By Mandeep Tiwana, Chief Programmes Officer at CIVICUS
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is 72 years old, but still the civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights it protects remain fiercely contested, with 87% of the world's population living in countries with very poor civic space conditions.
Media & Resources
For the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, CIVICUS is interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about the progress achieved and the challenges ahead.
CIVICUS speaks about voter suppression and its implications for US democracy with Yael Bromberg, Chief Counsel for Voting Rights at The Andrew Goodman Foundation, an organisation that works to make the voices of young people – one of the most underrepresented voter groups in the USA – a powerful force for democracy.
Message from Lysa John, CIVICUS SG
Dear CIVICUS members and allies,
What a year it has been! 2020 came with so many new challenges - both personally and professionally.
By Sylvia Mbataru and Ine Van Severen, Civic Space Researchers at CIVICUS
Fundamental civic rights, including freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression, deteriorated across Africa in 2020.
Hoy, en el #DiaDeLosDerechosHumanos hacemos un llamamiento a las autoridades cubanas para detener la represión de los artivistas que reclaman sus derechos civiles y liberar a quienes se encuentran actualmente detenidos o bajo arresto domiciliario.
Civic freedoms are under severe attack around the world.
For the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, CIVICUS is interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about the progress achieved and the challenges ahead.
By Oriana Castillo, CIVICUS
In July 2019, the VUKA! Coalition, a group working to coordinate civil society actors to reclaim civic space across the globe, supported VUKA! ally Alternativas y Capacidades to bring together 25 CSOs from across Mexico for a pilot workshop on strategies to counteract the stigmatisation and demonisation of civil society in the country.
As virtual events become more relevant in our lives, we need to analyse what elements are limiting people’s willingness or capacity to engage with others in the virtual space
By Richa Puri
This year is like no other.
By Bistra Kumbaroska
Let me start this blog post with a personal confession: I love organising events, any kind of events - workshops, conferences, hackathons, week-long summits, team building activities, celebrations and anniversaries.
Organising our webinar series was a joy met with a few challenges like dealing with Internet trolls.
After celebrating seven online conversations about people power, we are inspired by the potential of virtual engagements and the resilience of civil society
Virtual events can be fertile ground for people power
Through our seven ICSW/virtual webinars, over 400 people (between attendees, speakers, collaborators and video viewers) engaged in meaningful conversations and exchanges that enriched our knowledge, souls and amplified the voices of civil society.
By Andrew Firmin and Inés Pousadela
The pattern is now clear.
Arabic
The European Parliament’s second urgency resolution on Algeria in a year is an important step and should be followed by stronger public action from the international community
To: Hon’ble Justice (Retd.
Arabic
Letter by civil society organisations calling for the release of Saudi women's rights defenders
Rights watchdogs tell F1 leaders to use their leverage to compensate victims of abuse & ensure right to protest ahead of two Grand Prix races in Bahrain
We, the undersigned organizations, condemn the Thai police’s unnecessary and excessive use of force against peaceful protesters marching to the national parliament in Bangkok on November 17, 2020.
By Inés Pousadela
Barely weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns arose about the safety of women trapped indoors with their abusers, and data showing spikes in gender-based violence (GBV) quickly reached the news headlines.
16 Days of Activism, running annually from 25 November to 10 December, comes at the end of a year that saw a global pandemic affect families, economies, and every aspect of society worldwide.
CIVICUS speaks with Leonid Drabkin, a coordinator with OVD-Info, an independent human rights civil society organisation (CSO) that documents and helps the victims of political persecution in Russia.
#Poland: Authorities must stop persecuting & intimidating protesters, including minors, who are protesting over the near-total #abortionban in Poland.
The undersigned civil society organisations call on the Moroccan authorities to immediately end their intimidation and harassment campaign against academic and human rights defender Maati Monjib and drop all baseless charges leveled against him.
A year on from the election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as President of Sri Lanka, global civil society alliance CIVICUS is extremely concerned about the country’s regression in civic freedoms.
CIVICUS speaks with Mohammed Ndifuna, Executive Director of Justice Access Point-Uganda (JAP).
بالعربية
On 11 November, the court of Khenchela (eastern Algeria) is expected to hear activist Yacine Mebarki's appeal, following his sentencing on 8 October to 10 years in prison and a heavy fine of 10 million dinars (about 77,611.
CIVICUS speaks with Ethan Hee-Seok Shin, a legal analyst with the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG), a Seoul-based civil society organisation (CSO) founded by human rights advocates and researchers from five countries.
By Lisa Majumdar, Advocacy Officer, CIVICUS
Amidst a flurry of high-profile elections this week, it will be Myanmar’s turn to go to the polls on 8 November.
By Inés Pousadela, Senior Research Specialist and Andrew Firmin Editor-in-Chief at CIVICUS
Covid-19 has unleashed a multi-dimensional, once-in-a-generation crisis.
NEW ANALYSIS: 'SOLIDARITY IN THE TIMES OF #COVID19: Civil Society Responses to the Pandemic' highlights the irreplaceable role of activists, NGOs & grassroots organisations in responding to the global pandemic.
CIVICUS, the Latin American and Caribbean Network for Democracy (REDLAD) and the Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (ASONOG) call on UN member states to urge the Government of Honduras to protect civic freedoms as its human rights record is examined by the UN on 5 November 2020 as part of the 36th session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
CIVICUS speaks to Andrea Garreffa, one of the founders of the Sardines movement (Movimento delle Sardine), a grassroots political movement that began in November 2019 in Bologna, Italy, in protest against the hateful rhetoric of right-wing populist leader Matteo Salvini.
Free Arbitrarily Detained Media Workers, Restore Media Licenses
CIVICUS, the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) and the Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP) call on UN member states to urge the Government of Malawi to double its efforts to protect civic freedoms as its human rights record is examined by the UN Human Rights Council on 3 November 2020 as part of the 36th session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
CIVICUS and the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) call on UN member states to urge the Government of the Maldives to protect civic freedoms as its human rights record is examined by the UN on 4 November 2020 as part of the 36th session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
Ten years after the Equal Marriage Law, a milestone for Latin America, was passed in Argentina, CIVICUS speaks with LGBTQI+ leader María Rachid about the strategies that the movement used and the tactics that worked best to advance the equality agenda – tactics that may well still be relevant today.
العربية
Dear Secretary General,
We, the undersigned, are writing to express our deep concern over recent reports announcing the candidacy of Major General Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi, the General Inspector of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Ministry of Interior, for the presidency of the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL).
#Poland: Authorities must refrain from using excessive force against protesters who are demonstrating against a near-total ban on #abortion.
CIVICUS speaks to Abigail Moy, Director of the Legal Empowerment Network, the largest community of grassroots justice defenders in the world.
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, Front Line Defenders, FIDH, in the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, the World Organisation Against Torture(OMCT), and the International Service for Human Rights strongly condemn the deliberate targeting of human rights defender Muhammed Ismail and his wife Uzlifat Ismail, the parents of woman human rights defender Gulalai Ismail.
بالعربية
Dear Organisers, Participants and Sponsors,
We, the undersigned organisations, are writing to ask you to reconsider your participation in the Ladies European Tour golf week taking place in Saudi Arabia and denounce human rights violations against women in the Kingdom.
Exactly one year to this day 4 journalists from the IWACU news agency were arrested and later convicted after a flawed judicial process.
🇹🇿🗳️With national elections in #Tanzania on 28 October, over 65 civil society organsations from across the world have called on President, @MagufuliJP, to end the systematic restrictions on political and civic freedoms: https://t.
🇳🇬The brutal shooting of peaceful protesters in Lagos by Nigerian security forces is a gross violation of protesters’ rights and those responsible should be held accountable by the authorities https://t.
Honduran authorities must act to protect environmental defenders in the community of Guapinol and investigate threats and harassment against them, according to global civil society alliance CIVICUS.
The Covid-19 ‘recovery’ must supercharge the fight against inequality
Read the Thai version of the letter
Letter to the Prime Minister of Thailand as the government cracks down on peaceful protests calling for democracy, human rights and reform.
CIVICUS makes joint UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) submissions on civil society space in Mozambique, Niger, Paraguay and Singapore
The United Nations Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review is a unique process which involves a review of the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States once every 4.
By Marianna Belalba Barreto, Civic Space Research Lead at CIVICUS and Aarti Narsee, Civic Space Research Officer
More than half a year after the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, governments are continuing to waste precious time and energy restricting human rights rather than focusing on fighting the virus.
بالعربية
The Algerian authorities have accelerated the arbitrary detention and prosecution of activists and journalists amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, most recently refusing requests to provisionally release and provide adequate medical care for Algerian activist Abdallah Benaoum, imprisoned solely for his critical views of the authorities' crackdown on Hirak protests, ten national, regional and international groups said today, ahead of his trial scheduled on 27 October.
Dear G20 Finance Ministers,
As you meet this week, we are writing to you to encourage you to take concrete actions in order to build a better future through a just recovery by investing in people and ensuring that funds being made available reach those that need them the most.
CIVICUS speaks to award-winning journalist Cape Diamond about the upcoming elections in Myanmar.
By Sylvia Mbataru, Civic Space Research at CIVICUS
Elections in East Africa have faced a wave of recent problems.
In response to Cuba’s election to a fifth term on the Human Rights Council, 85 Cuban and international human rights and freedom-of-expression organizations, in conjunction with independent media outlets, released the following statement:
We are deeply concerned about the decision to grant Cuba a new opportunity to have a seat on the Human Rights Council.
There has been a rapid decline in civic freedoms and democratic norms in Francophone West Africa with ruling presidents evading term limits and muzzling their opposition and pro-democracy groups, CIVICUS said ahead of presidential elections in Guinea (18 October) and Côte d’Ivoire (31 October).
Joint statement from the end of the United Nations' 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
14 organisations share reflections on the key outcomes of the 45th session of the UN Human Rights Council, as well as the missed opportunities to address key issues and situations including on deadly migration routes at EU and US borders, and the human rights situations in Algeria, Bolivia, China, Egypt, and India.
Pakistani authorities must investigate recent wave of brutal attacks and killings of #transgender people in #Pakistan and ensure justice and accountability for the violence perpetrated against them to prevent further attacks https://t.
TW/CW: transphobia, physical abuse, emotional abuse, financial abuse, sexual violence, rape, torture, murder, self-harm, drug and alcohol abuse
I am Saro Imran, a transgender activist running a community-based organisation in Pakistan.
In January 2020, over 220 Civil Society Organisations endorsed a statement issued by Amnesty International, CIVICUS and Transparency International announcing that they will not be participating in the sham Civil20 process hosted by Saudi Arabia, due to the Kingdom’s horrific human rights record.
We, the undersigned civil society organisations, urge the government of Singapore to order the Elections Department (ELD) to immediately withdraw its police report against New Naratif, and to cease abusing the law to harass critical voices and independent journalists.
Joint statement at the 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council -- delivered by the World Organisation Against Torture
On behalf of 14 organisations, including colleagues in the Philippines, we are deeply disappointed that the draft Item 10 resolution on the Philippines fails to reflect the gravity of the situation, including as documented in the OHCHR report.
Global civil society alliance CIVICUS welcomes the decision by Nigerien authorities to release three human rights defenders after six months in detention.
