The State of Civil Society Report 2019 analyses how contemporary events and trends are impacting on civil society, and how civil society is responding to the major issues and challenges of the day. The report focuses on civil society action and trends affecting civil society in 2018. The report suggests that space for civil society civic space is now under serious attack in 111 of the world’s countries well over half and only four per cent of the world’s population live in countries where our fundamental civil society freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression are respected.
   2018 was another year of immense contestation for fundamental rights. On the one side stood rising right-wing populists, authoritarian presidents, large corporations with few scruples and anti-rights groups. Yet, on the other side, progressive, rights-oriented civil society and citizens bravely stepped forward to demand the voice they were denied. The report identifies key trends that impacted on civil society in 2018 and are continuing in 2019, including:
- A sustained assault on humanitarian response
- Attacks on the civic space of excluded groups
- Right-wing populism and the need for a new narrative
- Powerful protests on everyday issues
- Failing economics and the need for economic democracy
- Weakening multilateralism: the international system under pressure
- Flawed and fake elections
- The growing power of anti-rights groups
- Agency and action: civil society successes in 2018
For more information, please see the full report below.Â
This report was authored by CIVICUS and published on the website of CIVICUS.Â
Photo credit: CIVICUS
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in this article and the report attached are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the SDG Philanthropy Platform. The SDG Philanthropy Platform is a global initiative that connects philanthropy with knowledge and networks that can deepen collaboration, leverage resources and sustain impact, driving SDG delivery within national development planning. It is led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA), and supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Ford Foundation, Oak Foundation, Brach Family Charitable Foundation, and many others.