Open Government Partnership Global Summit 2018

Governments and non-state actors are increasingly introducing arbitrary and debilitating restrictions on the operating space for civil society organizations, social movements, and activists. Much of the current analyses on civic space restrictions disproportionately focus on legal provisions; however, as shown by the CIVICUS Monitor, the tactics and strategies used by states and non-state actors are multi-layered and convoluted. Notably, technology is being deliberately used for the surveillance, intimidation, and blackmailing of activists and their movements, exacerbating existing power structures and systemic inequalities.

A healthy civic space enabling meaningful civic participation and allowing to expose human rights violations and call governments to account is critical for the OGP process. This workshop will help identify key challenges and trends pertaining to civic space restrictions as well as creative civil society responses that may enable governments to design better policies and become more responsive to citizens’ needs and demands. It will aim at encouraging critical debate and producing concrete recommendations for the OGP process, including eligibility criteria, mechanisms, and standards.