CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation

Overview

CIVICUS is an international alliance established in 1993 to nurture the foundation, growth and protection of citizen action throughout the world, especially in areas where participatory democracy and citizens' freedom of association are threatened.

Mission

To strengthen citizen action and civil society throughout the world.

Program

CIVICUS' vision is of a worldwide community of informed, inspired, committed citizens engaged in confronting the challenges facing humanity.

CIVICUS recognises that for effective and sustainable civic participation to occur, citizens must enjoy rights of free association and be able to engage all sectors of society. This understanding underpins the three major objectives that inform our mission:

Promote Civic Existence, by defending people's fundamental rights to organise and act collectively towards the public good;

Promote Civic Expression, by strengthening the capacity of civil society organisations to amplify the voices of ordinary people; and,

Promote Civic Engagement, by fostering interaction between citizens, their associations and other institutions to ensure that public institutions are accountable to people.

Our programmatic work contributes towards these three objectives through seven programmes: Civil Society Watch; the Civil Society Index; the Millennium Development Goals campaign; Legitimacy, Transparency and Accountability; Participatory Governance; Knowledge Development and Dissemination; and the CIVICUS World Assembly.

Impact

In all its program activities, CIVICUS works with and builds the capacity of key partners, members and other intermediary organizations at global, regional and national levels. As the only global network with a specific mandate to strengthen civil society, CIVICUS has the reach and connectivity to empower civil society actors through a variety of approaches including, capacity building, the production and dissemination of tools and resources, convening events and information sharing, global advocacy and representation.

Countries of Operation

South Africa