The shrinking space for civil society has been a concern for a decade, but more recently, KOFF organizations and their partners are reporting a further reduction in their space. The COVID-19 pandemic, for example, and the resulting health restrictions to limit the spread of the virus, have been used as a pretext to further restrict civil liberties.
In increasingly autocratic states, development, humanitarian, human rights, and peacebuilding organizations face different risks and barriers depending on their core activities and the political environment in which they work. But the general pattern is quite unanimous: these organizations must balance overcoming restrictions and threats while – to the extent possible – continuing to carry out their activities and voice their demands.
From creating new spaces for civil society to defending and protecting existing ones, this issue gives you a glimpse into how KOFF organizations and their partners are surviving in hostile environments.
Find more Reports, Focus topics, and News on Shrinking spaces for civil society: A balancing act on this issue of the KOFF Peacebuilding Magazine.