Defending Civil Society

Over the past five years, 76 countries have proposed more than 275 legislative initiatives that impact civil society.

Of these initiatives, more than 85% have been restrictive. The trend is truly global, with no geographic region immune. Restrictions have emerged in both authoritarian and democratic states, ranging from barriers to forming organizations and intrusive oversight procedures to limits on access to resources and the exercise of rights online.

However, it’s not all bad news. Dozens of states have also introduced initiatives that enhance civic space. Moreover, ICNL works to strengthen our partners – civil society organizations, government reformers, donors, and diplomats – to counter restrictive measures and ensure that civil society can operate effectively.

(Icon credit: Kokota & Swifticons)

Key Initiatives

Civic Space Initiative

The Civic Space Initiative is an alliance of four global organizations—ICNL, Article 19, CIVICUS, and the World Movement for Democracy—that seeks to create a world in which civil society can thrive.

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Lifeline Embattled CSO Assistance Fund

Through the Lifeline Embattled CSO Assistance Fund, ICNL provides rapid-response advocacy and resiliency grants to civil society organizations coping with urgent threats to freedoms of association, expression, and assembly.

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Enabling & Protecting Civic Space

ICNL is a core partner in the Illuminating New Solutions and Programmatic Innovations for Resilient Spaces consortium, which tackles threats to civil society with cutting-edge research, strategic interventions, and a robust learning agenda.

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Key Resources

Effective Donor Responses to the Challenge of Closing Civic Space

This 2018 report examines the ways in which donor governments can effectively support civic space in challenging environments.

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Defending Civil Society, Second Edition

This 2012 report provides examples of the legal barriers that governments use to constrain civic space and articulates international legal principles to protect civil society.

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A Global Assault on Nonprofits

This 2015 Journal of Democracy article by ICNL president Douglas Rutzen summarizes recent developments in the global crackdown on civil society.

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All Defending Civil Society Resources

Closing Space for Philanthropy

Closing Space for Philanthropy
In 2016, Alliance magazine partnered with the European Foundation Centre to learn more about the issues by ... Read More

Challenging the Closing Space for Civil Society

Report on The Regulation of Foreign Funding of Nonprofits in a Democracy
This report by ARIADNE, the European Foundation Centre and and the International Human Rights Funders ... Read More

Shackled Freedoms: What Space for Civil Society in the EuroMed?

Shackled Freedoms: What Space for Civil Society in the EuroMed?
This report follows the seminar about “Combatting the shrinking of civil society space”, organized by ... Read More

Closing space for civil society? Analyzing the drivers and responses

Closing space for civil society? Analyzing the drivers and responses
Entries from OpenGlobalRights' multilingual debate in 2016 on closing space for civil society, with essays by leading ... Read More

Report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on Civil Society

Report on The Regulation of Foreign Funding of Nonprofits in a Democracy
This 2016 report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Document No ... Read More

Promoting & Protecting Civil Society Space

Promoting & Protecting Civil Society Space
This report aims to capture the discussions, analysis and recommendations from the 2015 Human Rights ... Read More
Explore our full resource collection, which includes reports, legal analysis, and curated collections of materials covering an array of issues impacting civic space around the world.