Fair Share
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Bilan d'une année de transformations et priorités pour l'avenir
Message de Lysa John, secrétaire générale de CIVICUS
Chers membres et alliés de CIVICUS,
Nous terminons une année extraordinaire en réfléchissant à la croissance de l'Alliance CIVICUS. Je voudrais prendre un moment pour souligner ce que nous avons réalisé et appris ensemble, ainsi que nos priorités pour l'année à venir.
Larévision du plan stratégique 2017-2022 au début de l'année a montré que CIVICUS a non seulement adopté les leçons apprises, mais s'est continuellement efforcé d'avoir un plus grand impact à l'échelle mondiale. Avec la mise en œuvre de notre Plan stratégique 2017-2022, nous avons produit des rapports et des analyses mondiaux actualisés. En passant d'une recherche rétrospective à une analyse de données plus récentes sur les évolutions dans le monde, nous nous sommes imposés comme un leader et un partenaire de confiance dans le secteur.
Le nouveauPlanstratégique 2022-27 nous a amenés à revoir et à optimiser notre coordination interne et notre impact externe, notamment en révisant les principaux axes de travail dirigés par l'Équipe de direction senior (SLT). Le SLT nouvellement restructuré, composé de cinq membres, dirigera les priorités définies dans notre Plan stratégique 2022-27.
Nous sommes heureux d'annoncer que notre rapport annuel 2023 montre clairement les progrès de CIVICUS par rapport à la nouvelle stratégie. Les principaux points du rapport comprennent l'utilisation croissante des recherches générées par CIVICUS Monitor et CIVICUS Lens pour influencer le discours public. Nos efforts de plaidoyer ont évolué vers des stratégies permanentes en réseau et, par exemple, la campagne#StandAsMyWitness a contribué à la libération de 15 défenseurs des droits humains emprisonnés. Nous sommes également heureux de partager que CIVICUS a été reconnue comme l'organisation la mieux classée dans lemoniteur annuel FAIR SHARE for Women Leaders.
Fidèles à notre mission, nous avons lancé cette année plusieurs initiatives visant à renforcer la participation de la société civile et les libertés civiques. Il s'agit notamment de lacampagne WeRise, qui se concentre sur la liberté de réunion pacifique, duprojet Local Leadership Labs, qui renforce l'écosystème de la société civile locale, et de l'Initiative pour la démocratie numérique, qui promeut un espace démocratique local inclusif à l'ère numérique. En outre, notre bureau des Nations unies à New York travaille sur la campagneUnMute Civil Society, qui plaide en faveur d'une meilleure participation de la société civile aux Nations unies.
Pour l'avenir, nous avons le plaisir d'annoncer que nous présenterons les prix de l'innovation Graça Machel-Nelson Mandela en 2024 et la Semaine internationale de la société civile (ICSW) en 2025. Restez à l'écoute de nos plateformes pour plus d'informations sur ces événements.
Alors que nous naviguons dans les complexités de ce monde en constante évolution, l'Alliance CIVICUS reste engagée dans sa mission de renforcement de l'action citoyenne à travers le monde. Nos réalisations de cette année reflètent notre résilience collective et notre engagement inébranlable en faveur du progrès.
Nous vous remercions pour votre soutien continu et nous vous souhaitons une fin d'année joyeuse et un début d'année 2024 rafraîchissant !
En toute solidarité,
Lysa John (LinkedIn)
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Celebrating our #1 position on the FAIR SHARE of Women Leaders Monitor
Dear members and allies,
CIVICUS has just been recognised as the top-ranking organisation in the annual FAIR SHARE for Women Leaders Monitor. Here's a look at the inspirations that propelled us towards this important outcome!
1. Women make up nearly 2/3rds of the civil society workforce, but hold less than 1/3rd of its leadership positions
Launched in 2018, the ‘FAIR SHARE of Women Leaders’ campaign advocates for a greater share of women leaders in the senior management and Boards of civil society organisations. This call is based on the analysis that while women make up nearly 70% of the civil society workforce, they hold less than 30% of the top leadership positions. The Fair Share campaign rightly reasons that the lack of diverse voices in decision making roles undermines the impact that civil society has on critical issues of equity and justice, while also undermining our ability to safeguard our workforce and beneficiaries from abuse.
