IDRC supports the inaugural Ottawa Civic Space Summit
Hosted at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Canada, the summit will bring together leaders from civil society, government, donor organizations, media, academia and the private sector to take stock of rapidly shifting risks and identify practical pathways for collaboration.
Taking place at a moment of growing strain on civic freedoms worldwide, the summit offers a timely opportunity to examine how civic space — the arenas where people organize, express themselves and influence decisions — is being reshaped by disinformation, digital surveillance and restrictive governance. Through its sponsorship and active programming, IDRC is helping anchor the summit’s focus on practical, evidence‑informed responses. By convening panels and elevating the voices of its grantees, IDRC will spotlight how locally grounded knowledge can inform action, connect community realities to policy debates and support those working to keep civic participation open, inclusive and effective across regions.
Discover panels featuring IDRC or its grantees
This plenary will examine the structural drivers behind the global repression of civic space and democratic freedoms. Bringing together leaders from civil society, the discussion will explore how political power, technology, economic interests and security narratives are used to constrain civic participation.
At a time when civic space is shrinking across the globe, research has emerged as a critical tool to help societies reimagine how people participate, organize and hold power to account. In this panel, civil society leaders will share experiences of how they are deploying evidence, learning and locally grounded knowledge — from IDRC-supported research across regions — to identify what works in defending and re-imagining civic space.
As global priorities increasingly shift toward trade, investment and security, this discussion reframes civil society and social innovation actors as essential contributors to economic governance. Bringing together government, civil society and multilateral partners, this dialogue will examine how strengthening civic space supports inclusive and sustainable investment, while highlighting practical partnerships that elevate citizen voice as a pillar of shared prosperity.
IDRC supports locally led research that helps protect and expand civic space, grounded in the realities of communities across Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia. Working with researchers, many of whom are embedded in civil society movements and policy ecosystems, IDRC‑supported teams are generating practical evidence and tools to better understand what drives closing civic space and to test approaches that keep participation open, inclusive, and effective.
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