By Gioel Gioacchino, research consultant with CIVICUS As a keynote speaker at a global gathering of a thousand activists and NGO workers in Belgrade in April, the host of a popular Serbian television spoof news show, Zoran Kesic performed 24 minutes of brilliant (and cathartic) satire.

Dear members & friends of CIVICUS, The past weeks have been a busy but exciting time for a number of our networks and initiatives! We were proud to have hosted over 80 activists representing work on civic freedoms from across the world in Johannesburg in May for a dialogue with Clement Voule, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association (FoAA).

By Lysa John, Secretary-General of CIVICUS.

Did you know that most youth-led groups and movements operate with an annual budget of less than 10,000 USD? It´s known that young people in the activism and development sector in the Global South face significant resourcing challenges: little capacity to attract funding and comply with donor requirements; ​restricted social, political and economic spaces to participate and grow; extensive gaps between the funds available to serve youth versus those managed directly by youth, and significant disparities between the resourcing opportunities that target young individual leaders within groups and movements rather than to the group itself, just to mention a few.

By Mohammed Eid This story was facilitated by CIVICUS.

By Lysa John, Secretary-General of CIVICUS.

By Lysa John, Secretary-General of CIVICUS.

  More than 80 representatives of civil society organisations, community leaders and academics met in Johannesburg on 30-31 May and on 3 June with the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Association and Assembly, Clément Voule to discuss the impact of restrictions on freedom of assembly and association on sustainable development.

By Augustine Macarthy, Sierra Leone Last month, I had the opportunity to attend International Civil Society Week 2019 (ICSW).

By Caroline Vernaillen, Democracy International When it comes to global issues, citizens have to trust that their governments will do their bidding.

By Masana Ndinga-Kanga, Crisis Response Fund Lead with CIVICUS.

The world is filled with injustice, hate speech, violence and oppression.

By Uma Mishra-Newbery, Interim Executive Director of Women’s March Global, which is a founding member of the Free Saudi Women Coalition & Kristina Stockwood works with the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) This article was facilitated by CIVICUS as part of a series on the current state of civil society organisations (CSOs) Amid a high-profile public relations campaign to convince the world just how much the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is modernising – highlighted in last year’s lifting of the ban on women driving – Saudi authorities continue their relentless persecution of women human rights defenders.

By Mawethu Nkosana, Crisis Response Fund Administrator at CIVICUS Romanian Adrian Coman and his American-born partner Clai Hamilton had two major reasons to celebrate when they tied the knot last June.

By Mohammad Issa, Yes Theatre, Palestine, CIVICUS Voting Organisation Member Some people say that our world is a mess right now.

Par DJOWAMON  A.

Strengthening Civil Society Membership Platform By Sin Putheary, Cooperation Committee for Cambodia, AGNA and CIVICUS voting organizational member Coming from the largest and longest established membership-based organization in Cambodia, I have a privilege to be part of International Civil Society Week (ICSW) in Belgrade, Serbia while several other colleagues of civil society are not able to physically present themselves at the conference due to visa issues.

Have you been wondering what’s up withCIVICUS’ accountability actions? Are you looking for examples and opportunities to strengthen your own organisation’s accountability or connect with others to take more concrete accountability steps? Then, this blog is for you!

FRENCH  By Lesego Moshikaro and Yessenia Soto 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.

Por Gloria Gonzalez Navarro y Enrique Blanco Lozada (Asociación Kusi Warma) Los cambios o impactos sociales suelen estar acompañados de adversidades de nuestro ambiente, las cuales evidentemente deben ser enfrentadas con esfuerzo.

By Laura Brown, Movement and Network Capacity Manager at Womankind Worldwide Last week I attended the International Civil Society Week (ICSW) conference in Belgrade hosted by CIVICUS.

By Mouna Ben Garga, Innovation Officer CIVICUS This article is part of a series on the current state of civil society organisations (CSOs), the focus of International Civil Society Week (ICSW) Sometimes a peak into the future reminds us just how stuck we are in the past and present.

By Lysa John, CIVICUS Secretary General  This article is part of a series on the current state of civil society organisations (CSOs), which is the focus of International Civil Society Week (ICSW) It is an incredible privilege to welcome you all to the ‘International Civil Society Week’.

By Susan Wilding, Head of Geneva, CIVICUS  This article is part of a series on the current state of civil society organisations (CSOs), which is the focus of International Civil Society Week (ICSW)   Anti-government protesters invading Serbia’s state-owned television station, demanding that their voices be heard.

By Josef Benedict Civic Space Researcher, CIVICUS This article is part of a series on the state of civil society organisations (CSOs), which is the focus of International Civil Society Week Around the globe, cyberspace has become the new battleground in the fight for the heart and soul of democracy.

  By Josef Benedict Civic Space Researcher, CIVICUS This article is part of a series on the current state of civil society organisations (CSOs), which will be the focus of International Civil Society Week (ICSW).

