Debt Strategies Amidst Shrinking Civic Space: Experience, Lessons and Way Forward

Alongside the erosion of democracy and institutions in many countries, growing restrictions to the freedoms of participation and civic expression create obstacles for civil society advocacy. For a mix of political, legal and social reasons, it is becoming more difficult to engage in constructive and informed debate, and express dissent, practices that are a cornerstone enabling peoples to collectively develop responses to common challenges and evolve solutions through orderly, democratic change. These trends take place as countries debt service payments continue to grow and their fiscal space dwindles. They exacerbate difficulties in achieving broad-based social agreements on how to allocate the burdens across different sectors more fairly and make economic policymaking transparent and accountable. Advocacy on debt and equitable fiscal policies is a part and parcel of the broader civil society advocacy landscape affected by shrinking civic space.

The webinar session will offer insight into current civil society strategies in environments of shrinking civic space, especially in relation to debt advocacy, multilateral spaces like the UN and global economic institutions, and the 2025 Jubilee campaign.

The speakers will share observations on the theme from their work in different countries, addressing the following questions: What are the main indicators and facts that show civil society space is shrinking? How does the trend affect the work on debt/economic, fiscal issues? How are advocates responding to the challenges, and are there stories or strategies of creative resistance that can help show a way forward?

To read the full article: click here