Statement at the 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council -- Enhanced Dialogue on the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Thank you, Madame President, and thank you High Commissioner for your report.
Joint statement at the 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council -- CIVICUS and Karapatan, delivered by Roneo Clamor
CIVICUS and its member organisation Karapatan welcome the Secretary General’s report and recommendations on reprisals.
Joint statement at the 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council -- CIVICUS and the Cambodian Center for Human Rights
The Royal Government of Cambodia’s attempts to silence dissent in the country - by criminalising political opposition, shutting down media outlets, jailing journalists, and targeting human rights defenders and civil society groups who speak out – is ratcheting up.
To mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (UN), CIVICUS is having conversations with civil society activists, advocates and practitioners about the roles the UN has played so far, the successes it has achieved and the challenges ahead.
The year 2020 marks 25 years since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BDPfA), heralded as the most progressive blueprint in achieving full human rights for all women and girls.
India: The National Human Rights Commission not upholding its mandate or protecting the constitution
Statement at the 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Over the last two years, we have seen in India an alarming deterioration of civic freedoms.
Government Increasingly Targeting Rights Groups
Today, CIVICUS joined fourteen other human rights organizations in condemning the Indian government’s actions against Amnesty India and pledged to continue support for local human rights defenders and organizations against the recent crackdown.
Statement at the 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Acts of reprisal pose a threat to the functioning of UN human rights mechanisms as a whole.
A new bill introduced in Congress by lawmakers from Nicaragua’s governing party would severely restrict freedoms of association and expression if passed into law, global civil society alliance CIVICUS said today.
عربى
We, the undersigned regional and international non-governmental organisations, write to draw your attention to the alarming and the intensified crackdown on Algerian civil society, targeting peaceful activists and journalists, including with arbitrary detention.
Statement at the 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights -- Outcome Adoption for Armenia
Thank you, Madame President.
Joint Statement at the 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights -- Outcome Adoption for Kenya | Delivered by Martin Ray Taban Mavenjina, Kenya Human Rights Commission
Thank you, Madame President.
Joint statement with Forum Asia and Manushya at the 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights -- Outcome Adoption for Laos
Thank you, Mr Vice President.
By Inés Pousadela, Senior Research Specialist
No year could be more appropriate than 2020 for the world to celebrate its first International Day for Universal Access to Information (September 28).
By David Kode, Advocacy and Campaigns Lead
As Côte d’Ivoire’s much-anticipated 31 October elections approach, voters are facing a familiar sequence of events.
Joint statement at the 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council -- delivered by International Service for Human Rights
General debate on the promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development
As the High Commissioner recognised in her opening remarks to this session, States have a responsibility to ensure that migrants' lives are protected and their human rights upheld; she made clear that the dire precarity of migrants in camps on Lesvos, and the risks to life of migrants facing collective pushback and expulsions, underscored ‘the need for solidarity and shared responsibility among EU Member States’.
Statement at the 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council -- delivered by Marsyabel Rodriguez from Espacio Público
Interactive Dialogue on the fact-finding Mission on Venezuela.
Statement at the 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Thank you, Madame President,
On behalf of the Civic Space Initiative, we wish to draw attention to the enduring restrictions for civil society and civic freedoms, stemming from security measures to counter-terrorism and violent extremism.
Conversation between Enhle Khumalo, CIVICUS Youth and Abigail Freeman, Alliance for Gender Justice Liberia in August 2020.
CIVICUS speaks to Lina Abou Habib, a feminist activist based in Beirut, Lebanon, about the civil society response to the emergency caused by the explosion on 4 August 2020.
Burundi: Political activists arrested earlier this month and journalists remain in prison since 2019
Statement at the 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Interactive Dialogue with the UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi
CIVICUS and independent Burundian civil society organisations welcome the important work of the Commission of Inquiry, and thank the Commission for its report.
CIVICUS speaks to Asya Tulesova, an environmental and civic rights defender from Kazakhstan.
العربية
The undersigned civil society groups are alarmed at the continued and escalating attacks on civic space in Algeria and call on the government to end their crackdown on journalistic and other public freedoms.
Report highlights judicial harassment of activists, targeting of journalists and crackdown on protesters
Modi government has continued to use state resources to sustain its persecution of activists and critics during COVID-19 pandemic
CIVICUS calls for the immediate release of arbitrarily detained human rights defenders
The Indian government is using a variety of restrictive laws - including national security and counter-terrorism legislation - to arrest and imprison human rights defenders, peaceful protesters and critics.
Report highlights judicial harassment of activists, targeting of journalists and crackdown on protesters
Modi government has continued to use state resources to sustain its persecution of activists and critics during COVID-19 pandemic
CIVICUS calls for the immediate release of arbitrarily detained human rights defenders
The Indian government is using a variety of restrictive laws - including national security and counter-terrorism legislation - to arrest and imprison human rights defenders, peaceful protesters and critics, the global civil society alliance CIVICUS said today in a new report.
Global civil society alliance CIVICUS calls on the Cameroonian authorities to avoid using violence to curb anti-government protests planned by members of the political opposition for 22 September 2020.
Statement at the 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Urgent debate on Belarus
Madame President,
We have watched with horror as riot police and law enforcement agencies have used brutal means to curtail peaceful protests in Belarus following disputed elections in August.
By Mandeep Tiwana, Chief Programmes Officer at CIVICUS
This 75th anniversary offers a unique opportunity to examine the UN’s failings and reflect on ideas to improve its functioning.
Statement at the 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Interactive Dialogue with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on COVID-19
Thank you, Madame President; High Commissioner.
Statement at the 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Thank you, High Commissioner for your update, which takes place in a difficult and unprecedented context.
CIVICUS speaks with Małgorzata Szuleka about Poland’s recent presidential elections, held under the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ruling party’s use of anti-LGBTQI+ rhetoric to mobilise its electorate.
Global civil society alliance CIVICUS is extremely concerned by an ongoing crackdown on activists in Cambodia over the last month.
Available in German
Political gains made by the Green party and increasing dialogue between government and civil society, has led to an improvement in civic space in Austria, prompting a ratings upgrade from narrowed to open.
By Andrew Firmin, Editor-In-Chief of CIVICUS
On the International Day of Democracy, it’s time to say that elections can be held under the pandemic.
Statement at the 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Interactive Dialogue with the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar
Thank you, Madame President,
We thank the Independent Investigative Mechanism for its second report.
On 15 September 2020 it will be six months since three human rights defenders were jailed in Niger simply for participating in peaceful protests calling for an investigation into allegations of the misuse of funds by the Ministry of Defence.
To mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (UN), CIVICUS is having conversations with civil society activists, advocates and practitioners about the roles the UN has played so far, the successes it has achieved and the challenges ahead.
The 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council will sit from 14 September - 6 October, 2020 and there are a number of critical human rights resolutions up for debate and for the 47 Council members to address.
CIVICUS speaks about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and emergency measures on labour rights, and the civil society response, with Owen Tudor, Deputy General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).
An open letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, UN Member States.
CIVICUS speaks with Ivana Teofilović about the causes of recent protests and the government’s reaction to them, as well as about the elections held in Serbia under the COVID-19 pandemic.
CIVICUS speaks with Marcela Guillibrand De la Jara, Executive Director of the Chilean Volunteer Network (Red de Voluntarios de Chile) and General Coordinator of Now It’s Our Time to Participate (Ahora Nos Toca Participar).
By David Kode, Advocacy and Campaigns lead at CIVICUS
With two months to go before elections in Côte d’Ivoire, the priority is to ensure that there is an enabling environment for campaigns and rallies to be held without violence.
CIVICUS speaks to Nelson Olanipekun, a human rights lawyer and the founder and team lead of Citizens’ Gavel, a Nigerian civic tech organisation that works to increase the pace of the delivery of justice by promoting access to justice, citizens’ engagement and the use of digital technologies.
Joint NGO Statement by CIVICUS, Article 19, KontraS Aceh, LBH Banda Aceh, KontraS and YLBHI
CIVICUS speaks to Klementyna Suchanow, an activist, author and researcher based in Warsaw, Poland, about the recent announcement by the Polish government that it will begin the process to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention on Violence against Women.
CIVICUS speaks with Patrick Poon, an independent human rights researcher, on the human rights situation in Hong Kong after a new National Security Law (NSL) was passed in June 2020.
Joint Letter from over 60 organisations to member and observer States of the United Nations Human Rights Council
Re: UN Human Rights Council should urgently launch an independent international investigative mechanism on the human rights situation in the Philippines
Your Excellency,
We, the undersigned civil society organizations, write to express our continued grave concern over ongoing extrajudicial executions and other serious human rights violations in the context of the “war on drugs” in the Philippines, which continues to be fueled by incitement to violence and discrimination by the highest levels of government with near-total impunity.
CIVICUS urges authorities to drop baseless charges against Sudha Bharadwaj
There are concerns for Bharadwaj’s health in prison during COVID-19 pandemic
Bharadwaj is featured in international campaign #StandAsMyWitness calling for release of human rights defenders
August 28 2020 marks two years since the arrest and detention of Indian activist and human rights lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj.
Lysa John, Secretary-General of CIVICUS
Participation is a human right, deeply rooted in our need to form and voice opinions and influence the structures shaping our lives.
By Débora Leão, Civic Space Research Officer at CIVICUS and Marianna Belalba Barreto, Civic Space Cluster Lead at CIVICUS
2019 was a year of collective action, and although the repression of civic space activism continues to rise, human rights defenders, activists, and civil society continue to operate, adapt, and resist.
In the run-up to the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, due in September 2020, CIVICUS is interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about the progress achieved and the challenges ahead.
To Permanent Representatives of Member and Observer States of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council, Geneva, Switzerland
Burundi: Vital role of the Commission of Inquiry in prompting meaningful human rights progress
Excellencies,
Ahead of the 45th session of the UN Human Rights Council (hereafter “HRC” or “the Council”), we, the undersigned national, regional and international civil society organisations, write to urge your delegation to support the renewal of the mandate of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) on Burundi.
CIVICUS speaks about the recent elections in Burundi with a civil society activist who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons.
🇵🇭#Philippines: The cold-blooded murder of Zara Alvarez is a travesty and yet another addition to the growing list of activists who have been attacked and killed in the country with impunity.
CIVICUS speaks to Sandun Thudugala, Head of Programmes at the Law and Society Trust (LST), about the legislative elections held in Sri Lanka on 5 August 2020, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
CIVICUS speaks about the situation of climate refugees and increasing challenges under the COVID-19 pandemic with Amali Tower, founder and executive director of Climate Refugees.
Phnom Penh, 13 August 2020 – We, the undersigned national and international organisations and communities, call on the Royal Government of Cambodia (“RGC”) to immediately discard the repressive draft Law on Public Order and uphold its obligations under international human rights law.
CIVICUS speaks with Elena Lorac, coordinator of Reconoci.
Has the Coronavirus crisis changed our view of politicians and what citizens now expect from them? Leaders around the world have dealt with the pandemic very differently, with some being praised for their handling of the outbreak, and some criticised.
