Event Approach
International Civil Society Week (ICSW) is a global gathering for civil society to connect, debate and create shared solutions. ICSW brings participants together, not just as participants, but as co-creators and co-owners. Through a ‘partnered’ approach, organisations pool their resources to convene a diverse international group of civil society leaders.
The event is held in places of political and social significance, in public spaces versus traditional conferencing venues. ICSW event sessions focus on interactive and immersive encounters with diverse actors from around the world. The result – a thoughtfully planned event that forges connections to share ideas, catalyse positive social change, exchange tools that enhance citizen action, and celebrate people power.
Event History
Since 1995, CIVICUS has convened people and organisations from disparate sectors, themes, regions and backgrounds to work together to find solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.
In 2014, International Civil Society Week was launched in Johannesburg, South Africa as a co-owned and co-created space for the CIVICUS alliance to bring together its collective knowledge, skills, expertise, influence and power.
The overall goal is to strengthen civil society and citizen action to build a more just, inclusive and sustainable world.
Event Principles
- Inclusion: making sure that people affected by our work are represented in our events
- Equality: reflecting gender equality and non-discrimination in our panels
- Sustainability: being environmentally conscious and minimising harm to the planet
- Transparency: sharing our successes and failures so that we contribute to a learning environment
- Diversity: bringing together diverse stakeholders to discuss complex problems
- Participation: providing space for event attendees to engage in meaningful dialogue