2. A growing number of organisations are sharing evidence of their progress towards the FAIR SHARE commitment
The FAIR SHARE commitment requires organisations to take steps to ensure that by 2030 or earlier, the percentage of women leaders (senior executives and Board members) is on par with the proportion of women staff. Participating organisations report each year, indicating the status of women staff across the organisation and how this compares with the percentage of women in leadership positions. This data is reflected in the FAIR SHARE Monitor updated annually to measure women’s representation, hold organisations accountable and generate shared strategies for the achievement of the Fair Share goal.
3. A FAIR SHARE journey begins with an honest assessment of failures in women’s representation in leadership
CIVICUS signed up to the Fair Share commitment in March 2019. I was less than two months into my role as Secretary General when we signed up. Two factors contributed to fast-tracking our decision to endorse the commitment: the full support of our then Board Chair, Anabel Cruz, and an internal survey analysis on women’s leadership undertaken in 2017. According to this report, a mere 16 percent of management and leadership roles in the organisation were held by women. Not surprisingly there was initial skepticism about our ability to rise to the challenge posed by the campaign. Eventually, this was replaced by enthusiasm for the proposed plegde and a push to meet and expand the required commitments required before 2030.
4. We made progress in small but consistent increments... and braved a fair share of attacks!
Our progress on staff-related roles was made possible through a series of internal measures undertaken since 2019. This included updating our policies for recruitment and remuneration to be more transparent and equitable, undertaking an in-depth Racial Justice review exercise across 2020 and 2021, which resulted in a time-bound action plan to address gender and racial equity as joint priorities; and moving to a learning-based performance appraisal system aimed at unlocking leadership at all levels. The greater challenge for us in this period was reflecting the FAIR SHARE commitment in our governance roles. The CIVICUS Board is almost entirely elected by our members. Despite a high number of women candidates applying and being short-listed in subsequent election cycles, this aspect of our commitment shifted more gradually. In at least one cycle, significant opposition to the FAIR SHARE commitment was raised by members who felt that their ability to compete for Board roles was being disadvantaged by the pledge.
5. We remain committed to expanding the FAIR SHARE commitment and diversifying women’s leadership
We continue to learn how to do better at creating workplace conditions that support women in their leadership journey. The integration of remote and flexible working practices during the pandemic has, for instance, been a key driver in attracting and retaining more women from racially and culturally diverse backgrounds. The recruitment of an Equity and Engagement Officer and creation of a refreshed mandate for an internal Diversity and Inclusion Group are other initiatives taken to ensure we focus attention on the intersections between gender, race and other forms of structural discrimination. Ultimately, the greater inclusion of under-represented groups in our workplaces is as crucial to our effectiveness as the strategies we create to address imbalances of power in the wider world.
(Lysa John is Secretary General of CIVICUS. She is based in South Africa and can be reached via her Twitter handle: @LysaJohnSA)
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Reflecting on a Transformative Year and Priorities for the Future
A message from Lysa John, Secretary-General of CIVICUS
Dear CIVICUS members and allies,
As we bid farewell to a remarkable year, I am inspired as we reflect on the growth of the CIVICUS Alliance. I would like to take a moment to highlight what we achieved and learned together and priorities for the coming year.
The 2017-2022 Strategic PlanReview earlier in the year demonstrated that CIVICUS has not only embraced the lessons learned but we have continuously strived for a higher standard for global impact. Through our 2017 -2022 Strategic Plan delivery, we produced timely and world-class knowledge and analysis. By shifting from retrospective research to up-to-date data analysis on global events, we established ourselves as leaders and trusted partners in the sector.
Our new2022-27 Strategic Plan hasled to a review andoptimisation of our internal coherence and external impact, includingareview of thekeywork streams led bythe Senior Leadership Team (SLT). Thenewly restructuredfive-member SLTwill leadthe priorities underpinned by our 2022-27 StrategicPlan.
We are proud to announce that our 2023 Annual Report clearly shows CIVICUS's progress against the new strategy. Noteworthy headlines from the report include the increasing utilization of knowledge generated by the CIVICUS Monitor and Lens to influence public discourse. Our advocacy efforts have evolved into sustained and networked approaches, and for example, the#StandAsMyWitness Campaign has helped free 15 human rights defenders from imprisonment. We also pleased to share that CIVICUS was recognised as the top-ranking organisation in the annualFAIR SHARE for Women Leaders Monitor.
