Civil society organisations come together on 29 January 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa to launch this new initiative to anticipate and react to changes in the enabling environment – an environment where civil society can thrive, express itself freely and actively engage in shaping its context. The initiative named the European Union System for an Enabling Environment for Civil Society (EU SEE) is led and implemented by civil society in 86 countries.
At the heart of this initiative is the EU SEE Digital Hub, an interactive early warning and monitoring system that will document real-time shifts – deteriorations or improvements – in the enabling environment for civil society across 86 countries.
In countries where participating monitors issue alerts on restrictive actions, EU SEE will use its Flexible Support Mechanism (FSM) to provide funding to civil society organisations to mount campaigns or strengthen their internal systems to withstand threats to their operations.
The EU SEE began its work in 2024 as a response to the ever-increasing restrictions on civic freedoms and the enabling environment. Across the world, in both authoritarian states and established democracies, citizens engaged in policy, advocacy, and community work frequently face diverse restrictions on their rights to form associations and organise or are prevented from freely expressing their views.
Through this initiative, concerted advocacy actions at national, regional and international level will mobilise support for civil society actors in their efforts to address challenges to the enabling environment and to promote conditions that allow civil society to thrive. EU SEE has been co-designed with the broad participation of partner civil society organisations and aims to reach diverse groups such as those outside of capital cities and those representing marginalised communities including civil society organisations headed by women, youth, and other vulnerable groups at the grassroots.
The launch in Johannesburg will bring together representatives of civil society organisations and grassroots communities in all nine provinces in South Africa, civil society formations from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa and the Pacific.
Registration
Please use this link for registration: https://form.jotform.com/250143813824553