# Civicus

CIVICUS is an international non-profit organisation focused on civil rights and citizen action. It was founded in 1993 and is based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

## Foundation

In 1991, an international group of 20 leaders from non governmental organisations and social movements met to explore how to support citizen participation in governmental decision-making processes. In 1993, a founding board established CIVICUS, with the name derived from the Latin term meaning "of the community".

## Description and governance

CIVICUS has described itself as "a global alliance dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society around the world". Its headquarters are in Johannesburg, and there are offices in Geneva and New York City. In 2014 the organisation had over 8500 members in more than 175 countries.
The governing body of CIVICUS is an international board of 13 civil society leaders from 13 countries.

### Leaders

Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah led the organisation from January 2013 to December 2018. Former heads of the organisation also include Miklos Marschall (Hungary), Kumi Naidoo (South Africa). and Ingrid Srinath (India).
The organisation has approximately 70 staff members and is led by secretary general Lysa John. As of March 2025, Claire Nylander and Mandeep Tiwana are interim co-secretary generals of the organisation.

## Funding

CIVICUS receives institutional support from a variety of sources from organizations with similar goals, such as the Ford Foundation and Open Society Foundations, as well as individual contributions, membership fees, and registration fees for the CIVICUS World Assembly. Aggregated income from 2017/2018 was roughly US$9.6 million.

## Monitor Watchlist and ratings

CIVICUS maintains identifies countries that it believes are experiencing a fast decline in civic freedoms, adding them to a list known as its Monitor Watchlist. Past lists have included Zimbabwe, Argentina, El Salvador, and the United Arab Emirates. The first watchlist for 2025 was published in March, and included the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Italy, Pakistan, Serbia, and the United States. The decision to add the US was made on the basis of what CVICUS described as "the Trump administration's assault on democratic norms and global cooperation".
The organisation also classifies the state of civic freedoms in countries according to its rating system, of: open, narrowed, obstructed, repressed, and closed.

## Campaigns

In an open letter of 25 July 2022 addressed to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, CIVICUS sought the UN chief's intervention to protect human rights in Nicaragua. The letter raised concerns over the continuous attacks on civil society organisations by President Daniel Ortega's regime and his Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN) party. CIVICUS also urged its members to sign the letter, which was available online.
On International Women's Day, 8 March 2024, a range of organisations, including Amnesty International, International Service for Human Rights, and CIVICUS, reiterated calls for Saudi woman Nourah al-Qahtani's release from prison, as well as those of other women sentenced for similar alleged activities.