A new index published on Monday by the global civil society network, CIVICUS, shows that many governments around the world are failing to keep their pledges to create an environment that allows citizens to mobilise and participate in civil society.
“Despite countless promises from governments that they will protect civil society, the majority of citizens around the world live in environments in which they do not have the capacity to participate freely and fully in the activities, organisations and movements that seek to better their lives and improve their societies,” CIVICUS Secretary-General Danny Sriskandarajah said in a statement.
The CIVICUS “Enabling Environment Index” (EEI) is the first rigorous attempt to measure and compare the conditions that affect the potential of citizens to participate in civil society. It ranks the governance, socio-cultural and socio-economic environments for civil society in 109 countries, according to a press release.
Evidence from around the world suggests that the conditions for civil society are far from perfect. Bangladesh is not mentioned in the list.
New Zealand tops the list, followed by Canada, Australia, Denmark and Norway, while the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has the worst rated EEI, followed by Uzbekistan, Iran, Burundi and the Gambia.
“It is worrying that countries such as Ethiopia (8th lowest) and Vietnam (10th lowest), which have received substantial development assistance and are often praised by the international community for their economic performance, have such poor environments for civil society. Either donor governments and financial institutions have not found ways to improve conditions for a vibrant civil society or are actively turning a blind eye to repressive measures,” the statement says.
“The three worst ranking African countries – DRC, Burundi and the Gambia – are heavily dependent on aid flows. This means that donors have an important lever to improve conditions if they chose to use it, whether it is by working with governments or by directly supporting local civil society,” stated Sriskandarajah.
Co-author of the report, CIVICUS Research Officer Ciana-Marie Pegus cautions that the EEI currently has limitations as it looks at long-term factors that create the conditions for healthy citizen engagement, and is not necessarily indicative of current events.
“There certainly is no civil society utopia. In many countries with high EEI scores, we have seen recent funding cuts for civil society and instances of repression in others. For example, in Canada, which ranks second on the EEI, government-civil society relations have been strained due to reports of active undermining of sections of civil society,” said Pegus.
The world alliance for citizen participation is based in Johannesburg, South Africa