Remaining steadfast in our mission, we launched several initiatives this year aimed at strengthening civil society participation and civic freedoms. These include theWeRise Campaign focused on freedom of peaceful assembly, theLocal Leadership Labs project strengthening the local civil society ecosystem, and theDigital Democracy Initiativepromoting local, inclusive democratic space in the digital age. Additionally, our UN office in New York is working on theUnMute Civil Societycampaign advocating for better civil society participation at the UN.
Looking ahead, we are thrilled to host the Graca Machel-Nelson Mandela Innovation Awards in 2024 and International Civil Society Week (ICSW) in 2025. Watch out for more information on these exciting events on our platforms!
While we navigate the complexities of our ever-changing world, the CIVICUS Alliance remains dedicated to its mission of strengthening citizen action globally. Our achievements this year are reflective of our collective resilience and unwavering commitment to positive change.
Thank you for your continued support, we wish you a joyful end to this year and a refreshing start to 2024!
In solidarity,
Lysa John (LinkedIn)
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Why we need more women leaders in civil society worldwide
By Helene Wolf, Chair, FAIR SHARE of Women Leaders
Half of the delegates at CIVICUS’ International Civil Society Week (April, Belgrade) were women. This is a great achievement and shows the major role women play in civil society as activists, staff members and changemakers. At a time when we are witnessing a backlash against women’s rights and women are disproportionately more affected by climate change, inequality, violent conflict and poverty, civil society at large stands in solidarity with women around the world.
Yet, the majority of civil society organisations (CSOs) are led by men. Based on the first FAIR SHARE Monitor we researched and published this year, we now know that most international CSOs have a significant gap of women leaders in comparison to the number of women on their staff.
Most CSOs include gender issues in their programming and advocacy but a talented woman working in a CSO is less likely to take on a leadership position than a man. We advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), where gender equality is featured prominently (SDG 5) but do not address our internal barriers for women to fulfil their leadership potential. Altogether, it means that many CSOs do not yet live up to the demands and standards we expect from governments and companies within our own organisations. This puts our credibility and ultimately our impact on women’s and girls’ rights at risk.
That is why we did not only collect the data on women leadership but also asked CSOs to sign a commitment to achieve a FAIR SHARE of women leaders within their organisations by 2030 at the latest. CIVICUS has been one of the first signatories. We are now calling on all CSOs, small and large, from the Global South and North, whether they explicitly work on gender issues or not, to join the pledge to achieve a FAIR SHARE of Women Leaders by 2030.
Watch Kumi Naidoo, Amnesty International, speak about why he committed to a FAIR SHARE.
Did you know that on average 70% of employees at NGOs are women, but 70% of the leaders are men?
— Kumi Naidoo (@kuminaidoo) March 7, 2019
We must change this if we're committed to equality. Today @Amnesty have joined a new campaign by @fair_wl: #FairShare.
I call on all my peers in the NGO world to join. #IWD2019 pic.twitter.com/Ql34dXtyT2We know this is a big task and that CSOs work in very different contexts that may support or block women from taking on leadership positions. We know that different organisational set-ups and working environments call for different measures to increase internal gender equality. We also know that we need to increase the number of women, cisgender, transgender, intergender people from all ages, nationalities as well as social and economic backgrounds. That is why we want to create a global movement around the objective of FAIR SHARE that learns and works together to take on this large challenge.
We will not only monitor progress but want to develop a community together with the committed organisations that designs and drives the necessary changes together. This community has to be based on the principles of inclusivity, intersectionality and solidarity. As a newly founded organisation, we aim to put the principles and values of feminist leadership into action because we believe in the power of cooperation, dialogue and transformative change. To achieve this, we need as many different voices, experiences and perspectives in the room as possible and we invite all CIVICUS members to become part of this conversation.
To join FAIR SHARE, all CSOs are invited to sign our letter of commitment and submit their data on women leadership. As our community grows, we want to develop national FAIR SHARE Monitors and are looking for partners to develop the appropriate concepts and implementation. Please contact us at with any questions, ideas or to become part of the FAIR SHARE movement.
Helene Wolf is the Chair and Co-Founder of FAIR SHARE of Women Leaders e.V. Before starting FAIR SHARE she served as Deputy Executive Director of the International Civil Society Centre for eight years. She has two sons and lives in Berlin, Germany.