Across the world, civic space is shrinking and activists for democracy and human rights are pushed back. Swedish and European diplomatic missions can play an important role in supporting local civil society. That effort starts with meaningful, safe and inclusive relationships and meetings. Therefore, CONCORD Sweden’s working group for civic space has written a guide for diplomatic missions, including a number of concrete advice for how to uphold meaningful relationships with local civil society, for example when arranging physical and digital meetings. The guide can be downloaded here.
This guide may inspire international civil society organisations and platforms in their work with their national governments and foreign ministries. It should also serve as a good basis for how EU institutions should coordinate their work with civil society both in Brussels and at delegations around the world.