RightsCon Toronto 2018

Current wisdom would suggest that the global space for civil society is closing. Since the launch of the CIVICUS Monitor in October 2016, CIVICUS’ has been tracking threats to civic freedoms. As of March 2018, our data shows that there are at least 109 countries where civil society space is under serious attack. Yet, amidst this story of desperation, hard-fought battles are being won across the world by civil society groups. What role can technology play in building these stories into a more sensitive, positive, nuanced and less technocratic or legalistic narratives on civil society freedoms?

The workshop aims to build upon work already underway through the CIVICUS Monitor, which tracks threats to civic freedoms in all UN member states, and Innovation for Change (I4C), a community-led network incubating social change and building sustainable solutions for civil society. The workshop will brainstorm ideas to create more personal, accessible narratives on civil society space that resonate with a broader audience in order to bring the discussion about closing civic space beyond the civil society sector itself. By gathering a variety of perspectives, the workshop is focussed on uncovering methods to translate NGO-speak into simple, concise and compelling campaign strategies which reach beyond the traditional human rights focussed community.

A panel of human rights defenders will present “real stories” covered in the CIVICUS Monitor which document a fightback from national civil society, followed by a discussion with workshop participants to identify tools, technologies and strategies that can be used to electrify the global narrative on closing civil society space so that it connects with the general public.