Civicus welcomes its new report on the State of Civil Society 2023. This year it launched its twelfth report looking back at 2022 and identifying trends in civil society action, at all levels and in all spheres. From struggles for democracy, inclusion and climate justice to demands for global governance reform.
Through an analysis of the material produced by CIVICUS Lens 2022 and a world plagued with conflicts and crises that characterize this new year, the main result and objective is that civil society continues to strive to make a crucial difference in people’s lives.
The report analyzes civil society action in six different areas:
- Response to conflicts and crises:
In a world deeply marked by numerous conflicts and crises, civil society continues to mobilize. It works to protect people on the front lines, meet basic needs, reach out to those who have been abandoned or forgotten by governments, and assist the marginalized groups most affected by conflict, including the millions of internally displaced persons. and across borders.
This section not only seeks to demonstrate how civil society works to defend their rights against powerful forces, but also that its value was demonstrated in response to the global emergency represented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Mobilization for economic justice:
The increase in food and fuel prices undoubtedly generates great uncertainty in society and is the trigger for which people organize to go out and protest in the streets. Along with the long-term repercussions of the pandemic, Russia’s war against Ukraine has been a key driver of rising prices for oil, gas, and daily necessities. Consequently, in 2022, more than 12,500 protests were documented in 148 countries at all levels of economic development.
- Defense of democracy:
In this section, it is demonstrated that democracy remains a contested terrain and is subject to setbacks around the world. In 2022, democratic forces regained ground in some countries in the face of authoritarian threats. But no long-standing autocracy took significant steps toward democracy, and there were no shifts of power from the military to civilians. Some deeply flawed democracies even regressed further.
- Promotion of women’s rights and LGBTQI+
Gender and sexuality remain at the center of social conflicts and protagonists of one of the most hostile scenarios. Civil society continues to work to mobilize solidarity and advocate for rights, and despite the hostility, in 2022 it made some significant progress on rights around the world.
- Denunciation of the climate emergency
It has been another year of civil society action aimed at avoiding the worst effects of what is increasingly being recognized as a triple planetary crisis caused by the combined threat of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. But it has also been another year of insufficient action by states, the private sector and the international system.
- Demands for global governance reform
Here, we seek to delve into how the structures and processes of global governance face a formidable test, as is the case with Russia’s war against Ukraine, which undoubtedly put the UN to the test.
The experience should provoke a renewed reflection on the functioning of the international system and its beneficiaries. Civil society critiques of global governance and demands for reform have never been more relevant than today.
CIVICUS presents itself as a global alliance of civil society organizations and activists dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society around the world in order to achieve a more just, inclusive and sustainable society. That is why their annual reports are of great interest to our network and community.
You can access the report through its official website or directly through the following link.