May, Wednesday 13, 2026
How will the shifting landscape of civic space redefine the fight for human rights and systemic justice over the next decade?
Most strategic planning relies on the status quo, but to support social movements in a Just Transition, we must pressure-test our strategies against emerging realities and uncertainties. Strategic foresight is a disciplined approach to exploring possible futures rather than predicting one outcome.
In this EDGEy Wednesday session we moved beyond ‘business as usual’ to present a collaborative future analysis of civic space and hosted a dialogue on its practical implications for a movement centered philanthropy.
This Civic Space Future Analysis is the result of a collective effort within the Global Protection Community of Practice, chaired by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Humanity United and ActionAid Denmark —a multistakeholder network of over 80+ members, including grassroots-aligned donors, state actors, and CSOs.
To ground this global analysis in lived experience and local realities, we were joined by experts providing regional perspectives from East and Southern Africa and Asia Pacific. Together, we discussed how these future shifts intersect with local movement-building and the struggle for systemic justice on the ground.
SESSION HIGLIGHTS
Systemic Analysis
A presentation of key future trends and drivers disrupting civic space and social movements globally.
Regional Grounding
Deep-dive insights into how these shifts are reshaping the frontlines of human rights and democracy work in Africa and Asia.
Foresight as Powershifting
A dialogue on how we can use foresight as a tool to navigate uncertainty—not just as a tool for “planning,” but as a method to build more adaptive, resilient strategies that support self-determination and movement-led change.
