CIVICUS has just released two flagship reports on the state of civic space and civil society globally: the state of civil society report 2023, and People Power Under Attack. The first report explores trends in civil society over the last year and covers issues ranging from struggles for democracy, inclusion and climate justice to demands for global governance reform. The second report, the fifth of its kind, is a global assessment of civic space based on data from more than 490 country civic space updates in the last year.
The findings of both reports resonate with civic space issues in South Africa as they relate to governance challenges and restrictions to freedom of assembly and expression. There are concerns over the killings of activists working on land rights and the rights of informal settlement dwellers as well as the vilification of civil society by government officials and non-state actors. The high levels of impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators of these acts make it easy for others to continue to attack activists and vilify civil society. Civic freedoms including the freedoms of expression, assembly and association continue to be undermined in South Africa. Due to the ongoing restrictions on civic space, the CIVICUS Monitor downgraded South Africa from “narrowed,” to “obstructed” — the third worst rating a country can have.
CIVICUS, the Human Rights Institute of South Africa (HURISA), the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR), and the Mail & Guardian newspaper will host a dialogue on the State of Civic Space and Human Rights in South Africa and Globally.
The objective of the dialogue is to highlight the findings of the two global reports in the context of civic space restrictions in South Africa. The dialogue will bring together representatives from the media, the diplomatic community, civil society groups mostly affected by on-going restrictions, members of the diplomatic community and academia to discuss and engage on these key issues.
Kindly join us for a dialogue on Tuesday 25 April 2023 from 10am to 1pm. The dialogue will take place in Johannesburg at the Holiday Inn, Princess of Wales Terrace, corner of Carse O’ Gowrie and Sunnyside Drive.
Rsvp: [email protected] or [email protected]
Or call 011 250 7300
Links to reports:
State of Civil Society Report 2023
Available in ARABIC | ENGLISH | ESPANOL | FRENCH | PORTUGUESE
People Power Under Attack 2022
Available here