environment for civil society in the country was also published in collaboration with EG Justice in this period.

      In the lead up to the G20 Summit, held across 28-29 June, we contributed to the development of the C20 Policy Pack which made recommendations to G20 countries to support freedom of action for civil society; policies to facilitate legal creation and operation of CSOs and to enable mechanisms to create sustainable partnerships for development. We also used the opportunity of the 34th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, held in Thailand across 22-23 June, to highlight Monitor ratings for the 10 ASEAN countries, namely Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore and the Philippines. Findings from our civic space research were also presented at the Open Government Partnership Global Summit 2019 held in Ottawa, Canada across 29-31 May.

      Opportunities to act with CIVICUS:

      • We received a remarkable number of responses to our call for support to organise local dialogues around the State of Civil Society 2019 report and shape the next iteration of SPEAK! actions by signing up to be regional champions. Thank you for your enthusiasm! We are keen to find more ways to ensure our global reports and tools are enriching civil society efforts and outcomes locally – please continue to reach us with your suggestions in this regard.
      • Did you know that most youth-led groups and movements operate with an annual budget of less than 10,000 USD? Learn about how youth-led movements can be resourced in the 21st century through this read out from a webinar on the subject organised by CIVICUS Youth and RECREAR. Further perspective on how donors and youth movements can improve their relationship is available through this blog by CIVICUS member, Gioel Gioacchino.
      • We will be active at the UN Human Rights Council which will be in session from 24 June to 12 July. In addition to tracking a number of key issues, we will be sharing preliminary findings from research undertaken with Solidarity Center and other partners on the civic space challenges of migrants and refugees in 5 countries, namely Mexico, Kenya, Jordan, Germany and Malaysia. Watch this and other events we are co-hosting at the UNHRC online through our Facebook page.
      • The High Level Political Forum will be held in at the United Nations, New York from 9-18 July. Join us at the events that we are co-organising this year! More information here.
      • Learn more about the ‘Affinity Group of National Associations’ (AGNA), which reflected on its progress and set goals for the coming year at its Annual General Meeting, held in Amman, Jordan across 12-13 June.

      In solidarity,

      Lysa John

      Secretary-General
    14. Sketching Dreams Together

      Reflections From CIVICUS’ Youth Co-Design Workshop In Montevideo

      By Gioel Gioacchino

      GioelIn December, as part of my work researching the resourcing landscape for youth-led civil society, I had the chance to witness and participate in a youth co-design workshop in Montevideo. For CIVICUS, organising this workshop meant bringing together wisdom and lessons learned about working meaningfully with young people.

      For a start, the group was small: it felt intimate. We were not coming together to listen to people speak about ‘participation’ and civil society – we were invited to call upon our experience and knowledge. The guidelines of our work were simple: We have a budget for a youth program, let’s design it together. It felt like a rare luxury, a treat, to be able to get together with young activists all over the world and create. With my researcher cap on, it was refreshing to see how collective creation emerged as a product of reflection, of bringing together our emotions, stories, and insights.

      Originally appeared on Gioelgio.com
    15. Solidarity across frontlines: why CIVICUS is supporting the International Women’s Strike

      Womens StrikeAt a time when right wing ultra nationalism threatens to usher in a new era of regressive patriarchal politics, the International Women’s Strike reminds us of the power of civil societies to resist. On 8 March, people in more than 35 countries will answer the rallying call ‘solidarity is our weapon’, by marching, walking out at work and by not taking part in unpaid care work.

      The strike originates from two diverse grassroots actions in late 2016. In October Polish women went on a one-day strike against a proposed bill controlling women’s sexual and reproductive rights that sought to impose a near total ban on abortion, including criminalising miscarriage or abortion as a result of rape. Later that month, tens of thousands of women marched in Argentina against femicide and widespread gender based violence. A call for one-hour strikes and mass mobilisations was answered in countries across Latin America and the Caribbean.
    16. Solidarity in the face of adversity

      Message from Lysa John, CIVICUS Secretary-General

      Dear CIVICUS members and allies,

      Another year is now drawing to a close. 2021 began with a glimmer of hope, as we saw the promised development of a COVID-19 vaccine becoming a reality. Yet, complex challenges, lack of global collaboration, and the far-reaching impact of the pandemic on every aspect of society has meant that this year we continued to operate in a world that has now changed dramatically. 

