What Do We Mean By “Multilateral”? 

Multilateral processes and mechanisms refer to activities and decisions involving three or more parties, especially the governments of different countries. Multilateral processes can also embrace multistakeholder engagement, including civil society, businesses, and representatives of international organizations. These multilateral spaces can be formalized processes established pursuant to intergovernmental agreement, like the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), or they can arise less formally, at conferences or events where states and other actors gather.  Multilateral fora can be regional, as with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), or global, as with the Open Government Partnership (OGP). They may focus on a specific set of technical issues, such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), or have a broad mandate addressing multiple dimensions of state and private behavior, as with the UN Human Rights Council (UN HRC). And some of these fora may welcome and encourage civil society participation, while others may function as more closed or opaque spaces. 

How Does This Affect National Civic Space? 

Multilateral processes and mechanisms can influence state or private actor behavior and may afford opportunities to civil society to advocate for actions or decisions that promote an enabling environment for civil society at the country level. Multilateral mechanisms affect state behavior in a variety of ways, and we will deal with some of the mechanisms through which multilateral processes influence state behavior in subsequent briefers. Generally speaking, these processes exert influence by establishing binding international law or obligations; by shaping softer interstate agreements, norms, or expectations with which states want to comply; or by offering benefits to states, including reputational benefits and access to assistance.   

Despite wielding substantial influence over state behavior, multilateral engagement is rarely a “silver bullet” that can by itself bring about changes that defend and expand civic space. Rarely, if ever, will multilateral processes and institutions have the power to compel state or private actors to change their behavior to comply with international standards or commitments. But from the perspective of civil society, multilateral bodies can be helpful in a variety of ways, including establishment of pro-civic space norms and standards, assessing state compliance with those norms and standards, creating space for advocacy, promoting state accountability, and sometimes engaging directly to counter specific abuses. All these activities can provide leverage, incentives, and encouragement needed to motivate state and private actors to respect civic space. In this way, engagement with multilateral processes and mechanisms can be an important complement to domestic civic space advocacy and capacity building. 

Strategizing around Multilateral Engagement on Civic Space 

This briefer sets out a four-step, iterative process that partners can use and adapt as they develop and implement strategies to engage with multilateral processes and mechanisms to promote open civic space in their countries. 

SETTING OBJECTIVES 

In designing a strategy for multilateral engagement on civic space, civil society partners should first consider what objectives they want to achieve through this engagement. We have already listed four possible objectives above that other briefers in this series will address. Multilateral processes and spaces can also:  

• provide a space for dialogue, collaboration, and relationship-building between civil society and government and other stakeholders; 

• mobilize transnational coalitions and raise awareness regarding civic space issues and challenges among specific stakeholders and the public; and 

• provide opportunities for civil society to shape multilateral processes to increase opportunities for participation and positive impacts on civic space. 

In identifying objectives for multilateral engagement, partners may want to consider not only the particular civic space challenges or opportunities that domestic civil society is facing, but also what domestic campaigns or advocacy efforts are underway to address these issues that could be strengthened by multilateral engagement.  

Partners should also consider the timeline on which they seek domestic changes and impacts. Formal multilateral processes can take a long time to produce results, such as issuance of a new or revised standard or resolution of a legal complaint. It can take even longer for these multilateral results to generate impacts at the local level. But multilateral engagement can also advance more informal objectives – such as relationship-building, multistakeholder dialogue, coalition building, and awareness-raising – over shorter time horizons. Partners may want to identify near-term, medium-term, and long-term objectives for their multilateral engagement and design strategies that will produce progress on each of these timelines.

SELECTING PRIORITY MULTILATERAL FORA

There is a broad array of multilateral spaces that relate to or have impacts on civic space. Some of these spaces may be better suited to specific objectives and national or regional¹ contexts than others. 

In identifying and prioritizing these multilateral mechanisms, partners may want to consider: 

• which domestic stakeholders and responsibility-holders have the power to bring about the change or secure the remedy local civil society seeks; 

• which multilateral spaces and processes – including both rights-focused fora and spaces primarily dealing with security or economic considerations – can influence those key domestic actors or magnify local campaigns; 

• available entry points in these fora for civil society participation, including as a member of a coalition (see below); and 

• what might result from successful engagement with these fora, ranging from rhetorical or normative support to more concrete measures. 

