Defending Civil Society Project

As several internationally distinguished individuals wrote in their joint letter in 2009, "[d]emocracy will not flourish unless citizens can freely engage in politics and social change, and for many years civil society groups have been providing citizens with the means to do so peacefully.” Today, civil society organizations (CSOs) around the world work in an increasingly restrictive and more sophisticated environment. Defending Civil Society is the World Movement’s response to this troubling trend.The project seeks to develop strategies and build solidarity among activists and groups pushing back against restrictive laws and regulations.
Defending Civil Society is a joint project with the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL).

The Report: The Defending Civil Society Report describes various legal barriers that civil society organizations (CSOs) face around the world, and includes numerous illustrative examples of legal and regulatory restrictions imposed on CSOs around the world. The Report also identifies a set of international principles that should inform proper government-civil society relations. The Report calls for the promotion and implementation of those international principles. In drafting the Report, the World Movement conducted global and regional consultations with grassroots activists, independent journalists, democracy assistance practitioners, scholars, and others.
View a PDF of the Report

Toolkit - Tips for Engaging in NGO Law Reforms: The Defending Civil Society Toolkit is an online resource that provides tips, tools, and strategies for organizations and activists around the world on how to best participate in the NGO law reform process. Produced in several languages, this Toolkit contains information on topics like understanding and assessing one’s legal environment, building a CSO coalition, and engaging government and legislators. The content for the Toolkit was built on the input of hundreds of civil society representatives in over 40 countries who were asked to share their knowledge and experiences.
Use the Toolkit

Resources: The Web site provides various resources and practical information related to international principles on fundamental freedoms, analyses of dozens of countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and strategies that civil society groups around the world have engaged in the past to tackle their respective restrictive environments.
View the Resources