Navigating civic space in a time of Covid: One year on
Channel: Institute of Development Studies
Date: 2021-03-11

The declaration of the Covid pandemic by the World Health Organisation on 11th March 2020 had huge implications, not only for public health. For several years, IDS along with numerous watchdogs, research institutes and activist groups has studied rapid changes in civic space the world over. Further transformations in civic space have taken place in the context of the pandemic itself, the restrictions introduced to control its spread and associated enforcement practices. Civil society actors have responded to these in a range of ways.

‘Navigating Civic Space in a time of Covid’ is a project undertaken by IDS and partners of the A4EA programme in Mozambique, Nigeria and Pakistan, using an innovative virtual observatory methodology to monitor and interpret these changes from June – December 2020. One year on from the declaration of the pandemic, this seminar will share our findings and preliminary interpretations of what they mean for the present and future of governance relations in these already-fragile contexts.

NB – Navigating Civic Space in a time of Covid is a A4EA sponsored program.