EPD invites you to a discussion on how to resist attempts to close the political space and restrict civil society
When: 26 September 2017, 09:30 – 16:00.
Where: European Endowment for Democracy, Rue de la Loi 34, B-1040 Brussels (9th floor)
Co-hosted by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, European Partnership for Democracy, the University of Birmingham and European Endowment for Democracy.
Authoritarian incumbents, and democratically elected leaders with authoritarian tendencies, can close political space and restrict civil society in a variety of ways. One increasingly popular tactic is to suppress civil society by restricting its access to foreign funding and controlling its activities through requirements to register. This often occurs in divided societies in which the ruling party paints civil society as a threat to stability, and manipulates the growth of radical groups to pass anti-terror legislation that enables them to exert control over a range of non-state actors. Parliaments – who ought to be defenders of democracy – often aid and abet executives in this process.
Built around the launch of Westminster Foundation for Democracy’s paper – Defending democracy: when and why do parliaments protect political space? – this event will examine how democracy actors can react to attempts to close the political space and restrict civil activism in different parts of the world. The morning session will focus on how parliaments can act to protect political space, then take a closer look at other tools and methods deployed by the activists and donor community responding to the challenges arising in the context of shrinking spaces. In the afternoon, panellists will tackle broader questions about risk-taking, unintended side-effects and ‘politically smart’ democracy support.
The complete agenda is available here. For registration, please fill in this registration form. Please note that registration is open until Monday, 25 September.
