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The Protection and Promotion of Civic Space

Strengthening Alignment with International Standards and Guidance

image of The Protection and Promotion of Civic Space

The past decade has seen increasing international recognition of civic space as a cornerstone of functioning democracies, alongside efforts to promote and protect it. Countries that foster civic space are better placed to reap the many benefits of higher levels of citizen engagement, strengthened transparency and accountability, and empowered citizens and civil society. In the longer term, a vibrant civic space can help to improve government effectiveness and responsiveness, contribute to more citizen-centred policies, and boost social cohesion. This first OECD comparative report on civic space offers a baseline of data from 33 OECD Members and 19 non-Members and a nuanced overview of the different dimensions of civic space, with a focus on civic freedoms, media freedoms, civic space in the digital age, and the enabling environment for civil society. It provides an exhaustive review of legal frameworks, policies, strategies, and institutional arrangements, in addition to implementation gaps, trends and good practices. The analysis is complemented by a review of international standards and guidance, in addition to data and analysis from civil society and other stakeholders.

English

Media freedoms and civic space in the digital age for transparency, accountability and citizen participation

This chapter provides an overview of the status of press freedom and civic space in a digitalised world, including relevant legal frameworks. It discusses harassment and attacks targeting journalists and makes suggestions on building the necessary enabling environment for reliable, fact-based journalism. It considers the protection of online civic space for citizens and related challenges such as hate speech and mis- and disinformation. It concludes with an analysis of the importance of personal data protection for civic space and safeguarding civic freedoms in the context of increased use of artificial intelligence (AI).

English

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