      The pandemic has put intense pressure on civil society, and the individuals at the heart of people power. It inspires me that despite all that is happening in the world, people continue to collectively act for change. In this past year, millions challenged big business, protesting changes to WhatsApp’s privacy policy, forcing one of the world’s most influential companies to retrace its steps in the face of an unexpected global backlash. At the same time, we saw growing calls for racial justice and climate action. 

      On the other hand, civil society is still facing an alarming number of harassment and intimidation cases. Findings from the CIVICUS Monitor’s People Power Under Attack 2021 report show that 9 out of 10 people live in countries where civic freedoms are severely restricted, including the right to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.

      This critical context makes the work that we are doing to reinforce the importance of civil society and civic freedoms even more pressing. At the Secretariat, we are working to improve how we engage public and non-traditional stakeholders. With our media engagements, we strive to reach beyond civil society, while being part of multi-sector networks allows us to participate in a range of governance and strategy circles. Working together to respond to civic space challenges and violations across the world, CIVICUS Alliance continues to progress and we proud to share the following highlights:

      • We continued advocacy efforts, joining global calls for the release of human rights defenders as part of the  #StandAsMyWitness campaign. We celebrated the release of 3 Human Rights Defenders, namely Loujain al-Hathloul, Teresita Naul and Sudha Bharadwaj.
      • We continued to create platforms and spaces that support long term civic space resourcing, we have launched the Donor Finder and the Grassroots Solidarity Revolution campaign. 
      • The AGNA network successfully initiated 3 national pilots to test the ‘Rebuilding for Good’ framework
      • The CIVICUS Monitor, which marked its 5th year anniversary this year, produced a thought-provoking COVID-19 research brief, as well as a Climate Justice paper during COP26.

      At the CIVICUS Secretariat, we have also been looking inwards, to improve processes and policies, as well as review our organisational strategy.This has included: a strategic amendment review, racial justice review, and drafting an operational strategy on data and digital rights. We held our virtual Annual General Meeting from 1-7 December 2021, which outlined CIVICUS’ efforts in fostering a culture of accountability - as a board, within the secretariat and across the alliance.

      CIVICUS offices will be closed from 23 December to 3 January. Thank you for your solidarity, perseverance and efforts. It is an honour to work with such a diverse and remarkable alliance of activists and organisations. We look forward to connecting with you again next year with renewed energy and ambition.

      Lysa John 
      CIVICUS Secretary-General 
      @lysajohn 
    17. Solidarity? From mutual support to working as a collective
      By Marina Cherbonnier, CIVICUS membership engagement specialist

      CIVICUS Board and Staff annual meetings were held recently. It was a crucial moment to re-assert CIVICUS as an alliance. One of the key achievements from the meetings was the adoption of the new membership policy. A big change it brings is that voting membership isn’t closely tied to one’s ability to contribute financially anymore. Indeed, membership fees will be voluntary for any organisation whose annual income is less than 80 000 USD. We feel this best reflects the true principle of inclusion and “people power” that is at the heart of CIVICUS.

      What being a member-based organisation meansWorking Together

      It was refreshing to hear the CIVICUS board - all elected by CIVICUS voting members - re-emphasize the importance of listening to what all members want and need. Annual surveys and post-event surveys were recently revisited towards this purpose.

      They particularly raised the question of how, as members themselves, do they make sure that they represent members and - through the Board’s representation - ensure that CIVICUS is a member-based organization.

      Another point raised was how we  remain accountable to our primary constituents and show impact by defining the best metrics to assess the solidarity we aim to build through the alliance. Some thorough work with the Impact and Accountability cluster on monitoring, evaluating, learning and adapting the work from there, is being done to respond to this.

      Showing how a global alliance makes a difference

      How to better show the added value of being part of the CIVICUS Alliancewas also discussed. Several board and staff members as well as members of the community emphasize that there is an incredible power in being part of a global network: by joining the alliance you enable yourself to tackle issues collectively.
    18. Standing up Against Gender-based Violence

      Hello! I am Mohaiminul Raqib and I am a citizen of Bangladesh. I started my journey of becoming an activist and development worker in 2017 when I was just 21 years old. I pursued my education at the University of Dhaka, which is considered as the “Oxford of the East”. However, my story started long before and profoundly shaped my career path and attending university was just a minor step.