CIVICUS speaks about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender inequalities and civil society responses with Gala Díaz Langou, director of the Social Protection Programme of the Center for the Implementation of Public Policies for Equity and Growth (Centro de Implementación de Políticas Públicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento, CIPPEC).
Secretary General’s Update: August 2020
By Aarti Narsee, Civic Space Researcher at CIVICUS & Orsolya Reich, Advocacy Officer at Civil Liberties Union for Europe
What little media independence remains in Hungary hangs by a thread.
Virtual Global Exchange on Zoom: Young Sustainable Development advocates will break down the 2030 Agenda from Global to Local accountability mechanisms for civil society.
CIVICUS speaks about the Bolivian political landscape and upcoming elections in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic with Cristian León, programme director of Asuntos del Sur and coordinator of Public Innovation 360, a project focused on strengthening democracy at the subnational level which is currently being implemented in three Latin American countries.
In the run-up to the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, due in September 2020, CIVICUS is interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about the progress achieved and the challenges ahead.
🇿🇼#Zimbabwe: CIVICUS stands in solidarity with Zimbabwean activists and condemns the targeting of civil society leaders and journalists.
On International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (9 August), we commend the work of imprisoned lawyer and activist Sudha Bharadwaj, defender of Indigenous communities in India.
CIVICUS has joined families of victims of police violence in the United States of America, the ACLU, and more than 360 civil society organisations, in a letter to Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights regarding the implementation of the recent Human Rights Council Resolution (A/HRC/43/L.
On 26 June 1945, at the conclusion of the United Nations Conference on International Organization, the Charter of the United Nations was signed in San Francisco.
CIVICUS speaks with Michael Kaiyatsa, acting Executive Director of the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR), about the recent presidential election in Malawi, which were held in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and led to a change of government.
Joint statement by Civic Space Initiative to UN Human Rights Committee
The Civic Space Initiative congratulates the UN Human Rights Committee – the body entrusted with interpretation and articulation of the rights protected by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) – on the issuance of its landmark guidance on the right of peaceful assembly: General Comment No.
CIVICUS speaks about the recent elections in the Dominican Republic, held in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Hamilk Chahin, coordinator of the Citizen Manifesto for Electoral Transparency, and Addys Then Marte, executive director of Alianza ONG.
Arabic
The undersigned civil society organisations call for an immediate and unconditional end to the intimidation and harassment of independent Moroccan journalist, Omar Radi, who has been summoned by police to appear for interrogation seven times over the past several weeks.
Lawyers, Human Rights Defenders and Journalists Arrested, Threatened, Intimidated
CIVICUS calls on Hungary to respect media freedom and to stop interfering in independent news site, Index.
CIVICUS speaks to human rights defender Jolovan Wham about the recent elections in Singapore, which were held in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
All UN member states have their human rights records reviewed every 4.
Towards the end of the project, we started working with Triskuel Consulting to design and roll out a methodology for testing the central Resilient Roots hypothesis - that civil society organisations which are more accountable to their primary constituents are more resilient to civic space-related threats.
Joint Letter
We call on Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Sweden, the Netherlands the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, to join the EU in its call to the Cambodian government to take concrete action to address the human rights situation in the country.
By Inés Pousadela, Senior Research Specialist at CIVICUS
In early 2020, as millions went into lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the environment experienced temporary relief from the impacts of human activity.
Joint Statement for the end of the 44th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
The 44th session of the UN Human Rights Council began with China's imposition of legislation severely undermining rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.
197 human rights organisations sign letter calling on states to end the imprisonment and harassment of human rights defenders
States urged to stop new arrests and detentions of defenders, noting heightened risk during COVID-19
#StandAsMyWitness campaign launches on Nelson Mandela Day 18 July, featuring human rights defenders from around the world
As the United Nations turns 75, concrete changes are needed.
Reaction to resolution on peaceful protests at the 44th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
With the adoption of a new resolution on peaceful protests, the Human Rights Council has sent a strong message that it stands by peaceful protesters who mobilise for change, and that law enforcement officials who perpetrate violence against protesters must be held to account.
Statement at the 44th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Reaction to extending the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Eritrea
CIVICUS welcomes the ongoing international scrutiny on Eritrea guaranteed today as the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Eritrea was extended by the Human Rights Council for another year.
Joint Statement at the 44th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights -- Outcome Adoption for Kuwait
Madame President,
Since its second Universal Periodic Review, the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), Gulf Centre for Human Rights, MENA Rights Group and CIVICUS found that Kuwait did not implement any of the 13 recommendations related to civic space.
CIVICUS speaks about the COVID-19 crisis and civil society responses with Sebastián Pilo, co-director of Civil Association for Equality and Justice (Asociación Civil por la Igualdad y la Justicia, ACIJ), a civil society organisation (CSO) dedicated to defending the rights of the most disadvantaged groups and strengthening democracy in Argentina.
Human rights organisations call for release of Teresita Naul ahead of court case 17 July
Naul’s family concerned about her deteriorating health in prison
#StandAsMyWitness campaign featuring Naul and calling for release of activists in prison launches on Nelson Mandela Day 18 July
CIVICUS, World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), Karapatan and other human rights organisations in the Philippines call for the release of Teresita Naul, a human rights defender from the Philippines, ahead of her court case on 17 July, and the launch of a global campaign featuring Naul and other imprisoned human rights defenders.
Dear World Leaders,
On Nelson Mandela Day, civil society organisations across the globe call on you to release imprisoned human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience.
Statement at the 44th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Myanmar
CIVICUS welcomes the Special Rapporteur’s update, and looks forward to our future engagement.
Statement at the 44th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Interactive Dialogue with the UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi
Thank you, Madame President;
CIVICUS and independent Burundian civil society organisations welcome the important work of the Commission of Inquiry, and thank the Commission for its update, noting the continued refusal of the government of Burundi to grant access to the country.
By Inés Pousadela, Senior Research Specialist at CIVICUS
In many circles, ‘civil society participation’ has become a fashion accessory that everyone wants to flaunt.
CIVICUS urges Serbian authorities to stop using force to disperse protesters demonstrating against the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joint Statement with Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists
The Malaysian authorities must immediately put an end to their increasing attacks on freedom of expression, especially the media, international non-governmental organisations Amnesty International, CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) said today.
Activism and AIDS: Together with @frontlineaids & @Aidsfonds_intl, new research examines the risks and restrictions facing civil society in the fight to end the epidemic | #OpenCivicSpace #HIVCOVID19
Full report: https://t.
Joint Statement at the 44th session of the Human Rights Council
Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association
Thank you, Madam President.
Statement at the 44th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression
Madame President, Special Rapporteur;
We thank the Special Rapporteur for his timely report.
Joint statement at the 44th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on freedom of association and peaceful assembly
Madame President, Special Rapporteur,
We thank the Special Rapporteur for his report, and for the work the mandate has done to protect freedom of assembly and association worldwide.
Joint Statement
Appoint Independent Commission of Inquiry, Seek UN Assistance
Today, on the fourth anniversary of the killing of prominent political commentator and human rights defender Kem Ley, we, the 30 undersigned organizations, call on the Cambodian authorities to create an independent Commission of Inquiry to conduct an effective and impartial investigation that is long overdue into Kem Ley’s death.
🇨🇴📝Joint letter on #Colombia: #COVID19 cannot be used as a smokescreen to target social leaders.
Front Line Defenders, CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, FIDH - International Federation for Human Rights, in the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), in the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and the International Service for Human Rights, condemn the killing of two employees of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), Fatima Khalil and Ahmad Jawed Folad, on 27 June 2020.
Statement at the 44th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty
Thank you, Madame President; Special Rapporteur.
A new law in Hungary, passed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, prevents trans people from legally changing their gender.
🇸🇬Singapore: Three civil society organisations call on parliamentary candidates and political party leaders to commit to respecting and protecting human rights, particularly fundamental freedoms, during and after the #SGElection https://t.
(Johannesburg 2 July 2020) CIVICUS calls on the authorities in Ethiopia to stop using violence to disperse ongoing protests and to lift internet restrictions that have been imposed across the country.
Around the world, protesters have gathered in solidarity with the US Black Lives Matter movement as they demand an end to systemic racism.
Joint statement at the 44th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Madame President; High Commissioner.
Statement at the 44th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
CIVICUS and the Eritrean Movement for Democracy and Human Rights welcome the Special Rapporteur’s report.
Statement at the 44th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Interactive Dialogue with the High Commissioner for Human Rights
A group of governments (Ireland, Chile, Japan, Sierra Leone, Tunisia) and over 50 civil society organisations reaffirm the need for the Human Rights Council to adopt a comprehensive resolution that promotes and protect civic freedoms.
Joint Statement at the 44th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Interactive Dialogue with the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Madame High Commissioner,
Thank you for your timely report.
Joint tatement at the 44th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants
Madame President; Special Rapporteur,
This is a statement on behalf of CIVICUS, Solidarity Center, and the International Service for Human Rights.
In the run-up to the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, due in September 2020, CIVICUS is interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about the progress achieved and the challenges ahead.
On 26 May 2020, Costa Rica became the first country in Central America to recognise same-sex marriage.
The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly exacerbated, accelerated, and further exposed global challenges.
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The undersigned civil society organisations call on Egyptian authorities to immediately end their harassment of Egyptian activist and Deputy Director of HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement, Mostafa Fouad.
By Aarti Narsee, Civic Space Researcher at CIVICUS
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, sexual and reproductive rights are being attacked globally: LGBTQI+ persons are facing heightened discrimination, women find themselves trapped indoors with the perpetrators of domestic violence, and access to abortion is being restricted.
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Full article
Actions needed from governments to support & sustain civil society
The COVID-19 pandemic has had extraordinary economic, social and political impacts.
CIVICUS speaks with Wendy Figueroa, director of the Red Nacional de Refugios (National Network of Shelters), a Mexican civil society organisation (CSO) that has been active for more than 20 years.
By Aarti Narsee, Civic Space Researcher at CIVICUS
European civil society is in a tug-of-war between restrictions, which may lead to the rise of a more fragile, authoritarian Europe, and resilience, which may suggest a more optimistic future in which civil society emerges stronger than before.
CIVICUS speaks with Ephraim Chimwaza, Executive Director of the Centre for Social Concern and Development (CESOCODE), a Malawian reproductive health and women’s rights civil society organisation (CSO).
SDG Knowledge Hub’s interview with Mandeep Tiwana, Chief Programmes Officer
Five years since the passage of the SDGs, the impulse in many quarters is still to scale up existing approaches, rather than to push for fundamental changes in how our societies and economies function to better realize rights.
Joint statement by Article 19 and CIVICUS
Joint Statement by Amnesty International and CIVICUS
The Fiji authorities must respect the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly for university staff and students and immediately cease intimidation tactics.
Statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Like so many, we have watched with horror as protesters seeking justice and equality in the US have been met with state-sanctioned violence and their attackers with impunity.
In the run-up to the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, due in September 2020, CIVICUS is interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about the progress achieved and the challenges ahead.
By Josef Benedict, civic space researcher at CIVICUS
The right to peaceful assembly is a fundamental freedom and key pillar for civic space.
Joint statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Madame President,
The Vienna Declaration recognizes the important role of non-governmental organizations in the promotion of all human rights activities at national, regional and international levels, and emphasizes the importance of continued dialogue and cooperation between Governments and non-governmental organizations.
