Civil Society & International Mindedness (DP IB Geography): Revision Note

Defining Civil Society

• A civil society has the power to promote international-mindedness and the participation of citizens in global interactions

• Civil societies are not-for-profit, voluntary community-based groups, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs), faith-based organisations, academic institutions and trade unions

• They negotiate issues of public concern between the private sector, the state, and households

• They cover a wide range of interests, including:

  • Environmental issues

  • Equal human rights

  • Humanitarian issues

  • International peace

• Civil societies play an important role in pushing for new laws, programmes, policies, or strategies

Civil society and spread of information

• The increasing ease of accessing the internet, social media and mobile phone technology has given individuals the power to act as virtual citizens

• The size of social networks and the speed of at which information is exchanged have changed how people engage and express their views

• This forces industry, government and international organisations to respond to the multitude of online voices

  • Some governments have already responded by using online public consultation

  • Both Egypt and Iceland used online engagement to 'crowd-source' feedback on new or proposed national policies

• The spread of online information has, therefore, changed the way local people expect to be treated and given them the power to bring about a global change

• Global Action Networks (GANs) are local multi-stakeholder networks that are organised around specific issues and spread information about global issues such as climate change, poverty, health, education, and human rights and security

Social Media & Internet Freedoms

• Although more than 5 billion people use the internet, online freedom depends on location

• Government and its agencies can monitor personal videos and messages, track locations, control data and information or block access to the Internet

• AI could be manipulated to provide censored answers or 'fake' information, making the spread of disinformation easier, faster, cheaper and more effective

• Digital platforms can be forced to remove information that isn't favourable to those in power

• In response, civil societies are working to strengthened policies for global internet freedom to address both new and long-standing threats to privacy, free expression and access to information

• Freedom on the Net monitors and produce a report that ranks country-by-country on the level of online freedom that their citizens have

  • The authoritarian regimes of Myanmar and Iran, executed people convicted of online expression crimes

  • Belarus and Nicaragua gave hard prison sentences to people for anti-government online speech

  • Philippines president Duterte, blocked news sites critical of his administration using an anti-terrorism law

• Activists and civil societies use the information to draw attention to their government’s online policies and to call for positive change, for instance:

  • In Nigeria, the 2014 Bill of Digital Rights and Freedom was drafted by civil society

  • NGOs in Pakistan used the project to press their government on their internet freedom record

• International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations (UN) specialised agency for digital technology and established in 1865 to manage the first international telegraph networks

  • Every three to four years the World Radiocommunication Conferences (WRC) are held to review, and, if necessary, revise the international treaty on Radio Regulations

• The Global Internet Freedom Project established in 2011, researches and informs policymakers on issues relating to online content regulation, data protection, harmful speech and disinformation, privacy rights, industry self-regulation and fair usage

• Greater Internet Freedom (GIF) supports local groups to build digital rights and security around the world

  • For example the majority of countries in West Africa do not have laws to govern or regulate online activity

  • Many Arab countries maintain government approaches to setting internet policy over civil society engagement

• Social media is proven in mobilising attention and accountability to women's rights along with challenging discrimination and stereotypes around the world

  • Social media can increase access to technology

  • It increases representation in the media, public and working life

  • Social media brings gender equality issues to the fore in policy making

  • Examples include

    • # activism

    • Tackling violence against women

    • Public accountability towards gender equality