70 civil society organisations (CSOs) and activists from 41 countries gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa, for a 3-day gathering to reconnect and share their strategies against securitisation-related restrictions on civic freedoms in November 2024. This year, the Global CfT Hub experienced significant growth, with a large number of first-time participants joining alongside a few familiar faces. The dedication of the participants was evident, with some traveling over 10 hours, and a few even more than 24 hours to attend.
Under the theme ‘Reclaiming Civic Freedoms from the Security Paradigm: Celebrating Success, Imagining a Better Future’, this diverse group spent the event reconnecting and sharing strategies for tackling the growing restrictions on civil society focusing on:
- how CSOs and activists can strategically use the latest FATF Recommendation 8 changes to push back against AML/CFT over-regulation and harmful impact on civil society activities;
- financial access challenges, crowdfunding and philanthropy; as well as
- digital surveillance of activists and CSOs in the name of counter-terrorism and security.
Here are the key highlights from the fruitful sessions and discussions.
What skills, tools and insights did participants gain at the Hub meeting?
Building resilience: Hub members strengthened their ability to adapt and respond to challenges, such as restrictions on civic freedoms and the impacts of biometric surveillance on CSOs. Inspired by the recent ECNL report, they learned ways to resist biometric surveillance in their countries.
Sharing knowledge and fostering collaboration:
- They also learnt insights from colleagues from Uganda, Brazil, Libya, India, Ukraine, North Macedonia, and shared practical solutions to common challenges, such as de-risking and multistakeholder engagement, fostering solidarity and mutual support among CSOs.
- Hub members shared practical solutions to address harms of de-risking and how to save online resources, such as crowdfunding platforms from AML/CFT-inspired restrictions.
- The discussion of a report by the Centre for Finance and Security (CFS) at RUSI opened opportunities for strengthening and innovating resilience.
Enhancing advocacy skills and practical applications:
- The Hub met with the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Gina Romero, to explore the intersection of counterterrorism, diverse facets of CSO activities, engaging with diverse stakeholders and how we address the increasing polarisation among groups, many of which are part of CSOs.
- Participants gained actionable guidance on how to leverage FATF Recommendation 8, crowdfunding platforms, and addressing national-level NPO risk assessments to push back against overregulation and strengthen civic freedoms.
Networking and peer support: The workshop offered plenty of opportunities for partners to connect with their peers, building collaborative networks for mutual empowerment as well as finding solidarity and resilience in peer-to-peer support discussions on a regional, national and global level.
Engaging with key institutions: The meeting also hosted a consultation with the UN Office of Counter Terrorism (UN OCT) on goFintel software, allowing partners to inquire and engage in further dialogue about the software's effects and provide recommendations for human rights safeguards ensuring that CSO perspectives shape global and national policies.
What are the next steps and key needs identified by Hub members?
Hub members suggested exploring a number of follow-up activities and tools to deepen engagement with each other and involve other experts in the future.
Capacity sharing and skill enhancement to strengthen expertise and practical abilities:
- Periodic webinars and peer support sessions to enhance skills and address emerging topics prioritised by members;
- Clarity on FATF evaluations and risk assessments that provide structured opportunities to learn about and participate in risk assessments and evaluation processes with key stakeholders.
Networking and strategic connections to foster meaningful interactions and partnerships:
- More frequent follow-up meetings at the regional level that promote regular engagement and tailored collaboration among regional actors;
- Opportunities for more networking and strategising to facilitate connections both in-person and online, organised by region and thematic interests;
- Bilateral meetings with UN and international high-level experts: Enable direct exchanges with decision-makers and experts to advance shared goals.
Advocacy and collaborative action to amplify collective voices and achieve policy impact:
- Collaborative research and joint advocacy initiatives to develop stronger unified publications;
- Joint efforts on evidence gathering and written statements to influence global and national policies.
ECNL will continue to support Hub members’ country and regional-level work through online and offline tools and resources to facilitate learning, mentoring and exchanges. We extend our gratitude to all Hub members for an incredibly productive couple of days!
For more resources and country profiles, visit ECNL’s Learning Center on Security and CT.
Are you interested to learn more and join the work of the Global CFT Expert Hub? Send us an e-mail!