The next edition of International Civil Society Week (ICSW), the flagship event bringing together and celebrating global civil society, will be held 1-5 November 2025. CIVICUS global civil society alliance and Asia Democracy Network, the co-organizers, will hold the event in Bangkok.
Celebrating citizen action: reimagining democracy, rights, and inclusion for today’s world
The 2025 edition’s key theme will be “Celebrating citizen action: reimagining democracy, rights, and inclusion for today’s world.”
ICSW pays tribute to activists, movements, and civil society achieving significant progress, defending civic freedoms, and showing remarkable resilience despite the many challenges.
The event comes at a time when civic freedoms are being curtailed in most countries, with civil society under severe attack in 116 of 198 countries and territories. The world faces significant deterrents to freedoms of expression, association, and assembly.
Given the changing and challenging context, we must reimagine how we champion democracy, human rights, and inclusion. We must mobilize new frontiers to be inclusive and to reach beyond the traditional confines of civil society by widely engaging grassroots communities, corporations, educators and a broader range of citizens of the world.
Let’s dream bigger – be more imaginative, adaptable, and resilient to build a better world for everyone. Together, we must work for a democracy that works for the people - accessible, inclusive, and relevant to all.
What to expect at ICSW
ICSW provides an open space for global civil society organizations, activists, human rights defenders, and allies through a week-long series of conferences, workshops, trainings, and cultural events.
ICSW will bring together citizen’s movements from around the world and provide spaces for learning from and building upon wins, strategizing to tackle challenges and strengthen civic spaces and citizen action, and innovative co-creation to catalyse social change.
How to participate and engage with ICSW
For now, we invite you to save the date.
Please follow us here and on social media for updates.
For inquiries, reach out to us at . You can also become a member of CIVICUS global civil society alliance.
History of ICSW
The ICSW and its predecessor, CIVICUS World Assemblies, have a proud history of nearly 30 years, having debuted in Mexico city in 1995. The international events brought together a diverse range of partners from civil society and beyond to find progressive solutions to global challenges collectively.
The most recent events were held online in 2020/21 and in Belgrade, Serbia in 2019.
