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Honduras + 4 more

KOFF Newsletter No. 145, May 2016 - Shrinking Space for Civil Society

Attachments

Editorial

The situation is paradoxical: despite repeated emphasis on the importance of civil society for conflict resolution and peacebuilding, its space for action and freedom to act are becoming increasingly restricted. What are the external and internal factors that have sparked these restrictions? And what measures can be taken to address them?

Honduras, Russia, Laos, Afghanistan, Palestine: the contexts that are presented in this edition provide an overview of some of the factors that have contributed to shrinking space for civil society. They also highlight some of the initiatives developed by Swiss peacebuilding actors to counteract this trend. The aim is to show that it is a worldwide issue that remains however highly context-specific.

Marie Seidel Editor