News

Venezuela: Stop Harassing Human Rights Defenders

Intimidation Undermines Independent OversightVenezuela is intimidating and harassing human rights defenders, and making unsubstantiated allegations that they are seeking to undermine Venezuelan democracy, 28 international and Latin American human rights organizations said today.

Over 70 groups sign NPO Statement concerning FATF R8 BPP consultation process

On March 4, 2015, the FATF Secretariat shared a section of the draft Best Practice Paper on Combating the Abuse of Non-Profit Organisation (BPP), requesting input from non-profit organizations (NPOs) to be submitted before the consultation on March 25 or by April 10.

Securing a just and sustainable world means challenging the power of the 1%

CIVICUS secretary general Danny Sriskandarajah, together with the leaders of ActionAid (Adriano Campolina), AWID (Lydia Alpízar Durán), Greenpeace (Kumi Naidoo) and Oxfam (Winnie Byanyima), have made a joint call for unity against the 1% ahead of the World Social Forum in Tunis.

Irish Government should set a higher standard for human rights compliance by business

CIVICUS has submitted recommendations on Ireland's national plan to implement UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

11 international organisations call on the UN to address restrictions on civil society in Azerbaijan

Ahead of the 28th Session of the UN Human Rights Council (UN HRC), 11 human rights organisations are calling upon the intergovernmental body to address Azerbaijan's rapidly deteriorating environment for human rights defenders (HRDs), civil society organisations (CSOs) and independent media.

International Civil Society Week 2016 - Call for expressions of interest for local host in Latin America

Since International Civil Society Week (2014) was such a big success with more than 40 partner-led workshops and more than 630 inspired participants, CIVICUS is excited to continue the conference's legacy by convening the next International Civil Society Week (2016) in Latin America.

What are citizen actions and initiatives? Why participative democracy at local and global level?

Interview with Mireille Delmas-Marty, Emeritus Professor at Collège de France This interview seeks to comment on the innovating potential of local democratic practices presented in the CIVICUS- FACTS Report on “Stories of Innovative Democracy at Local Level: Enhancing Participation, Activism and Social Change Across the World".

Kenya must address concerns ahead of Human Rights Council review

Joint Brief by CIVICUS and the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP)   21 January 2015 - Ahead of Kenya’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the UN Human Rights Council tomorrow, CIVICUS and the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP) urge the government to stop its onslaught against civil society and urgently address backsliding on civic freedoms.

16 NGOs urge international community to pressure Bahrain to drop charges against Nabeel Rajab

15 January 2015 – This week, 16 human rights organisations have written to 47 States to express grave concern ahead of a 20 January verdict in the trial of Nabeel Rajab, a prominent Bahraini human rights defender.

Action 2015

Almost a billion lives hang in the balance at crucial summits in New York & Paris Famous names back one of the biggest campaigns ever launched New figures show poverty could increase for the first time in a generation According to new research, almost a billion extra people face a life of extreme poverty if leaders duck key decisions on poverty, inequality and climate change due to be taken at two crucial summits in New York and Paris later this year, with billions more continuing to face a life of hardship.

CIVICUS condemns draconian sentencing of two Bahraini activists

5 December 2014: Global civil society alliance, CIVICUS, is dismayed over the politically motivated sentences handed down this week to Bahraini human rights activists Maryam al-Khawaja and Zainab al-Khawaja.

CIVICUS Welcomes the UN Secretary General's Post-2015 report

4 December 2014: In response to the UN Secretary General's highly anticipated post-2015 synthesis report 'The road to dignity by 2030: ending poverty, transforming all lives and protecting the planet', CIVICUS issued the following statement: 

JOINT STATEMENT: Bahrain elections must not be used to cover human rights violations

On 22 November 2014, Bahrain’s citizens will be called to cast their votes for legislative and municipal elections.

Use the UPR to challenge Egypt's crackdown on CSOs - Joint CSO call

The upcoming Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Egypt on 5 November 2014 comes at a critical time for human rights, freedoms and independent Egyptian civil society, including rights defenders and democracy activists.

Hong Kong activists calls on government to "Listen to the voices of its people"

Pro-democracy protests continue in Hong Kong as protesters remain steadfast in their calls for fair and transparent elections of the Chief Executive and for China to stop meddling in the political affairs and electoral processes.

Call for proposals: Application for implementing partner for civil society assessment in South Africa

BACKGROUND INFORMATIONThe legal, regulatory, and policy environment in which Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) operate is key to their ability to register, operate, access resources, and effectively engage in advocacy, all of which are key to civil society’s ability to flourish and be successful.

Open letter from the Human Rights Caucus to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

"We write to you as the Post-2015 Human Rights Caucus, a cross-constituency coalition of development, environment, trade union, feminist and human rights organizations worldwide.

Submission on Sri Lanka to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG)

CIVICUS and a number of national and international civil society groups have urged the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group to ensure that the Government of Sri Lanka upholds Commonwealth values on democracy and human rights.

Syria: Free Prominent Rights Defenders

Arabic Verdict Scheduled in Charges Before Anti-Terrorism Court Geneva, September 5, 2014.

Joint civil society letter on Bahraini Human Rights Defenders

The representatives of international human rights organisations write to urge the Bahrain government to comply with its international treaty obligations to provide victims of torture with physical and psychological rehabilitation.

CIVICUS ALERT: Sri Lanka: Worrying developments for Civil Society

31 July 2014 – Global civil society alliance, CIVICUS is shocked over moves in Sri Lanka to stifle civil society and muzzle democratic freedoms, particularly the rights to freely express, associate and assemble.

