CO-ReCIPE: Recentering the Civic Interne EuropeAid/175439/DH/ACT/Multi Page 3 of 59
2021.1 Annex A.2 – Grant application form – Full Application
1. The action
1.2. Description of the action
1.2.1. Description
i. Relevance to the CfP: The Action is aligned with the global objective of the CfP as it puts people, especially women and youth, at the centre of the digital transformation through bringing CSOs’ voices from both the Global North and the Global South to the multilateral global system. It responds to both specific objectives by enhancing the capacities andcapabilities of CSOs to engage more actively in the digital rights debate within multilateral- and multi-stakeholder- fora; by increasing the cooperation between organisations based in the Global-North and in the Global-South to create safer online civic spaces and reduce the digital gap, especially addressing gender equality issues of digitalisation through prioritizing women’s organisations. The Action also addresses its 3 priorities, namely through 1) enabling access, raising the voices and promoting the dialogue of CSOs with multi-stakeholder/multilateral digital organisations; 2) strengthening CSOs role in digital for development by supporting them in advocating for digital policies that empower people and organisations to achieve a human centred, sustainable and more prosperous digital future; and 3) promoting synergies and long-term linkages between Global North and Global South CSO’s as well as the cooperation across CSO’s and platforms from the Global South (at local, national, and regional levels). The Action is complementary to the EU policies and the objectives of DG-INTPA in the digital domain, namely by supporting its partner countries in engaging in a digital revolution that protects and benefits citizens. It enhances the EU work in promoting its positive and “human-centred” digital agenda aimed at ensuring that the rights that apply offline can be fully exercised online. And it focuses on promoting a more meaningful dialogue and closer engagement of civil society actors; which is a key element of the NDICI-Global Europe, as it will strengthen the capacities of CSOs from the Global South dealing with open internet and digital rights to become more influential on the global arena. Furthermore, the EU is promoting the development of Open Internet Governance at the global level and the Action will contribute to that global strategy.
Relevance to the particular needs and constraints of the target countries: According to latest FreedomHouse report, internet freedom declined for the 12th consecutive year in 2022. Only 70 countries are assessed, but they represent 89% of the world’s population. The report found only 18% of humanity living in locations categorised as "free”. Activists were arrested, charged or imprisoned in 53 countries “in retaliation for posts about political or social causes”, and at least 40 countries, authorities blocked “social, political or religious content”. The report also noted that “64% of humanity lives in contexts where individuals have been attacked or killed for their online activity”, just in the last 2 years. The Action focuses on 10 countries where the Digital Rights situation is most at risk: Senegal, Tunisia, Kenya, Somalia, OPT, Uganda, Cambodia, Vietnam, El Salvador and Bolivia. Oxfam has years of experience working in all these countries, through local partners involved in digital rights, and via technical support/expertise with the Digital in Programs (DIP) Network at the Oxfam confederation and global level. All 10 of the countries selected are categorized by the Freedom House Global Freedom Index as either "Not Free” or "Partly Free”, and some have no score at all on the companion Internet Freedom Index. Each country context has a unique set of issues they confront in the digitalrights space, however, there are several common threads among the main problems identified in all focus countries. 1.) Citizenry and CSOs alike lack basic awareness of digital rights, access to digital resources and digital literacy, and the knowledge andtools to protect themselves against online threats. In many instances, the public do not have knowledge of, or access to, redress for any case of violation of these rights. In all these countries, there are high levels of internet illiteracy and unequalaccess. In Somalia, the general population are not even aware of their digital rights and largely remain uninformed about how to protect themselves against online threats or how to seek redress in instances of violations. Oxfam Somalia implemented a digital influencing campaign on women’s participation in politics through social media influencers in 2020 – 2021. One of the main lessons learned from that campaign is that capacity building to the partners on how to make effective campaigns in social media has huge potential to shape perceptions around social issues of importance in Somalia – currently social media reach is more than 1.63 million users daily on various digital platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.). Their subsequent influence on community-level discussions is significant and thus need to be shaped by appropriate information. CSOs in the LAC region face different issues regarding their digital rights. Oxfam has developed a diagnosis of digital capacities for partner organizations in Central America which has led us to develop the Policy for the Closing of Digital Civic Space for Central America and Latin America. One of the main problems identified is in terms of access and thelack of inclusive digital transformation.