A collective reflection from the Global Policy Forum on Development (PFD) Meeting 2025
By: David Kode (Hivos), Ine Van Severen (CIVICUS), Pallavi Rekhi (VANI), Zaya Naran (Transparency International), and Marie L’Hostis (Forus), EU SEE consortium partners and members
As the global landscape becomes increasingly volatile, civil society actors face new and growing pressures. Amidst these challenges, the 2025 Global Policy Forum on Development (PFD), held in Brussels from 17 to 19 June, offered a rare opportunity for reflection and recommitment.
The EU System for an Enabling Environment for Civil Society (EU SEE) network presented recent alerts and research findings during the session titled “Standing Strong in the Storm: Civil Society Under Threat, Enabling Environments Under Pressure.” This session highlighted a crucial truth: protecting civil society means more than preserving “civic space”—it means cultivating an enabling environment where civil society can thrive, sustainably and safely.
“EU SEE is not simply about observing threats—it is about providing a framework to respond proactively and strategically,” said David Kode, EU SEE Global Programme Manager at Hivos. “It equips civil society and decision-makers with the tools to act early and decisively.”
A System for Strategic, Grounded Action
EU SEE is coordinated by Hivos and implemented with CIVICUS, Transparency International, Forus, Democracy Reporting International, and the European Partnership for Democracy, together with national members in 86 countries across the globe. Its model combines national insight with international advocacy to monitor, analyze, and respond to trends in the enabling environment for civil society, through three interlocking tools:
- Early Warning Mechanism (EWM): Ongoing monitoring to detect real-time developments affecting the enabling environment. Alerts—whether signaling deterioration, improvement, or opportunity—inform fast, coordinated responses.
- Enabling Environment Snapshots (EES): Published three times a year, these concise snapshots offer a recent overview of trends and shifts across six key principles.
- Country Focus Reports (CFRs): In-depth annual assessments that assign scores, track patterns, and provide qualitative analysis of the national context. The first wave will be published in July.
“EU SEE moves beyond asking what is happening. It digs into why, to whom, and what can be done,” said Ine Van Severen, Civic Space Research Cluster Lead at CIVICUS. “It empowers donors, CSOs, governments and other stakeholders to take meaningful action before environments deteriorate further.”
Six Principles, One Reality: India’s Story
In a powerful presentation, Pallavi Rekhi of Voluntary Action Network India (VANI) walked participants through how EU SEE is being localized in India—where civic action persists despite tightening legal and digital constraints.
“India’s enabling environment is not closed, but it is increasingly contested. Through EU SEE, we’re able to go beyond the headlines and provide intelligence rooted in lived realities—so that civil society, donors, and the EU can take action before it’s too late,” said Pallavi.
Each of the six enabling environment principles monitored by EU SEE tells part of the story in India and beyond:
- Respect and Protection of Fundamental Freedoms: Rights enshrined in law are curtailed by emergency measures like Section 144 and vaguely defined security laws such as the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which create a climate of fear among activists and NGOs.
- Supportive Legal and Regulatory Framework: The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), especially after recent amendments, has become a tool of control rather than transparency. Over 6,000 NGOs have lost licenses since 2020.
- Accessible and Sustainable Resources: Despite rising domestic philanthropy, rights-based and community-rooted CSOs are increasingly excluded from funding, labeled as “political” or “controversial.”
- Open and Responsive State: While some subnational initiatives foster collaboration, national-level platforms remain inactive, leaving civil society without formal entry points into policymaking.
- Supportive Public Culture and Discourses: A growing narrative portraying civil society as “anti-national” undermines trust and emboldens surveillance and harassment.
- Secure Digital Environment: From IT rules enabling mass censorship to routine internet shutdowns, India’s digital space has become increasingly unsafe for dissenting voices—especially women and marginalized communities.
Pallavi Rekhi’s remarks emphasized how EU SEE addresses the full ecosystem—legal frameworks, resource accessibility, public discourse, state openness, digital integrity, and civil freedoms—moving beyond reactive narratives to long-term, proactive strengthening of civil society infrastructure.
“Our goal is not academic observation. We aim to use EU SEE intelligence to advocate through EU Delegation channels, guide donor strategies, and contribute to regional solidarity platforms,” explained Pallavi Rekhi. “But for this to work, we need support for country-level dialogue and finances to fund small and medium CSOs through flexible, long-term support.”
A Strategic Platform for Collective Response
What sets EU SEE apart is its dual nature as both a knowledge system and an advocacy accelerator for a collective response. In an era where the enabling environment is narrowing across borders—not just in fragile democracies but also in long-standing ones—EU SEE provides a shared platform for timely response and collaborative engagement. As Marie L’Hostis, Advocacy Coordinator at Forus, noted in her intervention:
“We are not just collecting data. We are building a learning system that feeds into national advocacy, regional solidarity, and international diplomacy. EU SEE allows us to move from incident-based response to trend-based prevention—anchored in civil society’s own voice,” Marie L’Hostis explained. “But we know that the narrowing of enabling environments is not just a civil society issue—it affects governance, democracy, development, and human rights. That’s why this work must be collective. EU SEE is a tool to help us get there—together.”
This participatory, action-oriented model ensures that evidence is not just stored but that it can be used—by local groups, EU Delegations, donors, and partners worldwide.
The Stakes—and the Opportunity
As the PFD meeting underscored, the road to rescuing the 2030 Agenda and collective rights runs through strong, independent, and resilient civil societies. But this cannot be achieved without actively promoting enabling environments: where civil society can operate safely, access resources, engage in policy dialogue, and foster public trust. For Zaya Naran, Development & Partnerships Officer at Transparency International, this collective power is essential:
“An enabling environment for civic space is not just a legal construct; it’s about whether civil society can truly thrive. EU SEE helps us focus on that bigger picture and act on it before conditions deteriorate further,” emphasized Zaya. “The storm is here. EU SEE helps us navigate it—not alone, but as a community prepared to act.”
In this era of rising global tension, the EU SEE programme stands as both a warning signal and a guiding light. It reminds us that defending civil society requires more than resilience—it requires proactive, coordinated, and well-informed action.