Other relevant considerations in selecting priority fora for engagement include: the visibility and influence of the venue; participation by other governments or stakeholders that might be inclined or recruited to support civil society efforts; existence of sympathetic multilateral staff or organizational secretariat; and the risk of reprisals for participation and availability of protective mechanisms.  

The last point bears further emphasis. While engaging in multilateral spaces can provide a degree of freedom or protection that domestic advocacy lacks, it can also attract the attention of malicious actors and create a risk of retaliatory attacks. If this seems possible or likely, plans should be made in advance to protect individuals and organizations in the event of reprisal. ICNL and other international civil society organizations can be a helpful source of both information and assistance.  

¹ There is significant variation between regional mechanisms with respect to civic space. The ACHPR provides robust processes that civil society can engage on civic space, and there are encouraging developments in the inter-American system in this area, as well. Asia has traditionally had less active regional mechanisms relating to civic space.  We’ll explore these mechanisms further in future briefers, along with other examples of multilateral fora that might be helpful in promoting civic space. 

ENGAGING CIVIL SOCIETY PARTNERS AND COALITIONS

Civil society engagement with multilateral processes will generally be more effective when undertaken with partners and as a part of coalitions, which can magnify civil society voice and multiply opportunities for participation. For many multilateral processes, civil society coalitions have already been established that can assist national-level Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) with understanding processes and stakeholders, and with identifying entry points for access. Civil society partners can use these coalitions as levers to advance and strengthen country-focused advocacy, or can convene additional coalitions at the national level where these do not already exist. International partners like ICNL can be helpful in connecting partners to existing coalitions and in providing support to mobilize coalitions at the country level. 

DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING AN ENGAGEMENT PLAN

Once partners have identified core advocacy objectives, mapped out priority multilateral fora, and connected with relevant civil society partners and coalitions, it is time to devise and implement a plan for multilateral engagement.  

A preliminary stock-taking of available means and resources that can be drawn upon in these efforts can be helpful. These resources can include: 

• Evidence, information, and analysis. Civil society often has a deeper understanding of civic space trends, challenges, and developments in their countries than representatives of governments and other stakeholders participating in multilateral spaces. Compiling records of events, violations, or abuses, and developing resources on civic space trends and developments, can build influence and credibility with actors participating in multilateral fora. So too can storytelling. Diplomats and others engaging at the multilateral level sometimes have limited awareness of the real-world experience of civil society. Helping them understand that reality can be powerful. 

• Legitimacy and collective voice. When diverse civil society voices come together in support of specific civic space advocacy issues, including as part of the coalitions described in the preceding section, the persuasiveness and legitimacy of those voices are strengthened. Developing sign-on letters, joint calls for action, and coalitional policy proposals can all add force and cogency to civil society positions being advanced in multilateral fora. 

• Multisectoral allies. Securing allies from sympathetic governments and international organizations can bolster messaging and unlock new entry points for advocacy. Approaching foreign missions in your capital or reaching out to government delegations or representatives of international organizations in multilateral spaces can be a useful strategy, if safe and possible in your environment. Such contacts can help secure opportunities to speak at or co-organize events at multilateral bodies and can facilitate access to key domestic and international actors. CSO partners, including international NGO partners, can assist in identifying potential allies from sympathetic governments and international organizations. 

In designing a plan for multilateral engagement, partners should also consider: 

• What parts of your engagement plan can be implemented remotely or virtually, and which parts will require travel and in-person participation? 

• Have you established digital protection plans to safeguard online communications, as well as contingency plans for managing any negative consequences of public multilateral participation? 

• What is a realistic timeline for achieving your plans, given the long time periods over which some multilateral processes take place? 

• How will you ensure that any successes at the multilateral level translate into positive impacts in your domestic context? How can multilateral efforts be effectively complemented by domestic advocacy or coalition-building? 

Conclusion 

Effective multilateral engagement requires creativity, coalition building, strategic planning, and patience, but it can pay notable dividends in complementing and strengthening domestic civic space advocacy.  This briefer has provided an initial orientation to developing strategies for multilateral engagement on civic space. Future briefers in this series will explore specific multilateral mechanisms in greater depth, with goal of helping partners to add this useful tool to their advocacy toolbox. 

This briefer was produced with support from the Government of Ireland – Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The ideas, opinions and comments therein are entirely the responsibility of ICNL and do not necessarily represent or reflect DFAT policy.