Building Dialogue Between Government and Civil Society (Discussion Notes)

On December 13, 2022, OGP convened the second meeting of the Democratic Freedoms Learning Network, which provides a forum for dialogue among reformers to advance efforts to protect democratic freedoms and civic space, including upholding rights of assembly, association, expression, and privacy.

This meeting was the first of a series of smaller meetings to discuss specific topics and create spaces for learning and exchange. The meeting focused on initial steps to create and facilitate dialogue between government and civil society and the steps and structures needed to support ongoing engagement. It focused on engagement with organized civil society rather than citizen engagement – including government-NGO platforms, standing consultative bodies or more informal NGO led spaces for exchange.

The meeting looked at:

• the building blocks for engagement with civil society;
• steps towards creating spaces for exchanges; and 
• the safeguards needed to ensure spaces are and remain spaces for critical reflection.

Explore an overview of the meeting below.

Read this blog post for quick highlights.