41 African and international CSOs call on the Ethiopian Prime Minister to release detained journalists and Zone 9 bloggers

Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn  Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia  Office of the Prime Minister  P.

29 NGOs submit letter to newly appointed Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, urging a change of policy on Bahrain

16 July 2014, London – A group of 29 NGOs have sent a letter to the newly appointed Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Phillip Hammond, urging a shift in UK policy towards the situation in Bahrain.

A Call for Human Rights Concerns to be reflected in the Fortaleza Declaration of Sixth BRICS Summit

We, the undersigned civil society organizations from Brazil, India and South Africa, call upon our governments to ensure that the Fortaleza Declaration addresses the following issues: 1) the Syrian crisis and the urgent need to secure greater humanitarian aid; 2) the Implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT); and 3) the role of civil society in BRICS agenda setting.

CCHR and CIVICUS condemn the Cambodian government’s rejection of key recommendations during its 2nd Universal Periodic Review

Today, 26 June 2014, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (“CCHR”) and CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance,  condemn the Royal Government of Cambodia’s (the “RGC”) decision to reject key recommendations on the human rights situation in the Kingdom of Cambodia put forward  by United Nations member States during Cambodia’s 2nd Universal Periodic Review (the “UPR”).

Danny Sriskandarajah connects civil society, governance and social change in Africa

Danny Sriskandarajah , Director-General of CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, joins Breaking Views with UNICEF to talk about the role of civil society in Africa, social engagement, social challenges and the impact communities can have in the world.

Webinar: How to influence the post-2015 development agenda

Introducing two new practical guides for good advocacyThursday 12 June 2014Webinar [in English]: 10am (EDT- New York) / 3pm (BST- London)           Webinar [in French]: 10am (CEST- Central Europe) / 10am (CAT- Central Africa) Thursday 19 June 2014Webinar [in Spanish]: 4pm UTC+2 SD2015 has produced an Advocacy Toolkit and Media Guide for civil society and other stakeholder organisations, coalitions and individuals that want to influence the post-2015 development agenda, including the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

University of Waterloo Signs Internship Agreement with CIVICUS

The University of Waterloo is pleased to announce that it has signed a five-year partnership agreement with CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance.

Belarus Must Play Fair, in Sports and Beyond

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s authoritarian rule in Belarus, the “last dictatorship of Europe.

Oral Statement by CIVICUS to the 55th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights

"CIVICUS, an international movement dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society throughout the world, expresses its appreciation for this opportunity to address the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights during the 55th Ordinary Session.

A word from the board chair, Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda

Dear CIVICUS friends,As Chair of the CIVICUS Board of Directors, I am delighted to share with you some results of our Board of Directors meeting held in Istanbul, Turkey at the end of March, 2014.

Looking forward to Mexico City

I am looking forward to joining some 100-odd civil society colleagues in Mexico City next week to attend the first High Level Meeting of the Global Partnership on Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC).

CIVICUS and HURISA urge South Africa and SADC to protect Swazi activists

CIVICUS and the Human Rights Institute of South Africa (HURISA) express shock at the continued harassment and re-arrest of Swazi journalist Bheki Makhubu and human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko.

Third Anniversary of Arrest: Calls for the Release of Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja

The undersigned civil society organizations express their serious concern for the health and well-being of imprisoned Bahraini human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja.

Why restricting foreign funding of NGOs is wrongheaded

By Danny Sriskandarajah There is a new weapon of choice for governments that want to undermine bits of civil society that irritate them - restricting funding from foreign sources.

CIVICUS endorses call to free Syrian Human Rights Defenders

Geneva, Switzerland – The government of Syria should immediately and unconditionally release the arbitrarily detained human rights defender Mazen Darwish and his colleagues Hani Al-Zitani and Hussein Ghareer, 61 human rights organizations said today.

Raising awareness on Syria

CIVICUS is supporting a new campaign  to raise awareness about the ongoing crisis in Syria.

Being Bold: New Initiatives Post-2015

By Danny Sriskandarajah Last weekend, I took part in two back-to-back meetings in Istanbul on the post-2015 sustainable development agenda.

A call for observance of human rights, justice and peace in Venezuela

Member organizations of Foro por la Vida, together with other Venezuelan organizations, have made the following statement in light of events in the country.

Joint written statement on civil society space to the UN Human Rights Council

CIVICUS and the World Movement for Democracy (WMD) have submitted a written statement to the 25th Session of the UN Human Rights Council (3 – 28 March 2014).

Ethiopia’s EITI Process Needs Larger Role for Civil Society

February 14, 2014 Ethiopia’s renewed push for admission to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) should be closely scrutinized due to the limited role Ethiopia has granted to civil society and a hostile legal environment that minimizes meaningful debate, Freedom House and Civicus World Alliance for Citizen Participation said.

Call for Inputs to the State of Civil Society Report 2014

CIVICUS is currently in the process of developing the content for our flagship State of Civil Society Report.

Mauricio Alarcón-Salvador of Fundamedios speaks to CIVICUS about civil society conditions in Ecuador

As part of our regular interview series, CIVICUS speaks to Mauricio Alarcón-Salvador about threats to human rights activists and NGOs in Ecuador.

CIVICUS announces the 8 partners selected to conduct local multi-stakeholders dialogues

French | Spanish     CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation is pleased to announce the selection of 8 convening partners to conduct local multi-stakeholder dialogues between January and June 2014, as part of its action-based research project, the New Social Contract.

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