The Gulf Center for Human Rights held a two-day conference centered on “Responding to the closure of civic space in the Gulf and MENA regions.” The meeting took place at Beirut’s Crowne Plaza Hotel on August 21 and 22. The conference aimed at creating a coalition to express a united voice against the closure of civic space in the Gulf and MENA regions and elaborate on ways to expand that space. International and regional organizations and activists were present, engaging in dialogue about the challenges faced by human rights defenders and NGOs in the Arab world. The SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom was obviously there.

 

But what do we mean by civic space and what problems does its limitation create? Civic space is the extent to which citizens can freely organize and participate in processes for political and/or social change. The closure of this space means, therefore, that citizens are becoming less able to perform such activities and see their fundamental rights curtailed. Many factors contribute to the closure of civic space. War, conflict and natural disasters create an unfavorable environment for the development of civic activism. At the same time, governments are the main actor that actively contributes to closing the civic space.

 

The Gulf and MENA regions are known for authoritarian governments that oppress citizens, often depriving them of their rights and liberties. Countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt are champions in this domain. But the problem is not limited in the Arab world. Russia, China and Venezuela are only a few examples. What is more, the terrorist threat, whether it is used merely as a pretext or not, has led many Western countries to take extensive security measures that directly harm their citizens' rights and liberties. France's prolonged state of emergency is one example; Trump's United States is another.

 

How shall civil society react to these violations? Ayman Mhanna, executive director of SKeyes, talked about preserving and creating new safe havens for civil society. Lebanon has been that space, against all odds, for years. Tunisia is starting to assume such a role too. But the creation of civic spaces nowadays is not restricted to physical space. New technologies can play an important role in expanding it. Also, seeking new ways of political activism, by creating political action committees lobbying donor governments, and including new actors in the fight, such as security and military forces from democratic countries, to put pressure on their Arab counterparts, could be other options in the strategy.