The undersigned organizations and media outlets support the petition presented on June 8 in Cuba before the National Assembly, the State Council, the Supreme Court, the Office of the Attorney General, and the President of the Republic declaring 2019’s Decree-Law 370 unconstitutional (1).
CIVICUS’ recently concluded experiment with a group of young activists offers interesting insights for youth power in a post-Covid-19 world.
Joint statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Madam President, Rapporteurs,
Firstly, while we acknowledge the exceptional circumstances presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, we regret the limitations placed on inclusive and meaningful civil society participation, including in General Debates, and these circumstances should it set any precedents that would allow further restriction in the future.
CIVICUS speaks to Tsubasa Yuki of Moyai Support Centre for Independent Living about the situation of homeless people amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.
This article was originally published on Revista da Plataforma Portuguesa das ONGD
By Lysa JohnSecretary-General, CIVICUS@LysaJohn
Covid-19 victims dying in hospital corridors and on the streets of Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Two years since student protest movements mobilised in Bangladesh, there is still no accountability for human rights violations against protesters.
Over 10,000 protesters have been arrested in the #USA.
Joint letter to UN Member States: Ensure meaningful virtual participation in 2020 review of the SDGs
Joint letter to United Nations Member States: Ensure meaningful civil society participation in the 2020 virtual High Level Political Forum
Civil society participation in the United Nations cannot be lost as the world fights COVID-19.
Human Rights Defenders Alert – India and global civil society alliance CIVICUS call for the immediate release of two women activists who were arrested last week for their involvement in mass protests against the discriminatory citizenship law.
CIVICUS speaks to Gam Shimray, Secretary General of the Asian Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP), about the situation of Indigenous groups in Asia amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
By Andrew Firmin, CIVICUS Editor-in-Chief
Many of us continue to live in states of lockdown, but even as we do so the debate about what kind of world we want to re-emerge to should be an urgent one.
Pandemic has accelerated major economic, political and social problems
Civil society has proven its value by winning key breakthroughs over the last year
The fight is now on to build a better post-pandemic world – civil society is in the forefront of this battle
Mr Amit ShahUnion Home Minister of IndiaMinistry of Home AffairsGovernment of India
Re: Release human rights defenders at risk in the context of COVID-19
Dear Home Minister
We, the undersigned organizations, write with great concern regarding the situation of student activists Safoora Zargar, who is four months pregnant, Meeran Haider, Shifa-Ur-Rehman and Sharjeel Imam, all detained under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
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CIVICUS, together with more than 60 organisations, calls for an open and independent investigation into the jailing and death of filmmaker hady Habash.
By Lysa John, Secretary General of CIVICUS
This crisis should be a wakeup call to all of us in civil society to strengthen social protection measures in our own sector.
In a joint paper released today, a group of 12 NGOs encourage States to more systematically use civic space indicators as objective criteria for action at the UN Human Rights Council.
Discussion between Lysa John and Agnes Frimston for Chatham House Undercurrent podcast
In this week's episode of Chatham House's podcast Undercurrents, Lysa John, Secretary General of CIVICUS joins Agnes in discussing the impact that the coronavirus pandemic has had on worker's rights across the world.
The Pakistan authorities must halt their judicial harassment of human rights defender Muhammed Ismail and his wife Uzlifat Ismail and drop all charges against them, said CIVICUS, FIDH, the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and Front Line Defenders.
COALITION TO HOST A WEBINAR ON MAY 15 PROVIDING UPDATES ON PRISONERS, STATE OF WOMEN’S HUMAN RIGHTS IN SAUDI ARABIA AND CAMPAIGN PROGRESS
A Joint Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission and CIVICUS
The Bangladesh government has resorted once again to its notorious Digital Security Act-2018 to muzzle freedom of expression, arresting 11 individuals following criticism of the governments’ handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 15 May, Free Saudi Activists, a coalition of women human rights defenders and organisations advocating for the release of women’s rights activists from prison, is hosting a webinar to update the public on the status of those who were arrested two years ago for calling for the dismantling of the male guardianship system and defying the government’s ban on women driving.
A total of 47 human rights organisations and independent press media denounce the violation of fundamental human rights caused by the application in Cuba of Decree Law 370.
Joint Letter
To Permanent Representatives of Member and Observer States of the United Nations Human Rights Council
At the 41st session of the UN Human Rights Council (24 June-12 July 2019), the Council extended a hand to the Eritrean Government.
Interview with Lysa John about why protecting workers during the COVID-19 crisis is crucial.
99 civil society organizations have urged the IMF to consistently and formally include anti-corruption measures in its COVID-19 pandemic-related emergency funding and take concrete steps to help protect and empower civil society groups to monitor these funds.
Secretary General's Update
Dear CIVICUS members and allies,
This has been a particularly tumultuous period for both civil society and the wider world.
On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.
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Organisations which support human rights, press freedom and journalists are calling on United Nations mechanisms and member states to help save the lives of four Yemeni journalists who were sentenced to death in April 2020 in the capital Sana’a on charges of “spying” and “spreading false news.
We, the undersigned civil society organizations, lawyers, journalists, and activists, urge the Egyptian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Alaa Abdel Fattah, our courageous friend, human rights activist, and blogger.
Statement by 11 NGOs ahead of informal discussion with the UN Special Procedures and UN Member States on the COVID-19 Pandemic
We thank the Coordination Committee for the update on the work undertaken by the Special Procedures to date to highlight the human rights impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic can re-energise the demands of civil society organisations to put people at the heart of the changes we need: to protect the planet from degradation, to ensure that all human beings can enjoy prosperous and fulfilling lives, that economic, social and technological progress occurs in harmony with nature and fosters peaceful, just and inclusive societies.
By Josef Benedict, civic space researcher at CIVICUS
May 3rd marks World Press Freedom Day around the world.
By Lysa John (CIVICUS), Chris Worman (TechSoup) and Benjamin Bellegy (WINGS)
It seems ironic that only a few months ago, we were celebrating 2019 as the ‘Year of People Power’ and a mass global uprising against autocratic regimes across the world seemed achievable.
By Aarti Narsee, civic space research officer at CIVICUS
Censorship, smear campaigns and harassment.
CIVICUS speaks to Adrian Pereira, the Executive Director of North South Initiative (NSI), about the situation of migrant workers in Malaysia amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is an open letter from representatives of NEAR, Civicus, and the Global Fund for Community Foundations.
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The first Resilient Roots case study illustrated the three dimensions of primary constituent accountability (PCA) - giving, taking, and holding to account, through examples from our national partners.
By Mandeep Tiwana, Chief Programmes Officer at CIVICUS
Today, the COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting our lives and livelihoods in wholly unanticipated ways, testing the resilience of our social, economic and political structures.
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As we mark Palestinian Prisoners’ Day this year, Palestinian prisoners and detainees face the additional threat of a coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Israeli prisons and detention centers.
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As governments are undertaking extraordinary measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, we recognise and commend the efforts states are making to manage the well-being of their populations and protect human rights, such as the rights to life and health.
CIVICUS calls on the Ugandan authorities to release 19 members of the LGBTI community who have been arrested on trumped up charges, under the pretext of curbing the spread of COVID-19.
Secretary General’s Update
Dear CIVICUS members and allies,
The past few weeks have been unlike anything we have known or could have imagined.
Extend Releases to Those at Special Risk of COVID-19
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We have a responsibility to act decisively to protect our co-workers from adverse health, social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cambodia and COVID19: State of Emergency draft law will put civic freedoms and human rights defenders further at risk
CIVICUS, FORUM-ASIA, Frontline Defenders and Civil Rights Defenders are seriously concerned about draconian provisions in Cambodia’s draft State of Emergency Law which mandates unfettered power to the executive, undermining fundamental freedoms with no defined endpoint.
While recent steps taken by Indian authorities to decongest prisons in an effort to contain the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak are welcome, the Government should release all unjustly detained prisoners as a matter of priority.
Following our 2019 special report on anti-rights groups and civil society responses, we are interviewing civil society activists and leaders about their experiences in facing anti-rights backlash and their strategies to strengthen progressive narratives and civil society responses.
CIVICUS has received letters from Dano Anes Tabuni and Charles Kossay around their arrest and detention.
Arabic
In light of the global COVID-19 pandemic outbreak—qualified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization (WHO)—we, the undersigned organisations, express grave concern over the situation of detainees and prisoners across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations Human Rights Council’s 43rd Session, which was scheduled to run from 24 Feb – 20 March, was suspended after three weeks on 13 March until further notice.
During the global COVID-19 pandemic states should not impose emergency law as a pretext to restrict civic rights
Human rights defenders and political prisoners should be released to curb the spread
Governments should be transparent in responding to threats posed by COVID-19
CIVICUS urges states to lift emergency measures as soon as the threat of the virus diminishes
As the global community continues to take measures to halt the spread of COVID-19 and ultimately eradicate it, states should ensure that the protection of human rights are at the centre of all responses.
بالعربية
More than 220 civil society organizations from around the world have voiced their concerns over the G20 civil society engagement process hosted by and in Saudi Arabia in 2020.
In the COVID-19 outbreak, the global community is facing one of the most challenging crises for decades.
The Resilient Roots team has been trying to understand how primary constituent accountability has impacted the policies and practices of our 14 national partner organisations.
In February, CIVICUS hosted an animated webinar called ‘Participatory grantmaking in action’ in partnership with UHAI EASHRI, Africa’s first indigenous activist fund supporting sexual and gender minorities and sex worker human rights, and Candid, an organisation that has extensively researched and promoted participatory grantmaking.
Dear civil society donors and supporters,
As the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, civil society organisations across the world are taking proactive measures to protect the health and well-being of their staff and partners.
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.
Guinea placed on CIVICUS Monitor watchlist ahead of referendum
Escalating rights violations include use of excessive force on protesters
CIVICUS calls for release of human rights defenders and urges President Condé to step down
Guinea has been placed on the CIVICUS Monitor human rights watchlist ahead of the proposed referendum on 22nd March.
Statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Fiji's adoption of Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights
Watch us deliver our statement below:
PIANGO, CCF and CIVICUS welcome the government of Fiji’s engagement with the UPR process.
Statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Iraq's adoption of Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights
Watch us deliver our statement below
During the 2nd Universal Periodic Review cycle, the Government of Iraq received eight recommendations relating to civic space.
Statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Angola's adoption of Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights
Watch us deliver our statement below
CIVICUS welcomes Angola’s acceptance of 14 recommendations focusing on civic space in this UPR cycle.
Statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Madagascar's adoption of Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights
Watch us deliver our statement below
CIVICUS welcomes Madagascar’s acceptance of 22 recommendations focusing on civic space in this UPR cycle.
Joint statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
El Salvador's adoption of Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights
Watch us deliver our statement below
CIVICUS and FESPAD welcome El Salvador’s engagement with the UPR process.
In the run-up to the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, due in September 2020, CIVICUS is interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about the progress achieved and the challenges ahead.
Statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Watch us deliver our statement below:
Dear Madame President,
Research findings by the CIVICUS Monitor show a serious and rapid decline in respect for civic freedoms in India, Lebanon, Iraq, Nicaragua, and Guinea (countries on current civic space watchlist)
In India, protests against a discriminatory citizenship law have been met with excessive force and deadly violence by the authorities, with at least 50 killed, and hundreds injured.
To illustrate what primary constituent accountability mechanisms actually look like in practice, we have produced a series of infographics outlining some of the real-life examples that our Resilient Roots national partners have developed.
CIVICUS speaks about recent protests in Egypt and their repression with a woman activist and protester who, for security reasons, asked to remain anonymous.
Joint statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Our organizations express grave concern over the human rights situation in Jammu & Kashmir, where the authorities imposed severe restrictions after a decision to revoke constitutional autonomy on 5 August 2019, including one of the world’s longest internet shutdowns, which the Indian Supreme Court has said violates the right to freedom of expression.
Statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council during Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Myanmar
Watch our statement below
We thank the Special Rapporteur for her final report on Myanmar (see all reports), and the outstanding work the mandate has carried out despite the lack of access granted to the country.
Statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Watch us deliver our statement below:
Volunteer Activists and CIVICUS note with concern the continued closure of civic space through restrictive laws, arbitrary detention and a crackdown on civil society.
Statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council during Interactive Dialogue with the UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi
Watch us deliver our statement below:
CIVICUS and independent Burundian civil society organisations welcome the important work of the Commission of Inquiry, and thank the Commission for its update, despite the government of Burundi’s continued refusal to grant access to the country.
Following a year marked by massive mobilisation on the climate emergency, CIVICUS is interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about the main environmental challenges they face in their contexts and the actions they are taking.
CIVICUS, the global alliance of civil society organisations, together with the Malawian Human Rights Defenders Network (HRDN) and the Centre for Human rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR), call for the immediate release of human rights defenders in Malawi ahead of their bail hearing today.
In 2019, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed Ali, “for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea.
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Resilient Roots: Conquering the feedback loop - Part 5 of 5: “Course Correct”
By Isabelle Büchner et Belén Giaquinta (CIVICUS)
This five-part blog series tries to break down this process as much as possible, to move beyond theoretical discussions about how to shift power within the civil society sector and offer practical solutions for how to change organisational culture through feedback.
Statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
The meaningful participation of people in governance is essential for securing human rights, social stability and peace.
Did you know that only 4% of the total Official Development Assistance (ODA) supports programmes that integrate gender equality and women’s empowerment as the main objective? And only 3% of that fraction goes to women’s rights organisations.
Statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Watch us deliver our statement below:
The report on intersessional meetings on the 2030 Agenda concluded that the Sustainable Development Goals cannot be attained without stronger, inclusive and meaningful public participation in the development and monitoring of policies.
Joint Letter at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council: UN Human Rights Council should ensure enhanced monitoring of the human rights situation in Nicaragua
We, the undersigned human rights organizations, call on the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) to adopt a resolution during the 43rd session, renewing and further strengthening the mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to monitor and report on the human rights situation in Nicaragua, as specifically requested by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
2020 marks 75 years since the founding of the United Nations (UN).
Following a year marked by massive mobilisation on the climate emergency, CIVICUS is interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about the main environmental challenges they face in their contexts and the actions they are taking.
By David Kode, advocacy and campaigns lead for CIVICUS
Once again, the state of democracy on the continent will be tested as millions of Africans go to the polls this year to decide who will lead them for the next few years.
By Josef Benedict, civic space researcher at CIVICUS
One tactic that CIVICUS has seen increasingly being used by the government to target activists and NGOs is to label them as “terrorists” or “communist fronts”, particularly those who have been critical of Duterte’s deadly “war on drugs” that has killed thousands.
CIVICUS speaks with Aaron Lainé, Policy and Government Liaison Officer, and Raluca Muresan, Programme Manager at Control Arms, a civil society coalition that advocates for greater controls in the international arms trade to end the human suffering caused by the irresponsible arms trade, and to stop arms transfers that fuel conflict, systemic armed violence, poverty and serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.
CIVICUS speaks to Chris Worman, Vice President of Alliances and Program Development at TechSoup, a non-profit international network that provides technical support and technological tools to civil society organisations (CSOs).
Joint statement by Earthjustice, Greenpeace, AIDA, Amnesty Internationa, CIEL, CIVICUS, CRIN, Human Rights Watch, The Global Initiative
We welcome the Special Rapporteur’s report which usefully identifies a wealth of governmental good practices in recognizing and implementing a right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
Joint statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council by Amnesty International India, CIVCUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, FORUM-ASIA and FIDH
As the UN Human Rights Council meets in Geneva to discuss human rights developments globally, we urge states to speak up against serious human rights violations being committed in India against peaceful protesters and other civilians.
Following a year marked by massive mobilisation on the climate emergency, CIVICUS is interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about the main environmental challenges they face in their contexts and the actions they are taking.
Joint statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
CIVICUS, IMADR, International Service on Human Rights, Franciscans International, Human Rights Watch, Forum Asia, Minority rights group international
We are deeply concerned by indicators of a significant backsliding on human rights in Sri Lanka, underscored by the government using their address to the Council this week to go back on the important commitments made by Sri Lanka through HRC resolution 30/1.
By David Kode, Advocacy and Campaigns Lead
President Ramaphosa and the AU have a crucial role in aiding the continuation of Guinea's democracy.
Freedom of expression must be upheld at all times, not only tolerated during Hay Festival Abu Dhabi
Arabic
As the Hay Festival Abu Dhabi opens on 25-28 February 2020 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), we the undersigned call on the Emirati authorities to demonstrate their respect for the right to freedom of expression by freeing all human rights defenders imprisoned for expressing themselves peacefully online, including academics, writers, a poet and lawyers.
CIVICUS speaks with Rory Daniels about the 2019 elections in the UK and the dangers that disinformation poses to democracy.
Statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
CIVICUS and Eritrean partner organisations welcome the work of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Eritrea and thank you for your update.
CIVICUS speaks with María Emilia Berazategui, Transparency International’s Global Advocacy Coordinator, about the role of civil society in international and inter-governmental forums and the degree to which it can influence decision-making processes, and the successes achieved and challenges encountered in 2019 by the C20, the engagement group for civil society within the G20.
The four-week human rights council will sit from 24 February to 20 March, and there are a number of critical human rights resolutions up for debate, and for the 47 Council members to address.
Statement at the 43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Watch statement delivered by youth climate activist, Paloma Costa:
My name is Paloma Costa and I am from a region where the Amazon is threatened and human rights seem to mean nothing.
Following a year marked by massive mobilisation on the climate emergency, CIVICUS is interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about the main environmental challenges they face in their contexts and the actions they are taking.
CIVICUS speaks with Ziad Abdel Samad, Executive Director of the Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND), and Zahra Bazzi, ANND Programmes Manager, about the protests that began in Lebanon in October 2019, the changes achieved and the challenges encountered.
2020 marks 75 years since the founding of the United Nations (UN).
CIVICUS speaks with Alexandra González Zapata, coordinator for democracy and social protest at the Solidarity Committee with Political Prisoners Foundation, and a member of the Campaign to Defend Freedom.
In December 2019, the Ladies European Tour announced that it would hold a tournament in Saudi Arabia from the 19th to the 22nd March 2020 in collaboration with Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation.
CIVICUS speaks to Dr Claire Melamed, CEO of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, an open, independent, multi-stakeholder network aimed at harnessing the data revolution for sustainable development.
Following our 2019 special report on anti-rights groups and civil society responses, we are interviewing civil society activists and leaders about their experiences of backlash from anti-rights groups and their strategies to strengthen progressive narratives and civil society responses.
DIGITAL DIVIDE: ‘The uncritical adoption of technology is particularly risky in humanitarian crises’
CIVICUS speaks to Barnaby Willitts-King, Senior Research Fellow at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI).
Following a year marked by massive mobilisation around the climate emergency, CIVICUS is interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about the main environmental challenges they face and the actions they are taking.
CIVICUS speaks about China’s growing international role with Sharon Hom, Executive Director of Human Rights in China (HRIC), Adjunct Professor of Law at the New York University School of Law and Professor of Law Emerita at the City University of New York School of Law.
Mobile internet blackout in four townships in Rakhine State among the world’s longest running.
2020 marks 75 years since the founding of the United Nations (UN).
Following a year marked by massive mobilisation on the climate emergency, CIVICUS is interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about the main environmental challenges they face in their contexts and the actions they are taking.
CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance, is extremely concerned about a crackdown against activists and progressive groups in the region of Eastern Visayas by the Philippines government.
Following a year marked by massive mobilisation on the climate emergency, CIVICUS is interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about the main environmental challenges they face in their contexts and the actions they are taking.
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The Resilient Roots (RR) initiative examines whether organisations who are accountable to their primary constituents, that is, the individuals and communities they support and serve, are better able to withstand external threats related to closing civic space.
To: Permanent Representatives of Member and Observer States of the United Nations Human Rights Council
Re: The UN Human Rights Council should extend the mandate of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan
Excellencies,
We, the undersigned national, regional, and international non-governmental organisations, write to call on your delegation to actively support the extension of the mandate of the United Nations (UN) Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan (“the CoHR”) during the upco- ming 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council (“the Council” or “the HRC”), which will take place from 24 February-20 March 2020.
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Resilient Roots: conquering the feedback loop - Part 4 of 5: “Dialogue”
By Isabelle Büchner and Belén Giaquinta (CIVICUS)
By now, you have designed your accountability feedback mechanism, and you have collected and analysed the feedback from your primary constituents.
CIVICUS speaks about the protests that have rocked Hong Kong since June 2019 with Johnson Ching-Yin Yeung, democracy movement organiser and chairperson of the Hong Kong Civil Hub.
CIVICUS speaks about the 2019 protests and elections in Bolivia with Eliana Quiroz, Executive Director of Fundación Internet Bolivia (Bolivia Internet Foundation), an organisation dedicated to strengthening free and secure access to the web.
Following our 2019 special report on anti-rights groups and civil society responses, we are interviewing civil society activists and leaders about their experiences of backlash from anti-rights groups and their strategies to strengthen progressive narratives and civil society responses.
Secretary General’s Update
Dear CIVICUS members and allies,
January was replete with the signals that the coming months will require significantly increased levels of ambition and action if we, civil society, are to remain relevant to the issues of our times.
2020 marks 75 years since the founding of the United Nations (UN).
2020 marks 75 years since the founding of the United Nations (UN).
2020 marks 75 years since the founding of the United Nations (UN).
To: Dr Shireen M Mazari, Federal Minister for Human Rights Ministry of Human Rights
Re: Concerns regarding arrests of Pashtun activists and supporters
Your Excellency,
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation is a global alliance of civil society organisations (CSOs) and activists dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society around the world.
2020 marks 75 years since the founding of the United Nations (UN).
CIVICUS speaks about the recent election in Spain with Núria Valls, president of the Ibero-American League of Civil Society Organisations (Liga Iberoamericana), a platform that brings together 29 civil society organisations from 17 Ibero-American countries, specialising in human, social and community development.
CIVICUS speaks with Mohammed Ismail, a longstanding member of CIVICUS’ Affinity Group of National Associations (AGNA), a network of 90 national and regional civil society platforms from around the world.
