Following the election of a new president in the Maldives in November 2013, national and international civil society groups hope the new government will respect the fundamental rights of its citizens and ease restrictions on citizens' rights which characterised the outgoing regime.

International Civil Society Week CIVICUS is the only global network of civil society organisations and activists dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society around the world.

After an energetic and engaging Board Meeting we are proud to announce new Board Officers for the term of 2013-2016 below.

It is with extreme alarm that CIVICUS demands the Bangladeshi government halt its campaign of harassment against Odhikar, Bangladesh’s leading human rights organization.

A Global Update by the Civic Space Initiative The Civic Space Initiative (CSI) welcomes the recent report on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of elections by Mr.

Living In a Shanty Town (L.

Dear CIVICUS member, I am writing to you as the current Chair of CIVICUS Board of Directors.

Ahead of the release of her next report due to be presented at the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2014, CIVICUS speaks to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights - Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona.

When: 12PM GMT, 23 October 2013 Where: Online CIVICUS is pleased to invite you to webinar on "a new paradigm shift for development" which will bring together representatives of civil society organisations to discuss the need for a new approach to development and key reforms needed in global governance.

On October 11th, Adilur Rahman Khan, Secretary of Bangladeshi human rights organization Odhikar, was released on bail following over one month in pre-trial detention.

What follows is an open letter from Victor Ochen, a Ugandan civic leader and victims' rights advocate.

Action For Fundamental Change and Development (AFFCAD)Enhancing Religious Pluralism and Tolerance - Multi Stakeholders' Meetings and Dialogue in Kawempe MunicipalityMay - June 2013Kampala, Uganda This project was motivated by the perceptions that the many faith-based organisations in Kawempe Municipality tie their humanitarian assistance to the faith they profess, which has created tensions, mistrust and hatred within the local communities.

Niger Delta Women's Movement for Peace and Development (NDWMPD)Stakeholders forum on building citizen engagement and participation5 June 2013Ughelli, Nigeria The forum was conceived as a one day capacity building workshop and engagement forum for citizens from the Niger Delta communities, multinationals companies, local governments and civil society organisations.

Centro Ecuatoriano de Derecho Ambiental (CEDA)Social responsibility: a commitment to cross learning20 June 2013Quito, Ecuador CEDA sought to promote innovation in the management of civil society organisations (CSOs) based on the experiences of the private sector and through the creation of new channels of dialogue and learning between them.

CIVICUS recently published its new Enabling Environment Index, showing that many governments around the world are failing to keep their promise to create an environment that allows citizens to mobilise and participate in civil society.

30 September 2013.

 New York, September 23, 2013.

Español | Français | Português Application deadline: 15 October 2013 We are living in an age characterized by climate change, financial collapse, resource depletion and a growing gap between rich and poor, amongst other factors.

CIVICUS welcomes the release of prominent human rights defender Nasrin Sotoudeh and at least ten Iranian prisoners of conscience on 18 September 2013.

Through the New Social Contract project, CIVICUS seeks to find new ways of partnerships, engagements and commitments around collective goals for society.

CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, FORUM-ASIA, Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice and Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative would like to draw the attention of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) to the human rights situation in Sri Lanka.

A group of international civil society organisations has called on the Bangladeshi Prime Minister to immediately release advocate Adilur Rahman Khan.

Today, on 1 September, Nabeel Rajab, the prominent Bahraini activist and president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) and Director of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, spends a second birthday behind bars.

Activists are increasingly being targeted as freedom of expression is threatened in Fiji.

The Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme says the Pacific’s development goals beyond 2015 will be more ambitious and deal with unfinished business.

Key report to General Assembly outlines Secretary General's vision of 'a world we have a right to expect' The UN has just released the Secretary General’s report to the forthcoming General Assembly on progress in meeting the Millennium Development Goals and recommendations for what should replace them in 2015.

International Civil Society Week: Citizen Action, People Power 8th - 15th November, Johannesburg, South Africa CIVICUS and its partners will host a series of events from 8-15 November in Johannesburg, South Africa, which will bring civil society organisations and activists together to address some of the most important issues facing global civil society today.

CIVICUS expresses shock at the arrest and subsequent detention of Adilur Rahman Khan, Secretary of the prominent Bangladeshi human rights NGO, Odhikar, a CIVICUS member.

In commemoration of "International Day of Solidarity with Civil Society of Belarus", CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation reiterates its call for the immediate release of imprisoned Belarusian activist, Ales Bialiatski.

24 de junio 2013 CIVICUS: Alianza Mundial para la Participación Ciudadana está buscando candidatos a  la elección de su nuevo Consejo de Administración.

CIVICUS Guest Column by John Coonrod, PhD, Executive Vice President, The Hunger Project All politics is local.

French | Spanish CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation would like to invite you to a series of civil society events taking place between 10th and 15th November 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

24 juin 2013 Veuillez télécharger et compléter le formulaire de mise en candidature en Anglais, Espagnol, Français.

by Marlyn Tardros, PhD Executive Director of Virtual Activism The world watched the January 25th revolution which ousted long-time president Hosni Mubarak.

CIVICUS looking for nominations for its new Board of Directors Civil Society and Significant Change—Are We Ready? "The arrival of a new political generation"- Brazilian human rights advisor speaks on the Brazil protests Curb attacks on Civil Society and the media in Mali – CIVICUS Words from a Syrian prison America’s Worst Charities Azerbaijani MP proposes vote on greater role for civil society Canada: Canada puts development on equal footing with trade, diplomacy Global protest grows as citizens lose faith in politics and the state   Read this issue online or subscribe to receive all future issues    

Mazen Darwish, president of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression, has been held in detention for more than a year by the Syrian authorities.

Read this call in French or Spanish Download forms (English, Spanish, French).

Maurício Santoro, human rights advisor at Amnesty International Brazil speaks on the on-going protests in his country and what they mean for civil society.

Converting Africa’s impressive economic performance over the past decade into greater gains on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) remains a primary challenge for Africa, according to a new report.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), recognized Wednesday that Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Peru are the only countries in Latin America to have already achieved the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related to reducing poverty and malnutrition.

Jordan was among 38 countries worldwide that were able to halve the proportion of hungry people between 1990-92 and 2010-2012, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said Wednesday.

The Women Deliver 2013 Global Conference in Kuala Lumpur concluded with a united call for continued investment in girls and women at a time when the world critically needs to prioritize girls and women in the lead up to the 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDG) deadline and beyond.

The U.

On 30 May 2013, the High-Level Panel assembled by the UN Secretary General published its recommendations for the post-2015 development agenda.

United Nations officials today highlighted the need to recognize the vital role of culture in poverty reduction and sustainable growth, and to ensure that it is integrated into the post-2015 development agenda.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has endorsed the replenishment of funding for the Global Fund and the Roll Back Malaria Partnership.

The High-Level Global Cooperation for Development Symposium is happening in Ethiopia 6 to 7 June 2013.

Anti-corruption and governance are undeniably key factors for achieving and sustaining development, globally as well as nationally.

May was a great month for showcasing the centrality of women to every single goal on the international agenda for development and poverty eradication.

New global partnership for development - Global partnerships in development could work for Africa if they were aligned with the strategic vision of the continent and buttressed by a unified continental voice, Carlos Lopes, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), said here Thursday.