Navigating cybersecurity: Guidance for (I)CSO professionals
Within the framework of the Solidarity Action Network (SANE), a guidance “Navigating cybersecurity: Guidance for (I)CSO professionals” has been developed to help civil society actors better respond...
Learn MoreGlobal Perspectives 2017
New Resources for New Programmes
Outcome
The ninth Global Perspectives conference took place on 1-3 November 2017 in Mexico City and brought together an international audience of about 80 participants from national and international civil society organisations (CSOs), governments and business. The conference offered a platform for exploring new approaches to conducting and funding civil society activities. Presentations, panel discussions, work sessions and peer-to-peer exchange offered an effective platform for open exchange, high-quality conversations and intense networking.
The conference quickly reached consensus that only transformational change will enable civil society to address the significant challenges that lie ahead. Key aspects of the required transformation are:
- Development and service delivery programmes need to be shaped and owned by the people who are supposed to benefit. This means that a significant power shift is required away from CSOs and their donors towards the people and communities in the Global South.
- Digitisation allows supporters to transfer their donation directly to the organisation they want to support. Thus the intermediary role of many CSOs is being disrupted. In order to remain relevant CSOs have to present a much wider and deeper range of activities to their supporters.
- Campaigning organisations need to shift their focus away from individual actors (campaigners in rubber dinghies) towards the citizens and communities that support their mission.
- Today’s activists find each other and organise their activities on open platforms and no longer in closed organisations. CSOs need to turn themselves into platforms, accepting a loss of control and decision making power.
- New forms of volunteerism and digital activism are emerging. They are the basis on which CSOs have to engage with the next generation of supporters.
- Today’s social entrepreneurs base their activities on concrete and measurable demand rather than assumed needs. Many consider grants as a paternalistic means of support. CSOs need to learn from them how to explore what the people they want to support really need.
- New technologies and approaches such as Blockchain and big data will reshape the civil society sector. CSOs should embrace and explore new technologies and optimally position themselves for their use to advance their mission.
Participants predominantly rated the conference as “very good”. They especially enjoyed the networking, the workshop sessions and the facilitation. They further recommended to include a more diverse group of participants and to have a session taking place outside the conference venue.
The next Global Perspectives conference will take place in Berlin, Germany on 31 October – 2 November. Please save the date – we look forward to hosting you there!
International Civic Forum 2017 – Communiqué
On 11 – 12 September 67 representatives from civil society, government, business, media and philanthropy came together at the International Civic Forum in Washington D.C. to explore how they can cooperate to promote civic freedoms and stand up together when these are violated.
Today the vast majority of the world’s population live in countries where citizens’ rights to organise and speak out and contribute to shaping their societies are respected, protected and fulfilled. Around the world human rights, social, and environmental activists and journalists face defamation campaigns labelling them as foreign agents, physical and legal threats against themselves and their families, persecution, imprisonment and even death. Civil Society Organisations are targeted through freezing of bank accounts, targeted break-ins, revoked licenses, and office closures.
Governments and even businesses often silence voices of dissent under the guise of national security or economic prosperity while decisions about what constitutes a “risk” to national security or the economy are shrouded in mystery rather than rooted in transparency and rule of law. This is a fundamental breach of citizens’ rights and democratic values.
Restrictions on civic freedoms not only interfere in the ability of the civil society sector to fulfil its role, it also limits the ability of media to create public awareness and protect public interest against malpractice and partiality. Private philanthropy cannot advance the public good if there is no space to engage citizens on their needs and expectations. Responsible business also has a role to play, as it needs the rule of law and open governance to thrive. Governments cannot legitimately represent their citizens if citizens are not free to express themselves; autocratic government increases the risk of internal conflict.
In the interest of sustainable development and just and open societies we – representatives from different sectors from around the world – commit to respecting, protecting and strengthening civic freedoms based on the principles embedded in the Civic Charter – The Global Framework for People’s Participation:
- On the eve of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, we call on world leaders to explicitly affirm and support citizens’ rights to participate in shaping their societies. Without citizen participation we will not achieve the Sustainable Development Goals nor will we secure international peace and stability.
- We call on all governments, companies, civil society organisations and citizens to join us in signing the Civic Charter and to commit to uphold, protect, and promote its principles.
- We encourage our fellow leaders from civil society, government, business, and philanthropy to join us in cross-sector alliances in support of civic space and to endorse and support the initiatives launched at the 2017 International Civic Forum.
Only together we can ensure that citizens’ rights are upheld and free and just societies prosper.
We condemn attack on civic rights in Hong Kong
On Thursday, pro-democracy activist and Civic Charter supporter Joshua Wong, 20, was sentenced to six months in prison for his role in the student-led pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. The Appeals court also handed custodial sentences to Alex Chow, 26, for seven months and Nathan Law, 24, for eight months. Prosecutors sought to make an example of the trio after they pursued harsher sentencing following their original non-custodial sentences last year.
Burkhard Gnärig, Executive Director of the International Civil Society Centre, said:
“This abhorrent and politically-motivated move from Hong Kong authorities is a direct attack on freedom of expression and right to peaceful protest. The aim of the authorities is clearly to deter people from exercising their basic civic rights. We strongly protest against the oppression of civic rights in Hong Kong.
Joshua has been a vocal and active leader in defending civic participation. Now the international community must respond by speaking up for civic rights in Hong Kong.”
In his statement on the Civic Charter Joshua Wong points out:
“Though we may come from different backgrounds and cultures, and have different systems and histories, we believe in the same universal principles of human freedom.”
It is for this reason that Civil Society Organisations around the world are standing in solidarity with Joshua, Alex and Nathan, and call for their sentence to be overturned.