By Anna Kolotovkina, a civil society resourcing intern at CIVICUS, social volunteer and activist.
By Lysa John Berna, Secretary-General of CIVICUS and Mandeep Singh Tiwana Chief Programmes Officer at CIVICUS
A respected woman social activist and political leader beaten and kicked in the stomach at a police station for recording a public protest.
Open Letter from Activist Leaders World Economic Forum Delegates
‘Activist Leaders Call on World Economic Forum Delegates to Declare Climate Emergency’
We #StandTogether with hundreds of millions of people around the world committed to climate justice, economic transformation, equality, human rights, the environment, gender justice, and the rights of workers, children, refugees, Indigenous peoples and faith-based communities.
CIVICUS speaks with Juan Antonio Blanco, director of the Cuban Observatory of Conflicts (Observatorio Cubano de Conflictos), an autonomous civil society project supported by the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba (Fundación para los Derechos Humanos en Cuba).
2020 marks 75 years since the founding of the United Nations (UN).
Diversity and Inclusion has become a hot topic within civil society in recent years.
Open Letter: UN member states must highlight Laos’s severely restrictive civic space environment at its upcoming UN human rights review
Your Excellency,
As you will be aware, Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) will face its third review under the UN’s UPR mechanism on 21 January 2020.
By Susan Wilding, Head of Geneva Office at CIVICUS
In all regions of the world, spontaneous people’s movements are demanding better governance, rule of law and justice.
العربية
The annual G20 summit often seems like a talking shop for the world’s most powerful governments.
The Dakar Rally (formerly known as the Paris-Dakar Rally) is an annual off-road endurance rally organized by the French company Amaury Sport Organisation (A.
By: Youth Co-Design Team
The challenges of grassroots activism
Citizens are organising and mobilising in new and creative ways.
By Andrew Firmin, editor-in-chief of CIVICUS
Our efforts as civil society will work best when paired with mass mobilisations that demonstrate popular support for rights and defiance in the face of those who seek to deny rights, including by counter-protesting when anti-rights forces seek to claim public space and dominate public discourse.
CIVICUS invited its member, the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) to facilitate a proposal writing and resource mobilisation workshop for staff in 2019.
By Josef Benedict, civic space research officer at CIVICUS
The assault on fundamental freedoms and civil society is escalating across the globe.
Protests broke out in Chile in October 2019, initially led by students rejecting an increase in the price of transport and quickly escalating into mass demonstrations urging structural change.
Joint Statement: Civil society organizations call for all baseless charges against journalists to be dropped
We, the undersigned media institutions and local and international civil society organizations call for charges against two former Radio Free Asia (RFA) journalists, Mr.
Dear CIVICUS members and allies,
We are ending the year as we began – with awe for how civil society and citizens have been unstoppable despite widespread and often brutal backlash by governments, and with a stronger resolve to do more - much more - to reinforce struggles for human rights and social justice across countries and communities.
By Yessenia Soto, Community Engagement Officer on Civil Society Resourcing at CIVICUS
In 2019, CIVICUS set out to find ways to better support and resource citizen action in the 21st century.
From the 30th October to the 8th November 2019 members gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa from all over the world for the CIVICUS Annual General meeting.
From 2 to 15 December, more than 20,000 people from almost 200 countries attended COP25, the UN climate change conference.
Prime Minister Samdech Hun SenGovernment Peace Building, No.
On 5 August 2019, the government of India revoked Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution, which guaranteed the autonomous status and rights of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
December 9 marked the 18th day of peaceful nationwide protests by labor unions, students, peace activists, Afro-Colombians, indigenous, victims, women, farmers negatively impacted by free trade agreements, and many other Colombians.
CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance is alarmed at the violent crackdown on protests across India in response to a controversial citizenship law passed by the country’s parliament last week.
By Mohammad Hasan, Yes Theatre Palestine
CIVICUS’ process to mid-term review its strategic plan (2017-2022) is almost finished.
Civil society groups urge Laos, Thailand to investigate enforced disappearances, reveal fate of Sombath Somphone and Od Sayavong
On the seventh anniversary of the enforced disappearance of Lao civil society leader Sombath Somphone, we, the undersigned organizations, urge the Lao and Thai governments to investigate enforced disappearances, and demand Vientiane finally reveal Sombath’s whereabouts and ensure justice for him and his family.
This article is part of the #StoriesOfResilience series, coordinated by CIVICUS to feature groups and activists on their journey to promote better resourcing practices for civil society and to mobilise meaningful resources to sustain their work.
Left to Right: Dumiso Gatsha, SDGs Goalkeeper and founder of Success Capital NGO & Degan Ali, Executive Director at Adeso
A growing movement of people is challenging the traditional top-down paradigm, ways of working and decision-making within international development aid and philanthropy.
By Paul Mulindwa, advocacy and campaigns officer at CIVICUS
Four years after Burundi’s crisis began, 300,000 people have fled the country for safety.
Findings based on data released today by the CIVICUS Monitor, a global research collaboration which rates and tracks respect for fundamental freedoms in 196 countries.
Starting on 15 November 2019, mass protests have erupted in Iran in response to a three-fold rise in petrol costs.
بالعربية
We, the undersigned human rights organisations, call on the Iraqi government to immediately cease the use of lethal and excessive force against protesters.
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The first case study looked at three dimensions of accountability (giving, taking, and holding to account) and provided examples of how different Resilient Roots partners navigate and practice each dimension.
A wave of social protests has engulfed Latin America and the Caribbean, with people in Ecuador, Haiti, Chile, Bolivia and Colombia taking to the streets to demand their rights
More often than not, these protests have been violently suppressed
Human Rights institutions have denounced heavy repression and excessive use of force throughout the region
Global civil society alliance, CIVICUS condemns the violent response by security forces to the genuine demands of demonstrators in several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean who have taken to the streets to protest against deteriorating socio-economic conditions, corruption and unaccountable governance.
By Josef Benedict, civic space research officer at CIVICUS
This November in Geneva, the United Nations examined Fiji’s human rights record for the third time.
Protests broke out in Chile in October 2019, initially led by students rejecting an increase in the price of transport and quickly escalating into mass demonstrations urging structural change.
Español | French
Resilient Roots: conquering the feedback loop - Part 3 of 5: “Analysis”
By Isabelle Büchner and Belén Giaquinta (CIVICUS)
In the first blog post of this series we shared 10 steps to design your accountability feedback mechanism.
The UN’s highest official principally responsible for human rights, High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet, should publicly denounce the Hong Kong Government for its systematic violations of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, and condemn the unnecessary and disproportionate use of force by police in Hong Kong.
New report reveals that groups attacking hard-fought human rights are on the rise globally.
CIVICUS speaks with Aklima Ferdows, who works with the Centre for Social Activism in Bangladesh, about civil society’s challenges and support needs in the face of a sustained government crackdown.
UPDATE 26 November 2019:
🇵🇰Our friend and partner, Professor Ismail, has just been released on bail by the #Pakistan government.
As part of our 2019 thematic report, we are interviewing civil society activists and leaders about their experiences of backlash from anti-rights groups and their strategies to strengthen progressive narratives and civil society responses.
By Masana Ndinga-Kanga, Crisis Response Fund lead at CIVICUS and Lundi Mazizi, co-ordinator of the UWC Ex-Workers Movement
So much can happen in 900 days.
Environmental activism is dangerous and too often deadly, and may worsen as the growing climate crisis fuels divides over access to natural resources
Millions of people have marched this year calling for an end to climate injustice yet around the world just 4 percent of the world’s population live in countries where governments are properly respecting the freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression according to the CIVICUS Monitor.
By Andreas Bummel the Executive Director of Democracy Without Borders, Lysa John Secretary-General of CIVICUS and Bruno Kaufmann is co-president of the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy and board member of Democracy International
Next year the United Nations will commemorate its 75th anniversary.
Letter from Zeyar Lwin and Paing Ye Thu members of the Peacock Generation in Myanmar
Seven members of the Peacock Generation—Kay Khine Tun, Zayar Lwin, Paing Pyo Min, Paing Ye Thu, Zaw Lin Htut, Su Yadanar Myint and Nyein Chan Soe —were arrested in April and May 2019 after they performed Thangyat, a traditional performance art akin to slam poetry during the Thingyan Water Festival in April.
بالعربية
Beirut – To mark the 6th International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, on 02 November 2019, which was approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations at its 68th session in 2013, 18 NGOs called for immediate actions at the conclusion of an event in Beirut entitled "No to impunity for the crimes committed against journalists in the Arab region.
بالعربية
The Iraqi government has stepped up its violent crackdown on peaceful demonstrators, including human rights defenders and other activists, as the campaign of mass arrests and fatal attacks continues.
Five new members recently joined the CIVICUS Youth Action Team (YAT).
بالعربية
“I plan to act quickly to revoke Omar Barghouti’s resident status in Israel” Arye Deri, Israel’s Interior Minister, 6 October 2019
On 6 October 2019, Israeli Interior Minister Arye Deri announced that he is working towards revoking the residency status of Palestinian resident and human rights defender Omar Barghouti.
In May 2019 Taiwan became the first nation in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage.
As part of our 2019 thematic report, we are interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about their experience of facing backlash by anti-rights groups and how they are responding.
On 6 November 2019, Fiji’s human rights record will be reviewed by UN member states as part of the 34th session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
This article is part of the #StoriesOfResilience series, coordinated by CIVICUS to feature groups and activists on their journey to promote better resourcing practices for civil society and to mobilise meaningful resources to sustain their work.
By Ine Van Severen, Civic Space Researcher at CIVICUS
2019 has been a year of protest.
By Clara Bosco, civil society resourcing advisor at CIVICUS
These last years have marked the tipping point of a growing disconnect between citizens and public institutions in Latin America.
Ahead of the Sri Lankan presidential elections on 16 November 2019, CIVICUS spoke with Sandya Ekneligoda, a human rights defender and campaigner for justice for families of people who have been disappeared.
Secretary General’s Update (Aug-Sep 2019)
In the context of increasing attacks on civic space around the world, it seems far more unusual to have an opportunity to celebrate the progress being made through civil society and citizen activism around the world.
Global rights alliance condemns the detention of Muhammad Ismail, a human rights activist and CIVICUS member who has been promoting human rights in Pakistan for more than a decade
Ismail and his family have been facing months of harassment and intimidation
This incident highlights the hostile environment for human rights defenders and others in Pakistan to exercise their freedom of expression
CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance, is extremely concerned about the arbitrary detention of Muhammad Ismail, a human rights activist and CIVICUS member, and calls for his immediate release.
By Ziad Abdul Samad, Executive Director of the Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND)
The popular protests in Lebanon began after the government announced its intention to impose new taxes on citizens and in an atmosphere of tension and mounting fears of continued economic collapse.
As calls grow for climate action to be more responsive to frontline communities, CIVICUS spoke to Maria Nailevu, a feminist climate activist from Fiji, about how feminists have been fighting for more inclusive climate policies from the local to the global levels.
بالعربية
CIVICUS speaks to Nisreen Al Sayeem, Chair of the Sudan Youth Organization on Climate Change and Coordinator of Youth and Environment - Sudan (YES).
