Month: December 2018

Dec 12
Civil Rights Groups Form Coalition to Defend Civic Spaces and Freedoms in Nigeria

Determined to share knowledge across professional and sector boundaries, leading practitioners in the non-profit, public and private sectors came together in Lagos, on November 28, 2018, to brainstorm on knowledge-to-action techniques for confronting the rising tide of governmental actions that restrict the operational space for civic engagements and non-profit activities in Nigeria. State actors often justify […]

Dec 12
Standing Together to Defend the Civic Space and Freedoms

SPACES FOR CHANGE ‘s| S4C’s regional workshop, Promoting and Defending Internet Freedoms in Nigeria,  held on September 5, 2018, brought together 35 online practitioners in Enugu State, South-East Nigeria, to increase their capacity to push back against the increasing tide of restrictions on civic spaces often targeted at civil society actors operating in virtual, online and offline communities. […]

Dec 12
PART B | Closing Spaces for Civic Engagement and Civil Society in Nigeria

The report, Closing Spaces for Civic Engagement and Civil Society in Nigeria, generates a database of closing spaces across Nigeria, presenting the evidence of restrictions on citizens and civil society operations, perpetrated under the guise of ‘national interest’, ‘national security’ and ‘other money laundering and terrorism financing considerations. Download Report Here:Closing Spaces for Civil Society and Democratic […]

Dec 12
Panel Discussion at NYU Examines Global Strategies for Reclaiming the Civic Space

SPACES FOR CHANGE’s director, Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, joined activists from Argentina, United States, Brazil, Philippines and India at a panel discussion on Reclaiming Civic Space: Resistance, Resilience and Resources held at New York University (NYU) on May 21, 2018. The panelists at the discussion are contributing authors to the 26th edition of the Sur International Journal on Human Rights (SUR 26), published […]

Dec 12
MEMORANDUM SUBMITTED TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES’ COMMITTEE ON CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS

In June 2016, Honorable Umar Jubril Ibrahim, representing Lokoja/Kogi Federal Constituency of Kogi State in Nigeria’s House of Representatives, sponsored a bill to supervise, coordinate and monitor nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) in Nigeria. Among other objectives, the bill, popularly known as the NGO Bill, seeks to “to regulate CSOs on matters […]

Dec 12
S4C Participates in Writers’ Retreat in Brazil

Human rights activists and researchers from across the world came together at a Writers’ Retreat in  Sao Paulo, Brazil to share ideas and strategies for confronting closing civic spaces. SPACES FOR CHANGE participated in the 7-day retreat. The participants are all working on the issue of reclaiming civic space in their respective countries, and are also contributors to a […]

Dec 12
UNGA 72: Safeguarding the Legal, Political, and Operational Space for Civil Society and Other Local Actors

SPACES FOR CHANGE’s presented its recent research findings on closing spaces in Nigeria at the Global Solutions Exchange’s (GSX’) high-level panel at the sidelines of the 72nd UN General Assembly meeting held in New York between September 16-22, 2017. The panel discussion on “Safeguarding the Legal, Political, and Operational Space for Civil Society and Other Local Actors to Engage […]