A message from Lysa John, Secretary General of CIVICUS
Dear CIVICUS members and allies,
At the end of 2024, I will complete six years with CIVICUS. I am incredibly proud of the many milestones achieved with the CIVICUS team and alliance in this period. We navigated through the pandemic and set several precedents related to our institutional systems and external impact. This feels like a good time to make space for new leadership and move on to my next role. I will transition from my role as CIVICUS Secretary General at the end of September, and move into an exciting new position (to be announced shortly) in October.
I am aware that this news may come as a surprise to many of you, and at a time when we face significant external change and challenges. We live in a time when the reversal of rights and restriction of fundamental freedoms is a ruthless reality for an overwhelming majority – only 2.1% of the world’s population now live in contexts where they can freely exercise their civic freedoms.
On the other hand, the voice and agency of traditionally excluded communities and our ability to take direct action and to demonstrate solidarity at scale is the highest it has been in decades. These trends reinforce the reasons for CIVICUS’s existence and the benefits to be gained from new thinking and leadership in our quest for inter-generational impact and relevance.
The CIVICUS Board and Senior Leadership Team have had the opportunity to discuss my transition and coordinate a well-thought-out plan for stability and continuity in the organisation. This plan includes an interim co-leadership arrangement that will allow the Board adequate time to coordinate a meticulous search for the next Secretary-General. The interim arrangement will see Claire Nylander (our Chief Operations Officer) and Mandeep Tiwana (our Chief Officer for Evidence & Engagement) working together as co-leaders of CIVICUS from October 2024 to June 2025.
Many of you know Claire and Mandeep already. They will be actively supported during the transition period by our two other senior leaders, Jessica Corredor (Chief Officer, Advocacy & Solidarity Action) and Tamryn Lee Fourie (Chief Officer, Innovation and Sustainability) during the transition. Additional efforts will also be made to strengthen our mid-level leadership who play an important role in managing our programmes and teams.
I want to emphasize how proud I am of CIVICUS's achievements over the past years. This includes adopting a refreshed strategy for 2022-27, prioritising communities and contexts worst affected by civic space restrictions and systemic discrimination in all aspects of our work and securing the support to sustain our work across the current strategy period. This would not have been possible without the trust and support that our members and allies have CIVICUS’s work.
I leave feeling hopeful about the next chapter of the CIVICUS story. I am grateful for the wealth of lessons, insights and relationships that will continue to inspire and inform the next steps in my professional journey.
Thank you for your trust and support.
In solidarity,
