In fragile and conflict-affected settings, the state is often unable to fulfil its primary obligation: to protect the population and maintain the rule of law.
Security and justice providers like the police and courts can be unresponsive while citizens bear the burden, with women, youth, and the poorest people disproportionally affected.
Shrinking space for civil society
Civil society is the foundation of our security and justice initiatives. Unfortunately, in recent years, the space for civil society to advocate and lobby for fundamental rights has shrunk significantly.
In several countries, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the right to congregate was prohibited by the authorities. In some cases, the measures to reduce citizens’ freedom of speech are still active and undermine attempts to hold authorities accountable.
In other countries, the democratically elected government has been overthrown by the military, after which the ability of civil society actors to operate freely becomes limited.
The collapse of the Afghan government in 2021 has had severe consequences for the position of women and has curtailed opportunities for civil society to advocate for inclusion.
Despite these challenges, we continue our work, supporting local civil society actors with tools to develop effective advocacy agendas and bring their voices to international fora.
Better security, justice and governance outcomes
We strengthen the capacities of people to effectively advocate and achieve better security, justice and governance outcomes. We do this through joint research and analysis of the needs and priorities of justice seekers and capacity strengthening for better advocacy and influencing strategies.