By Marina Cherbonnier, CIVICUS member engagement specialist
Each year, CIVICUS Constituents are asked what they think about CIVICUS - a global alliance of over 8000 organisations, movements and individuals.
Joint statement on Maldives ahead of human rights review in 2020
Civil society groups CIVICUS and FORUM-ASIA have submitted information to the UN Human Rights Council on civic freedoms in the country ahead of its review in 2020.
Last week (17 October), 14 new member states were elected to the 47-member state Human Rights Council for the 2020-2022 term.
Egypt, China (Hong Kong), Colombia, Guinea and Kazakhstan join global watchlist
Escalating rights violations include arrests, abductions and assassinations of activists, as well as the persecution of journalists and media blackouts
International community must pressure governments to end repression and bring perpetrators to account
Five countries from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America have been added to a watchlist of countries which have seen a rapid decline in fundamental freedoms in recent weeks and months.
On 30 September 2019 an unusual scene flooded Cape Town as ‘zombie’ protesters fled through the inner city in a satirical protest against the re-emergence of Apartheid-era policies in post-Apartheid South Africa.
CIVICUS makes joint UN Universal Periodic Review submissions on civil society space in Honduras, Malawi and Maldives
CIVICUS and its partners have made joint and stand-alone UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) submissions on 3 countries in advance of the 36th UPR session (May 2020).
By Masana Ndinga-Kanga, Crisis Response Fund Lead at CIVICUS & Sohrab Razzaghi is Executive Director of Volunteer Activists Institute
2019 has not been a good year for Iranian human rights activists.
In an interview with @africanews @DaveKode speaks about the recent crackdown on protests and mass arrests of #HRDs, academics and journalists in #Egypt https://t.
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Open letter to the Government of Mozambique
Your Excellency,
We, the undersigned orgnisations, are deeply alarmed by the escalating crackdown on fundamental freedoms and the persecution of activists in the context of the upcoming presidential, legislative and provincial elections scheduled for 15 October 2019 in Mozambique.
ANTI-RIGHTS GROUPS: ‘Their true objective is to eliminate all government policies related to gender’
As part of our 2019 thematic report, we are interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about their experiences of backlash from anti-rights groups and their strategies to strengthen progressive narratives and civil society responses.
The downgrade is based on an assessment of conditions for the exercise of the freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression on the CIVICUS Monitor.
ARABIC
On October 12, 2019, which marks the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Saudi Association for Civil and Political Rights (ACPRA), the undersigned organisations call on Saudi authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all detained ACPRA members.
Female leaders in 2018 top films were 4 times more likely to be shown in revealing clothing.
In October 2019, in New York, the UN General Assembly will elect 14 new members of the 47-member State Human Rights Council.
ARABIC
The undersigned international, regional and Iraqi human rights organisations demand that the authorities in Iraq immediately uphold promises to put an end to violent reprisals against the popular protest movement taking place across the country, which has left over 100 people dead, with thousands more injured and hundreds detained.
Phnom Penh, 07 October 2019 - We, the undersigned civil society organisations strongly condemn the decision by the Municipal Court judge to continue the investigation into unsubstantiated espionage charges against Yeang Sothearin and Uon Chhin.
By David Kode, advocacy and campaigns lead at CIVICUS
Sport is a major unifier among all nations and the plight of Eritrean athletes should be enough to force the international community, particularly states that now host many Eritreans, to exert pressure on President Isaias Afwerki to implement reforms, 26 years after taking power.
On 22 October, Ahmed Mansoor will turn 50 in prison so CIVICUS and partners have organised a series of actions to help #FreeAhmed and offer #BirthdayWishes4Ahmed.
Kathmandu/Bangkok/Paris/Geneva, 4 October 2019:
Today completes two months of the unprecedented communication blockade in Jammu and Kashmir, India.
This article is part of the #StoriesOfResilience series, coordinated by CIVICUS to feature groups and activists on their journey to promote better resourcing practices for civil society and to mobilise meaningful resources to sustain their work.
By Masana Ndinga-Kanga, Crisis Response Fund Lead at CIVICUS
Since Jamal Khashoggi disappeared on October 2, 2018, in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the Saudi authorities have continuously changed their narrative of what happened.
On 2 October 2018, Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain official documents in order to get married, but he did not make it out alive.
#Egypt: 2000+ people arrested after peaceful protests.
By Lysa John, Secretary-General of CIVICUS & Mandeep Tiwana, Chief Programmes Officer at CIVICUS
2019 may well be remembered as the year in which ordinary citizens finally lost patience with incremental changes and called for the bold and urgent actions we need to address the challenges we face.
By Lysa John, Secretary-General of CIVICUS
From gun control marches in the United States to impassioned climate change speeches on the global stage of the UN, youth are leading the charge to hold governments accountable and address our biggest challenges.
As part of our 2019 thematic report, we are interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about their experience of facing backlash by anti-rights groups and how they are responding.
42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Response to resolution on Cambodia
CIVICUS welcomes the renewal of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Cambodia in a resolution which was passed by consensus today.
42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Response to resolution on Sudan
CIVICUS welcomes the resolution on Sudan passed by the Human Rights Council this afternoon.
42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council Response to resolution on reprisals
CIVICUS welcomes the new resolution on reprisals, passed by the Human Rights Council this afternoon, which detailed trends and patterns in reprisals and identified the increased risk for those most marginalized.
42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Response to resolution on Burundi
CIVICUS and members welcome the renewal of the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi.
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CIVICUS speaks with Adriana Ramos, advisor at Instituto Socioambiental (ISA), a Brazilian civil society organisation that has worked since 1994 to propose solutions to social and environmental issues.
42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Statement on the situation of human rights in Sudan
CIVICUS and the Sudanese Development Initiative are encouraged by the agreement reached between the Forces for Freedom and Change and the Transitional Military Council on 5 July 2019.
As part of our 2019 thematic report, we are interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about their experience of facing backlash by anti-rights groups.
42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Joint statement during interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Cambodia
CIVICUS and the Cambodian Center for Human Rights welcome the Special Rapporteur’s report.
ARABIC
42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) and the Free Saudi WHRDs Coalition* praise the significant joint statement which was delivered by Australia on behalf of a cross-regional group States expressing their concern over the persecution and intimidation of activists, including women human rights defenders, as well as in relation to reports of torture, extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearances, unfair trials, arbitrary detention and impunity.
CIVICUS speaks to Yared Hailemariam, Executive Director of the Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia, about recent political reforms in Ethiopia, the opening opportunities for civil society and the prospects for further change.
CIVICUS speaks to Ben Donaldson, Head of Campaigns at the United Nations Association – UK (UNA-UK).
The decision by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to award Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a Goalkeepers Global Goals Award on 24 September sends the wrong message.
CIVICUS speaks with Saleem Vaillancourt, a journalist and media producer who works to promote the rights of Iran’s Bahá’í community and to encourage positive action to realise human rights.
42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Joint statement on Ethiopia's adoption of Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights
Mr President, CIVICUS and Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE) welcome the government of Ethiopia’s engagement with the UPR process and particularly for accepting 131 out of 327 UPR recommendations.
42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Joint statement on Qatar's adoption of Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights
CIVICUS and the Gulf Centre for Human Rights note that since its 2nd UPR cycle in 2014, Qatar acceded to the ICCPR and the ICESCR as a major step towards realizing human rights in the country.
42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Joint statement on Equatorial Guinea's adoption of Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights
Mr President, EG Justice, Centro de Estudios e Iniciativas para el Desarrollo, ONG – Cooperación y Desarrollo, and CIVICUS welcome the government of Equatorial Guinea’s engagement with the UPR process and particularly for accepting 202 of 221 UPR recommendations.
42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Joint statement on Nicaragua's adoption of Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights
Red Local and CIVICUS welcome the government of Nicaragua's engagement with the UPR process.
42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Joint Statement: 20 NGOs express support for the Coordination Committee’s process to strengthen the work of the Special Procedures
We deliver this statement on behalf of 20 NGOs.
In a context of great mobilisation on climate action around the world and in the run up to the next Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP 25), which will take place in Chile in November 2019, CIVICUS speaks with Gabriela Burdines of Fiscalía del Medio Ambiente (FIMA), a civil society organisation that since 1998 has worked to promote access to environmental justice and related legislation in Chile.
42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Statement during Adoption of the UPR report of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire
Mr President, CIVICUS welcomes the government of Côte d’Ivoire’s engagement with the UPR process.
42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Statement during interactive dialogue with the Assistant Secretary General on Reprisals
We thank the Assistant Secretary General for presenting this essential report which shows that acts of reprisals are not aberrative, but rather are calculated steps taken to prevent human rights defenders from exposing human rights violations.
As part of our 2019 thematic report, we are interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about their experience of facing backlash by anti-rights groups.
42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Countries of concern
Civic space restrictions often precede wider human rights abuses.
Global SPEAK! campaign counters growing social and political divisions with a call to “speak with” those we don’t normally
Campaign will comprise almost 150 events in 50 countries, with most being held during 24 hours of global action from 5pm Friday 20th - 5pm Saturday 21st September
Campaign timed to coincide with United Nations Summits in New York and global climate mobilisation
Since August 2019, there have been mass protests in Papua and West Papua, Indonesia.
42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Statement during Adoption of the Universal Periodic Review report of the Democratic Republic of Congo
The Ligue des Droits de la personne dans la région des Grands Lacs (LDGL) and CIVICUS welcome the government of DRC's engagement with the UPR process.
42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Interactive Dialogue with the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi
CIVICUS and independent Burundian civil society organisations welcome the important work of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi, and specifically this report which provides critical oversight of the human rights situation in the country.
ARABIC
(Geneva, September 17, 2019) – The United Nations Human Rights Council should use the upcoming review of Egypt’s human rights records to address unprecedented levels of repression, 17 organizations including Human Rights Watch said today in an open letter to the council’s member countries.
As part of our 2019 thematic report, we are interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about their experience of facing backlash by anti-rights groups.
ARABIC
NGOs: Alarming trend of intimidation and reprisals on UN premises must be addressed urgently Joint Letter
On August 23, 2019, 23 NGOs wrote to the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights (ASG), the President of the Human Rights Council (HRC), and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, to raise concerns over an alarming pattern of intimidation and reprisals faced by members of civil society during sessions of the Human Rights Council and Treaty Bodies.
CIVICUS speaks with Nay Lin Tun, a doctor and civil society humanitarian worker in Myanmar, about conflict in Rakhine State, the difficulties faced by minorities in the region, and civil society’s work to provide help.
By Clara Bosco, senior advisor on civil society at CIVICUS
In recent years, inspiring funders and grassroots movements have experimented with different funding and organising models to better support smaller, local, spontaneous and less formal groups, and to make themselves more accountable to these.
42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
-Statement on report of Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
CIVICUS thanks the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention for their report.
*Interview with CIVICUS SG, Lysa John.
By Belen Giaquinta and Merle Rutz
As a World Alliance, CIVICUS holds, in its essence and identity, the principles of “people power” and democratic values.
42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
-Interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on Nicaragua
-Joint statement from CIVICUS & RedLad
It has been more than a year since the crisis began in Nicaragua, and violence and repression continue unabated.
