Civil Society & International Mindedness (DP IB Geography)
Revision Note
Written by: Jacque Cartwright
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
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
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