  By Alina Tiphagne, Human Rights Defenders Alert (HRDA) In just under a week, the world’s largest democracy, India, will vote to elect and constitute the 17th Lok Sabha.

  By Soulayma Mardam Bey and Jack Cornforth, CIVICUS In recent years, “Resilience” has made its way into international development’s buzzword bingo board.

By Natalia Gomez Peña, CIVICUS Advocacy & Engagement Officer This article is has been produced in partnership with CIVICUS in the context of the International Civil Society Week conference 2019, held this year in Belgrade, Serbia.

By Micahel Frost, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, and a speaker at the International Civil Society Week, 8-12 April 2019, in Belgrade, Serbia This article is part of a series on the current state of civil society organisations (CSOs), which will be the focus of International Civil Society Week (ICSW)  They are ordinary people – mothers, fathers, sisters, sons, daughters, brothers, friends.

By Lysa John, CIVICUS Secretary General This article is part of a series on the current state of civil society organisations (CSOs), which will be the focus of International Civil Society Week (ICSW), scheduled to take place in Belgrade, April 8-12.

By  Patricia Deniz, Senior Research and Development Officer CIVICUS  Civil society, more than ever, is in dire need to reinvent itself, at least figure out how to be flexible, adaptable and resurgent in an ever-changing, uncertain and increasingly restrictive environment.

By David Kode, CIVICUS Advocacy and Campaigns Lead  The timing could not have been more perfect for Egyptian President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi.

English | French  Ochoa Ayala, Fundación 11:11, México ¿A quién no le gusta sentir que pertenece a un lugar, comunidad, espacio, algo? El sentido de pertenencia tiene que ver con la identidad que cada individuo va desarrollando a lo largo de su vida, da una muestra de quienes somos; por ejemplo yo, soy una mujer, joven, mexicana, activista, soñadora etc.

French | Spanish By Jose Maria “Lloyd” Nunag, Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights and CIVICUS member from the Philippines ‘What does Diversity and Inclusion means to you?’ This is a question I have been pondering (and decluttering) in the last few years and even until now.

French | Spanish by Vandita Morarka, One Future Collective, India I was a participant at the Global Learning Exchange and the ensuing AGM held by CIVICUS in Montevideo, Uruguay, 16th December, 2018, onwards, representing One Future Collective.

By Mandeep Tiwana, CIVICUS Chief Programmes Officer  This January, the UN organised a much-needed dialogue in Geneva on the link between human rights and Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.

Par Gaetan Mertens (Accountability Lab) et Resilient Roots (CIVICUS) Resilient Roots est une initiative de CIVICUS, menée en partenariat avec Keystone Accountability et Accountable Now.

Reflections From CIVICUS’ Youth Co-Design Workshop In Montevideo By Gioel Gioacchino In December, as part of my work researching the resourcing landscape for youth-led civil society, I had the chance to witness and participate in a youth co-design workshop in Montevideo.

By Inés M.

Spanish | French  In December 2018, CIVICUS members from all over the world gather in Montevideo, Uruguay, to attend a multiplicity of convenings.

Spanish | French  As my time at CIVICUS draws to a close, I wanted to say a proper farewell to those who matter most at CIVICUS – the alliance of members and partners - who make this organisation unique and so special.

By Flávia Bellaguarda, Co-Founder and COO, Youth Climate Leaders The Youth Climate Leaders (YCL) was honored to be selected to attend the first edition of the Paris Peace Forum, from 11th to 13th November, and to showcase our startup in the environmental village among other 119 projects from all over the world.

Reflection from “Money, Culture and Change” - a participatory action research process on the sustainability of youth-led civil society organisations (CSOs) in Medellin, Colombia.

By Cathal Gilbert, CIVICUS Head of Civic Space Research Imagine inviting your ten closest friends to dinner but only four of them show up.

by Lieke Scheewe, policy advisor & coordinator at DCDD Today is World Disability Day – a great day to celebrate the value of human diversity! That’s why the Dutch Coalition on Disability and Development (DCDD) is making a case today for the value of a disability inclusive society, by launching a ‘social business case’.

By Marina Cherbonnier, CIVICUS membership engagement specialist As I was walking around the stands, agoras and meet-ups of the very interactive and lively first edition of the Paris Peace Forum, I couldn’t help but keep stumbling across the by-now well-known expression ‘bottom-up approach’, used as a way to build a fair and better world.

By Mandeep Tiwana, CIVICUS Chief Programmes Officer  If we could reimagine the kind of democracy we live in and the way we experience democracy, what would it look and be like? This was the question our global civil society alliance CIVICUS put to thought leaders and activists from nearly 80 countries across the globe, in a year-long Reimagining Democracy initiative.

By Merle Rutz, CIVICUS Accountability and Impact Coordinator Are we representing and amplifying the right voices? Are our programmes and campaigns geographically inclusive? How can we support our vision with actual data in order to make good strategic decisions? These are some of the pressing questions we in civil society today are having to ask – and answer.

By Josef Benedict, Civic Space Research Officer,CIVICUS   Powdery white beaches.