On 30th November 2022, the International Civil Society Centre (ICSC) hosted the online edition of the annual Global Perspectives event. Every year, national and international civil society leaders gather at the global conference with people passionate about doing social good to exchange ideas and experiences, make connections and address the world’s most pressing challenges. This year, participants worldwide joined the one-day online sessions, focusing on how the sector is transforming, taking the opportunity to showcase their different initiatives.
Ms. Marija Vishinova Shemova, BCSDN’s Communication and Information Officer, took part in the conference session on The Global Standard: a tool to preserve, promote and expand civic space. The other speakers of the session were Ms. Jocelyn Condon, the Chief Operating Officer at the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), and Ms. Emeline Siale Ilolahia, the Executive Director of Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organisation (PIANGO).
During her speech, Ms. Vishinova Shemova unpacked the concept of “dynamic accountability” and reflected on BCSDN’s partnership in the Global Standard for CSO Accountability and its work around “dynamic accountability”. Asked about how the BCSDN’s members also used the Global Standard in their efforts on the national level, Marija reflected on the Macedonian Centre for International Cooperation (MCIC) and Partners Albania for Change and Development initiatives on delivering and promoting the national civil society codes.
The event was finalized with speakers’ recommendations on how CSOs practitioners could advance the civic space. On this note, the speakers emphasized that improving the external environment to enable civil society development in shrinking civic space requires improvement “from within”, and encouraged CSOs to continue with their activism and remain open and alert despite criticism, especially in times of inequality, insecurity, health crises, and climate change challenges.