The impact of closing civic space on development and poverty eradication (A/74/349)

This report, submitted to the General Assembly by the Special Rapporteur in October 2019, focuses on the direct impact that restricting civic society space has on the efforts to reduce economic inequalities and on the eradication of poverty.

It is widely acknowledged that an active and unfettered civil society is essential to development. Over the last 50 years, the United Nations and Governments around the world have consistently committed to promote participation of civil society in development strategies and programmes. Despite this global recognition, the space for civic engagement has been closing. States are increasingly placing restrictions on these actors, impeding the rights of individuals and groups to exercise fully their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, association and expression.

Engaging civil society is key in the fight against poverty

In this report, the Special Rapporteur examines the different ways in which the closing of civic space can be associated with negative development outcomes, including in the fight against poverty and economic inequality.

The development and donor community “should not neglect the threat that the closing of civic space poses to the effectiveness of their policies and programmes”, stressed UN Special Rapporteur Voule.

In particular, the development community cannot limit its attention to the lack of material resources and access to services of those living in poverty and most marginalized, while ignoring the fact that these groups are unable to organize to protect and claim their rights”, he urged.

This is all the more important as poverty has become more entrenched and continues to create further inequalities and exclusion, making it by default harder for people at the margins of society to articulate their needs and achieve their goals, in direct contradiction to the 2030 SDG Agenda,” he commented.

While the report includes recommendations to a wide set of actors, the Special rapporteur urged development actors to help States to create an enabling space for civic engagement in the implementation of development and poverty eradication efforts.

Key recommendations to donors and international organizations include:

• Advocate for the recognition of civil society as a key partner for development and poverty eradication strategies.
• Ensure that an enabling legal and political, economic and social environment for civic engagement is a benchmark for (or is tagged to) the development assistance in bilateral agreements.
• Support community-based, national and international civil society in forging connections, which can enable joint action to resist the closing of civic space.
• Strengthen financial support for civil society participation in the implementation of development and poverty eradication strategies.

Read the full report (A/74/349) in all UN languages here.