A glimpse into the shrinking civic space around the world
Across the globe, a pattern of repression has been limiting the autonomy, the rights to association, expression, and participation of civil society and people’s organisations.
In 2019, CPDE has led a campaign through the Belgrade Call to Action, which asks United Nations Member States to act to reverse the closing and shrinking space for civil society, to stop the attacks on human rights defenders and the undermining of democratic participation, and to renew the prospects for an inclusive agenda 2030, and the full realisation of the SDGs.
To sustain the awareness of different actors at national and global levels on challenges faced by CSOs and continue to encourage action to reverse the trend of shrinking civic spaces, the CPDE has also launched National Campaigns Against Shrinking Civic Spaces in Armenia, Gabon, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Malawi, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria and the Philippines during the last quarter of 2020, which call for civil society and people’s organisations around the world to unite in urging governments to take concrete steps in protecting civic space.
Get to know more about the global pattern of Shrinking Civic Space and the Belgrade Call to Action, and the National Campaigns by reading the explanation cards below. #
This map offers a glimpse into the global trend of shrinking spaces, a pattern that undermines the ability of civil society to fight for development and governance that truly benefits the people. CPDE will also soon be releasing a Country Synthesis Report that looks at the socio-political context CSOs today operate in, and how they continue to engage governments and big business in their advocacies.