A longer version of this article was first published in Sur Journal’s 20th issue here, produced by Conectas.
Almost everywhere we look—from economics to demography to air travel to innovation—the shift to the so-called “emerging” markets is palpable. But when it comes to the civil society landscape, the transformation is much less visible. While some high profile human rights organisations are decentralising (e.g., Amnesty International) or have relocated to the South (e.g., Action Aid International), the overall pace of transformation in civil society seems much slower than in other areas. Based on our experience at CIVICUS, we argue that the global human rights agenda would be strengthened significantly if southern civil society actors themselves do more to look beyond their national boundaries and become global citizens in today’s interconnected, multipolar world.
It is very difficult for CSOs in the South to shine on the international stage when their position at home remains tenuous. The first major impediment to this shift is the closing space in which many southern CSOs work. CIVICUS’ 2013 State of Civil Society Report highlights a trend of increasing restrictions on civil society, and it is very difficult for CSOs in the South to shine on the international stage when their position at home remains tenuous. For instance, Egyptian CSOs are subjected to close supervision by various government departments and security agencies often leading to self- censorship. Bolivian NGOs and foundations are required to contribute to the economic and social development of the country taking into account national and sectoral guidelines. Algeria’s law on associations limits the scope of activities for civil society groups, indirectly preventing them from undertaking activities relating to human rights, democracy promotion and gender equality. Indonesia’s law on mass organisations prevents CSOs from propagating ideology that conflicts with “Pancasila”, the state philosophy. Nigeria’s anti-gay law potentially criminalises the entire community of progressive civil society groups and human rights defenders by making it illegal to support gay clubs and organisations. In Saudi Arabia’s extreme example, civil society groups don’t even have legal cover for their programmatic and fundraising activities through an associations law.
