Civic Space

in Asia-Pacific
Trends and Perspectives

Civic/Civil society space: Definitions

The place civil society actors occupy within society;
The environment and framework in which civil society operates;
The relationships among civil society actors, the State, public and
private sectors and the general public.

Civil society is central to advancing the work of the United Nations

across our agenda, not only for human rights but also for peace and
security, as well as development. Civil society has never been more
important or needed. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, 2015

Policy and Legal frameworks

for Civic / civil society space

Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals

Emphasis on inclusiveness, universality, leaving no one behind
SDG 16 (peaceful and inclusive societies)
SDG 17 (partnerships and means of implementation)
Youth as key stakeholders: targets under SDG 4 (education), 8 (employment),
13 (climate change)

Human Rights and freedoms legal frameworks

Expression, Association, peaceful Assembly, Participation, Information
States have voluntarily ratified treaties guaranteeing these rights
Recommitment to human rights/Cross-referenced in 2030 Agenda

Global trends: Achievements

Unprecedented growth in civil society movements over the past decades, also in Asia-Pacific,
advocating for democratic governance, open market economies, environmental protection
increasingly for transparency and accountability from governments and others

Civil society has contributed significantly to remarkable progress in human development

and poverty reduction. CSOs are, in many countries, indispensable government partners through
their extensive involvement in service delivery, or in the support they provide to vulnerable groups.

Organized or unorganized, people, including youth, engage new forms of civic mobilization,
participation online and offline, internet, mobile communication, social networks etc.
generating increased connectivity between people, opening new or alternative sources of
information

New fundraising tools and business models have raised the potential of more diversified
resources to support and sustain their activities

Civic/civil society space:

Key elements of an enabling environment

Supportive legal framework and effective access to

justice
Conducive public and political environment
Access to information, participation in policy
development, planning and decision-making
Long-term support and resources
Protection of human rights defenders (including youth)

Civic/civil society space:

Asia and the Pacific

Conducive public and political environment

3.2 billion people live in countries where civic space is under threat. Civic space in
most Asian countries is closed, repressed or obstructed (source: CIVICUS)
Trend not limited to autocratic states or states with no democratic tradition but
some of its manifestations are also observed in well-established democracies
Supportive legal framework and effective access to justice
Between 2012 and 2015, more than 90 laws constraining freedoms of association or
assembly have been proposed or enacted, over half in Asia-Pacific (sources: UN
Special Rapporteur on freedoms of assembly and association; ICNL)
Access to information
Legislation and policies reducing access to information, cyber crime laws
Killings of journalists: Philippines, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and
Afghanistan are among the 20 countries in the world with the highest number of
killings (source: Committee on the Protection of Journalists)

Civic/civil society space:

Asia and the Pacific

Long-term support and resources

Laws / policies curbing access to government or private foreign funding, including in
the context of counter-terrorism
Regulatory frameworks treating businesses more favourably than civil society
Protection, including for youth human rights defenders (HRDs)
Ex.: 185 killings of environmental activists in 16 countries (source: Global Witness,
2015). Philippines: 25 deaths
Reprisals against HRDs who have been working with the UN system: new UN
mechanism to address increasingly concerning trend
Women HRDs at risk

Civic/civil society space:

Asia and the Pacific - drivers
Arguments advanced by various observers:

Polarized international landscape, characterized by a global shift in power balance and a renewed
North-South/East-West divide

Governance and democracy gaps: lack of acceptance and implementation of the necessary features
of democratic governance in political systems where independent voices are not accepted. In
functioning democracies, a growing disconnect between elected officials and the people

Support for economic growth at all costs, articulated as the need to prioritize certain economic
development outputs, often in the form of large-scale infrastructure projects. Local community
concerns seen as representing special interests

National / public security, protection against terrorism, fundamentalism, extremism

Internal tensions around national identity issues, anti- migration or anti-refugees sentiment within
segments of the general population

The need to strengthen accountability of civil society

UN action Recommendations

In June 2016, the Human Rights Council

Urged States to create and maintain, in law and in practice, a safe and
enabling environment in which civil society can operate free from hindrance
and insecurity () to ensure access to justice, and accountability, and to
end impunity for human rights violations and abuses against civil society
actors (.)
Called upon States to ensure that domestic provisions on funding to civil
society actors are in compliance with their international human rights
obligations and commitments and are not misused to hinder the work or
endanger the safety of civil society actors

UN action recommendations

Engagement and Inclusiveness

Legal frameworks and processes
Data and measurement: Reporting
Monitoring individual protection
Financial and political support
UN Structural improvements