Civic Spaces

About this Topic

The past few years have seen an increase and intensification in the laws and regulations that limit the activities of civil society and challenge the concept of an independent media throughout many parts of Asia and the Pacific. While traditional civil society organizations struggle to carry out their work in challenging conditions, other localized and social media-driven forms of collective action are growing, challenging conventional understandings of the role and form of civil society in local governance. It suggests a fundamental change in the relationship between states and societies in the region that is yet to fully play out. Working in close partnership with civil society throughout the region, the Foundation supports a vision of the civic spaces that are open, diverse, empowering, equitable, and the site of important contributions to governance in the region.