42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
-General Debate on the oral update by the High Commissioner
CIVICUS thanks the High Commissioner for your oral update, and especially the attention given to the risks faced by those exercising their rights to participation and freedom of peaceful assembly.
CIVICUS speaks with Thang Nguyen of Boat People SOS (BPSOS), a civil society organisation based in the USA and Thailand, about the challenges for civil society and religious minorities in Vietnam, and about their work to enable civil society responses.
As part of our 2019 thematic report, we are interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about their experiences of facing backlash by anti-rights groups.
Arabic
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Address: Pasteur St.
The forty-second Session of the UN Human Rights Council will take place from 9 to 27 September.
CIVICUS speaks with Sutharee Wannasiri, a human rights activist in Thailand who has been facing criminal prosecution and a civil lawsuit as a result of reporting on abuses of migrant worker rights by a Thai poultry company while working as a researcher with Fortify Rights, a human rights organisation.
As part of our 2019 thematic report, we are interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about their experiences of backlash from anti-rights groups and their strategies to strengthen progressive narratives and civil society responses.
CIVICUS, and the Colombian social impact startup, Innpactia, released the report, Access to Resources for Civil Society Organisations in Latin America: Facts and Challenges, which presents a challenging funding landscape for CSOs in Latin America.
Read it in Portuguese | Italian
JOINT OPEN LETTER
Your Holiness, Pope Francis Apostolic Palace 00120 Vatican City
Re: Open letter on human rights to Pope Francis from Civil Society groups on his visit to Mozambique
Your Holiness, Pope Francis
We, the undersigned, are writing as a group of non-governmental organisations working to promote and defend human rights in many countries around the world, including Mozambique.
To Permanent Representatives of Member and Observer States of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Geneva, Switzerland
Excellencies,
Ahead of the 42nd regular session of the UN Human Rights Council (“HRC” or “the Council”), we, the undersigned civil society organisations, urge you to ensure the Council takes action to address serious human rights violations and abuses that have been and continue to be committed in Sudan, and to support systemic reforms in the country.
CIVICUS speaks about the state of artistic expression with Srirak Plipat, Executive Director of Freemuse, the main international civil society organisation advocating for and defending the freedom of expression of artists.
New study reveals that Latin American Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) receive little funding for their essential work of political advocacy, activism and the promotion and protection of human rights
An analysis of over 6,500 requests for funding proposals shows CSOs have more access to funding for education-related work
Latin American CSOs must compete for essential resources on disadvantageous terms
3 September 2019 – In Guatemala, a politician known for his attacks on civil society is the new president-elect.
To Members and Observer States of the United Nations Human Rights Council
Dear Excellency,
The undersigned civil society organizations, representing groups working within and outside Cambodia to advance human rights, rule of law, and democracy, are writing to alert your government to an ongoing human rights crisis in Cambodia and to request your support for a resolution ensuring strengthened scrutiny of the human rights situation in the country at the upcoming 42nd session of the UN Human Rights Council (the “Council”).
As part of our 2019 thematic report, we are interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about their experiences and actions in the face of backlash from anti-rights groups and their strategies to strengthen progressive narratives and civil society responses.
By Dominic Perera, CIVICUS Monitor Project Officer at CIVICUS
Earlier this month, Bangladesh captured international headlines as an enormous fire ripped through an informal settlement in Dhaka’s Mirpur area.
By Josef Benedict, Civic Space Researcher at CIVICUS
Since June 2019, over a million people have taken to the streets of Hong Kong on a weekly basis to demonstrate.
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The Resilient Roots (RR) initiative examines whether organisations who are accountable to their primary constituents, that is, the individuals and communities they support and serve, are better able to withstand external threats related to closing civic space.
CIVICUS speaks to Evan Jones of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) about the challenges that refugees face in Asia and civil society’s work to help realise refugee rights.
As UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet prepares to present her report on Nicaragua on September 10th, in compliance with the March 21st Human Rights Council resolution “Promotion and protection of human rights in Nicaragua” (A/HRC/40/L.
As part of our 2019 thematic report, we are interviewing civil society activists and their allies about their experience of facing backlash by anti-rights groups.
CIVICUS speaks to Arshak Makichyan, a Russian violin student at the Moscow Conservatory who started weekly climate strikes on 15 March 2019.
Español | French
Resilient Roots: conquering the feedback loop - Part 2 of 5: “Collect”
By Isabelle Büchner (Accountable Now) and Belén Giaquinta (CIVICUS)
In the first blog post of this series, we shared 10 steps to design your accountability feedback mechanism.
Over 75 organisations call for mandate of Group of Eminent Experts to be renewed, emphasising violations against human rights defenders
Arabic
We, the undersigned more than 75 international, regional and Yemeni CSOs, call for the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) to extend and broaden the mandate of the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen (GEE), including a thorough investigation into specific violations against human rights defenders, journalists and bloggers, and the closure of civic space.
By David Kode, Advocacy and Campaigns Lead at CIVICUS
Exactly four months after former President Omar Al-Bashir of Sudan was pushed out of power, and a few weeks after the military rulers and civilians signed a peace deal to thrash out the political transition, ordinary Sudanese continue to pay a heavy price.
We condemn violent dispersal of peaceful protesters by #Zimbabwe police today & ongoing repression of civil society & #humanrights defenders.
Bangkok, 16 August 2019 – We, the undersigned civil society organisations, express our deep concerns on the escalating violence in Hong Kong and urge the authorities to ensure conditions for peaceful assembly and association are present, and the protestors to exercise their rights to protest peacefully.
Secretary General’s Update (July 2019)
July has been an incredibly exciting month and I’m excited to share key headlines from our work in this period!
Progressing our efforts on civil society resourcing reforms
Since the start of this year, we have had the privilege to hear from activists, organisers, young leaders and progressive funders from around the world on the resourcing challenges faced by civil society – and to understand how bold ideas and creative solutions can help address these barriers.
As part of our 2019 thematic report, we are interviewing civil society activists and leaders about their experiences of backlash from anti-rights groups and their strategies to strengthen progressive narratives and civil society responses.
CIVICUS speaks to Alessandra Nilo, co-founder and Executive Director of GESTOS – HIV and AIDS, Communication and Gender, a civil society organisation (CSO) created in 1993 in Recife, Brazil.
As part of our 2019 thematic report, we are interviewing civil society activists and leaders about their human rights work, their experiences of backlash from anti-rights groups and their strategies to strengthen progressive narratives and civil society responses.
By Natalia Gomez Peña, Advocacy & Network Engagement Officer, Vuka! Secretariat
For the family of indigenous Guatemalan activist Jorge Juc, the announcement last week by US President Donald Trump of an agreement declaring Guatemala a “safe third country” could not be more bitterly ironic.
As part of our 2019 thematic report, we are interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about their experiences of backlash from anti-rights groups and their strategies to strengthen progressive narratives and civil society responses.
Manushya Foundation, CIVICUS and the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) call on the Government of Lao PDR to remove all unwarranted restrictions on civic space in the country ahead of its human rights review to be held at the United Nations (UN) in January-February 2020.
All UN member states have their human rights records reviewed every 4.
FRENCH
To Permanent Representatives of Member and Observer States of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Geneva, Switzerland
Excellencies,
Ahead of the 42nd session of the UN Human Rights Council (“HRC” or “the Council”), we, the undersigned national, regional, and international civil society organisations, write to call on your delegation to support a resolution extending the mandate of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) on Burundi for a further year, until September 2020.
By Paul Mulindwa, an advocacy and campaigns officer with CIVICUS.
By Andrew Firmin & Sylvia Mbataru
Human rights have always been contested, and groups that attack human rights are nothing new.
As part of our 2019 thematic report, we are interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about their experiences of backlash from anti-rights groups and their strategies to strengthen progressive narratives and civil society responses.
The question of how grassroots groups and activists based in the global south can mobilise adequate support to overcome the growing ecological, social, political and economic challenges they face and achieve positive change is a serious one that requires our attention.
In April 2019, more than 250 people were killed and hundreds injured in a terror attack in Sri Lanka that targeted three churches and three hotels.
By Mandeep Tiwana, Chief Programmes Officer at CIVICUS
Recent raids by the Central Bureau of Investigation on the homes and offices of human rights lawyers Anand Grover and Indira Jaising are deeply worrying.
Por Marianna Belalba Barreto y Belén Giaquinta
Todxs aquellos interesados en la interfaz entre derechos humanos y la tecnología sabrán que el mes pasado se celebró RightsCon 2019 en Túnez.
This article is part of the #StoriesOfResilience series, coordinated by CIVICUS to feature groups and activists on their journey to promote better resourcing practices for civil society and to mobilise meaningful resources to sustain their work.
Global #humanrights organisations condemn the Equatorial Guinea government’s closure of a prominent rights NGO, part of its long-running attack on fundamental freedoms there https://t.
By Paul Mulindwa, an advocacy and campaigns officer with CIVICUS.
Joint statement at the end of the 41st Session of the UN Human Rights Council
By renewing the mandate of the Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), the Council has sent a clear message that violence and discrimination against people of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities cannot be tolerated.
Global civil society alliance, CIVICUS, has welcomed the announcement of a peace deal that has been reached in Sudan, between the Transitional Military Council and opposition leaders but has warned that all parties need to commit to the agreement’s terms for the transition to be effective.
As part of our 2019 thematic report, we are interviewing civil society activists and leaders about their experiences of backlash from anti-rights groups and their strategies to strengthen progressive narratives and civil society responses.
As part of our 2019 thematic report, we are interviewing civil society activists and leaders about their experiences of backlash from anti-rights groups and their strategies to strengthen progressive narratives and civil society responses.
Millions of people took to the streets of Hong Kong in June 2019 to protest against a proposed Extradition Bill that would have allowed the government to send people, including foreigners, to face trial in mainland China, in courts controlled by the Communist Party.
As part of our 2019 thematic report, we are interviewing civil society activists and leaders about their experiences of backlash from anti-rights groups and their strategies to strengthen progressive narratives and civil society responses.
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Diversity and Inclusion has become a hot topic within civil society in recent years which has prompted the sector to take a step back and evaluate its own programmes and operations.
41st Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Interactive dialogue on Sudan
CIVICUS notes the efforts that have been made by the Sudanese authorities and Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) towards establishment of an OHCHR country office in Sudan in line with resolution 39/22 of the Human Rights Council.
41st Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Interactive dialogue on the Democratic Republic of the Congo
CIVICUS welcomes some positive first steps with regards to civic space taken by President Felix Tshisekedi during his first six months in office, including his commitment to release more than 500 political prisoners.
41st Session of the UN Human Rights Council
-Interactive dialogue on the report from the High Commissioner on Nicaragua
-Joint statement from CIVICUS & Red Local
We note that the government of Nicaragua has yet to comply with some of the agreements reached with the Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy during negotiations earlier this year.
As part of our 2019 thematic report, we are interviewing civil society activists and leaders about their experiences of backlash from anti-rights groups and their strategies to strengthen progressive narratives and civil society responses.
By Jimm Chick Fomunjong, Head, Knowledge Management Unit, WACSI
Civil society organisations (CSOs) across the globe thrive on the implementation of best practices.