      I was born in a Muslim society and patriarchally dominated family. Childhood was somewhat better than for the majority and I could not expect anything better. I felt that I had all that was needed in my life. I was bright, loved socializing and making new friends. Being a single child of my parents was a loving memory for me. But the love and happiness did not last long. A home of love, day by day started to turn into a place of sorrow and tragedy, as my parents relationship became unhealthy. I had to witness violence and abuse every now and then. Being a small child, I felt scared and my sense of security was stunted. I started feeling the absence of love, was hurt by broken family ties and was always seeking care. All these incidents, over time, became very traumatizing for me. But I remain grateful to my mother for always being there for me and for being both my mother and father during my early childhood and my adolescence. The most fascinating fact was I could always realize her contribution to my growth as she always believed in me and my visions. I would love every person to feel this kind of support.

      As a child, I was always active. I loved sports, adventure and meeting new people. I could always make new friends and connect to them on a deeper level.  I got this inspiration from my mother. Her sense of empathy taught me how to behave, communicate and make stronger bonds with people. I loved sharing stories of our lives and supporting my friends on their highs and lows. But I was also scared and frightened of abusive behaviors, I was afraid of feeling unloved and always would pray to God that I never witness any violence again. Both the positive and negative aspects of my life have helped me to shape who I am. From not having any parents of mine attending my parents meeting in school I have learned how to control my emotions and peer pressure, from attending the tuition at night all alone I have learned not to fear, from not having a senior male person at home I learned how to balance life and interact with the society. All of these situations have helped me to grow and become stronger, being now more concerned, tolerant, hard-working, and understanding.

      As I missed my father, there were times when I needed help to deal with society. At times, I felt I was on my own. As a part of this process, I grew a sense of accountability and responsibility. Aware of the hardship that my mother endured, made me realize that something must be done to eradicate gender-based violence (GBV). As I was heavily affected by it, I noticed I did not want this experience to happen to anyone else. Witnessing violence from childhood can be very traumatizing, as it causes anxiety and creates insecurity regarding survival due to lack of love and care. My personal growth was hampered due to the unsafe family environment for which I had to struggle a lot in my school, playground, and basically, all other areas of my life as well. As such, I can understand and empathize with the struggles of GBV affected families. Such experiences shaped me to work for GBV eradication and attain gender equality. 

      Being a son of GBV victims I could feel the pain of youths who were hurt and deprived in several ways. Since I mentored myself to keep my mental health in check and speak up for myself I decided to create a private, online platform where I shared my story and I created an opportunity to share all of our stories to create a bigger movement where we will feel valued and listened. This is how the project “Na Bola Kotha” (The Unspoken Words) was born. It is designed to create awareness on mental health issues, break the stigma about mental health, and speak out the life stories of the youth to create knowledge about existing oppression. This project aims to bring the untold stories in front of mass to raise awareness on the mental health issues of the victims and youths of our society. I am really proud that I could motivate and create awareness among 10000 youths so far. I believe that activism can be combined with social entrepreneurship, innovation and community building to create more resilient communities standing up for their rights and building each day a vision of a better world.

      Through my work until now we have youth, victims and community engagement, and most importantly, mass awareness creation. For me, raising awareness through building a strong connection is an achievement for my activism. In the coming times, I would like to further explore my work with GBV victims and deprived children of GBV victims. I see how this actions can help to reduce patriarchal mindset, religious extremism, rate of violence, marital rape, and dowry. My work is deeply connected with the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Through an integral and long-term approach, I believe we can build the pillars for a better society.

      I want to go beyond my immediate environment. I want to be a global leader in the field. I want to work with stakeholders from all over the earth.  I want to see a world where there will be no violence, no women and children living in fear, where people get their valuable rights, where children from broken families will get access to proper education and access to social and cultural institutions. But to build such an incredible world, we, the victims from GBV affected families, will require to unite together, reach out to a larger community where we can demand our rights, access to political, social and cultural institutions. We need access to funding for our educational development, create a sustainable workspace, create employment for the unemployed victims, and eradicate GBV for a safe family atmosphere. We need more institutions to accelerate our growth, access to facilities of physical and mental healthcare, and incubators for skills development. 

