| Type | International non-profit / civil society organisation |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Claire Nylander and Mandeep Tiwana | |
| Website | civicus |
CIVICUS is an international non-profit organisation focused oncivil rights and citizen action. It was founded in 1993 and is based inJohannesburg, South Africa.
In 1991, an international group of 20 leaders fromnon-governmental organisations and social movements met to explore how to supportcitizen participation in governmental decision-making processes.[1] In 1993, a founding board established CIVICUS, with the name derived from the Latin term meaning "of the community".[2]
CIVICUS has described itself as "a global alliance dedicated to strengthening citizen action andcivil society around the world".[3] Its headquarters are in Johannesburg, and there are offices inGeneva andNew York City.[4]
The governing body of CIVICUS is an international board, which as of March 2025[update] comprised 12 civil society leaders from around the world.[4]
In 2014 the organisation had members in more than 145 countries.[5]
In 2023/4, their main funding partners were theNetherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, theFord Foundation, Denmark Ministry of Foreign Affairs,Open Society Foundations, and Lifeline Embattled Fund, among many others.[6]
Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah led the organisation from January 2013 to December 2018. Former heads of the organisation also include Miklos Marschall (Hungary),Kumi Naidoo (South Africa), Ingrid Srinath (India), and Lysa John.[when?]
In 2018, Anabel Cruz was chair of the CIVICUS Board of Directors.[7]
As of March 2025[update], Claire Nylander and Mandeep Tiwana are interim co-secretary generals of the organisation.[8][9]
CIVICUS receives institutional support from a variety of sources from organizations with similar goals, such as theFord Foundation andOpen Society Foundations,[10] as well as individual contributions, membership fees, and registration fees for the CIVICUS World Assembly. Aggregated income from 2017/2018 was roughly US$9.6 million.[7]
CIVICUS identifies countries that it believes are experiencing a fast decline in civic freedoms, adding them to a list known as its Monitor Watchlist. Past lists have included Zimbabwe, Argentina, El Salvador, and the United Arab Emirates. The first watchlist for 2025 was published in March, and included theDemocratic Republic of the Congo, Italy, Pakistan,Serbia, and the United States. The decision to add the US was made on the basis of what CVICUS described as "theTrump administration's assault on democratic norms and global cooperation".[9]
The organisation also classifies the state of civic freedoms in countries according to its rating system, of: open, narrowed, obstructed, repressed, and closed.[9]
In an open letter of 25 July 2022 addressed to the UN Secretary-GeneralAntónio Guterres, CIVICUS sought the UN chief's intervention to protect human rights inNicaragua. The letter raised concerns over the continuous attacks on civil society organisations by PresidentDaniel Ortega's regime and his Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN) party. CIVICUS also urged its members to sign the letter, which was available online.[11]
OnInternational Women's Day, 8 March 2024, a range of organisations, includingAmnesty International,International Service for Human Rights, and CIVICUS, reiterated calls for Saudi womanNourah al-Qahtani's release from prison, as well as those of other women sentenced for similar alleged activities.[12]
