With the launch of its website, The International Consortium on Closing Civic Space (iCon) now presents its objectives, structure and research findings publicly and is looking forward to enabling a broader debate about the alarming trend of increasing restrictions on civil society activities all around the world. Commentaries and research seeking to fill existing gaps in the current response to closing space will be uploaded on a rolling basis.
iCon was created by The Human Rights Initiative (HRI) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. as a consortium of scholars and experts from around the world. PRIF researchers Annika Elena Poppe and Jonas Wolff, who address the global phenomenon of “closing space” in their research at PRIF, are founding members of the initiative that was launched in 2016. Poppe and Wolff are part of a team of twenty experts, conducting research and developing concrete recommendations on how best to address and push back on closing civic space. The ultimate goal of iCon is to develop evidence-based solutions that enhance the resilience and sustainability of civil society and broaden constituencies for human rights.
For more information visit the project website: International Consortium on Closing Civic Space (iCon)
Further Publications: