🎧 CIVICUS Voices is back! What does it really mean to defend civic space today? In the new season of CIVICUS Voices, we hear directly from activists and organisers on the frontlines of the struggle for freedom of peaceful assembly.
Through personal stories and hard-won insights, the podcast spotlights how people are organising, resisting repression and defending the right to protest and mobilise — even as civic freedoms come under sustained attack.
The first episode looks at how energy protests in South Africa and Puerto Rico have become powerful expressions of resistance against inequality, corruption, and environmental injustice. What happens when governments fail to deliver reliable power? And how are communities organising to demand energy access?
Ahead of elections held last Sunday, CIVICUS highlighted serious civic space concerns in Laos, including restrictions on freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and independent civil society activity. The vote took place in an environment where dissent is tightly controlled, raising concerns about the ability of citizens to participate freely and meaningfully in public life.
The extension of Arnon Nampa’s prison sentence is a stark reminder of how authorities continue to criminalise human rights activism in Thailand. CIVICUS calls for his immediate and unconditional release and an end to the persecution of pro-democracy activists.
CIVICUS has called on the Pakistani authorities to overturn the convictions of human rights lawyers Imaan Z. Hazir and Hadi Ali, and to release them immediately. They were unjustly sentenced following a flawed trial under Pakistan’s repressive Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), reflecting the growing misuse of legislation to target lawyers, silence dissent and restrict civic space.
CIVICUS is creating pro-civic space narratives to highlight global civic freedoms and amplify grassroots voices. Join us for an exciting virtual convening of the Communicators for Civic Action - a vibrant space where storytellers, strategists, and communicators come together to co-create bold narratives for civil society.
The 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council has begun. CIVICUS is engaging with States and partners to push for stronger protection of civic space, the right to peaceful assembly and accountability for violations against civil society and human rights defenders. Read all about our advocacy priorities, activities and events at the Session!
CIVICUS Lensstories are directly informed by interviews with civil society activists, leaders, and change-makers. You can click on the stories below to read our analysis. You can also head to the platform and navigate the themes, stories, articles, and interviews - articles are available in multiple languages. Subscribe to the CIVICUS Lens newsletter mailing list for monthly updates on interviews and articles.
Read 7amleh’s annual assessment, Hashtag Palestine 2025, to understand the current state of Palestinian digital rights — the challenges people face online and what it means for freedom of expression and civic space. 🔗 Read the full report
Photographers and visual storytellers are invited to submit powerful images showing how digital access strengthens resilience in fragile contexts. Apply to the Giga Photo Contest 2026 by 17 March and help spotlight the urgency of connectivity.🔗Apply now
Applications open: #COP31 Youth Climate Champion Are you a young climate leader ready to make your voice heard at the UN? The Youth Climate Champion will strengthen the capacity of children and youth to engage in UNFCCC negotiations and ensure their interests are reflected in climate decisions. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to represent youth at the heart of the upcoming COP31. 🔗Apply Now
Civil society under pressure: What the data shows After a year of #EUSEE monitoring, over half of country alerts indicate a deterioration in the enabling environment for civil society. Repression evolves — and so does citizen mobilisation. Join our webinar on 26 February to explore how data can drive action and strengthen civic space.🔗Register here
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) invites States, civil society, national human rights institutions, UN entities and other stakeholders to complete the online survey and share good practices for protecting and promoting civic space, focusing on the five areas identified in a report on creating and maintaining a safe, enabling environment for civil society. Fill in Survey
The Communications and Network Engagement Intern position is an exciting role supporting CIVICUS’ global engagement via our multiple digital platforms. The role brings together essential core communications competencies on creativity, analysis, and relationship building. Apply here
The Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI) team at CIVICUS is seeking experienced and knowledgeable civil society organisation(s) in Zambia to lead the implementation of pre-, during and limited post-election related interventions. Apply here
The Technical Partner will serve as a core delivery partner, moving beyond ad-hoc or on-call support to provide structured mentorship that ensures civic-tech solutions in the cohort are technically robust, secure, functionally mature, scalable, and big tech resilient (where possible). Apply here