      I believe we can develop and propagate our movement and create a safe space for living, attain better health conditions and improve literacy which in turn will create skilled human beings. We must ensure that the youths join our movement. As they possess the empathy to acknowledge the trauma and difficulties of survival of victims of GBV. The effect of physical and mental trauma can be a lifelong tragedy that can cost a lot. GBV affected families including mine are deprived of numerous facilities and it creates a heavy toll. We, as a movement, have the power to motivate the victim to raise their voice against oppression, attain civic rights, speak up for their needs and wants, and most importantly ensure inclusion in the society as a normal citizen. The outcome of the movement can highly impact mental health conditions for a better life. We want hundreds to share their life story, sending the reminder that, “I am not alone and we are not alone”. We can say to the world that, “no matter what happens, we can always choose to be better, we can always speak up for ourselves, listen to others' lives and build harmony and peace.” We, the victims of GBV, deserve to be treated well, have a safe environment and to live a life with dignity and respect. That is why we share the motivating values of non-violence, equity, equality, and justice. We believe peace and harmony in families, schools, work-spaces, and religious institutions can go a long way to make this world a better place to live.

      ---------------------------------------------

      Get in touch with Mohaiminul Raqib on LinkedIn
    19. State supported anti-rights groups gaining ground

      By Andrew Firmin & Sylvia Mbataru

      Human rights have always been contested, and groups that attack human rights are nothing new. But what is new is that extremist and ultra-conservative groups are now working with and being sheltered by the state.

      This was one of the key points raised during a dialogue with Kenyan civil society held in Nairobi in July 2019. The backdrop to the dialogue was CIVICUS’ current research on the impacts of anti-rights groups on civil society, to be published in November 2019. Our research aims to understand how anti-rights groups are organising and being supported, what tactics they use to attack human rights and how civil society can respond to this growing threat.

      Nairobi dialogues attest to hardline groups linked to state structures

      Participants in the Nairobi dialogue attested to the real challenges they face from hardline groups closely linked to state structures and politicians. They identified that in some cases, state agents are clearly working through proxy organisations to attack rights, and powerful political leaders are mobilising criminal gangs. Rather than uphold rights, the police are frequently on the side of these criminal gangs. Corrupt business interests are also attacking communities and activists who demand rights and environmental protection. Anti-rights groups are taking succour from political leaders who promote hatred and exclusion. In Kenya, participants noted that dominant political elites clearly have a campaign of publicly vilifying civil society, and this encourages others to attack.

      Some state structures are even accused of having made it easier for anti-rights groups to operate, while simultaneously making it harder for legitimate groups that stand for human rights to do so. The government’s failure to implement the enabling provisions of the 2013 Public Benefits Organisation Act, despite repeated civil society advocacy, as well as bureaucratic restrictions in registration of civil society groups that represent vulnerable groups, remain a crucial area of concern and indicate the generally shabby treatment of civil society by those who hold political power.

      Vulnerable and excluded groups, it was observed, are on the frontline of violence. They are attacked first and most frequently, and often as a prelude to attacks on civil society as a whole. Proxy groups often attack LGBTQI rights. Meanwhile, appeals to tradition and culture, defined narrowly and exclusively rather than broadly and inclusively, are used as a pretext for the repression of women and girls.

      High-profile bloggers and journalists justify attacks on rights

      Participants also pointed to a worrying trend where some high-profile bloggers and journalists are using the platform offered by their status to justify attacks on rights, sending a reminder of how the freedom of expression, a key right for us all, can be contested and abused in the service of hate. So much online space, which once offered such promise, has been captured to propagate messages that divide and polarise. At the same time, journalistic voices that stand for human rights are being silenced and stifled because of state capture.

      The story is, however, also one of civil society response, to defend those under attack, make a case with the public as to why rights matter and work to hold those liable for abuses to account. As civil society, participants also asked themselves what they could be doing better.

      Need to change the way we connect with concerns

      Perhaps our old models, of how we organise ourselves and are resourced, need to change, and as part of this, we need to rethink how best international civil society can support and enable local civil society response. We need to learn from the mobilising power and energy of people’s protests – seen most recently in Hong Kong – and understand how to spark and sustain that energy. Because the messages of anti-rights groups find resonance with many people, we need to change the way we connect with, listen to and understand concerns at the community level. And we need to put aside our differences to offer a collective response.

      CIVICUS members are holding dialogues and contributing to this research in a range of other ways. If you’d like to make your voice heard in our research, please contact .

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