The Widening Civil Society Space in the Horn of Africa project seeks to strengthen regional solidarity and collective action among civil society actors by creating opportunities for learning, collaboration, and coordinated responses to civic space challenges across the region. The initiative promotes knowledge exchange, peer learning, and collective advocacy to strengthen resilience and improve strategies for responding to increasingly restrictive operating environments.
Recognizing the growing challenges facing civil society organizations across the Horn of Africa, KACE initiated the establishment of the Horn of Africa Civil Society Forum in 2016 as a regional platform bringing together civil society actors to strengthen civic space, promote human rights, and support democratic governance.
The Forum was created to foster solidarity, knowledge sharing, and coordinated action in response to increasing restrictions affecting civil society organizations across the region. Through regional cooperation, members work together to monitor civic space developments, strengthen organizational capacity, and advocate for an enabling environment where civil society can operate freely, safely, and independently.
Over the years, the Forum has grown into a strong regional network. By 2026, membership had expanded to 70 member organizations from 11 countries across East Africa and the Horn of Africa, reflecting a shared commitment to protecting civic space and advancing human rights, accountability, and citizen participation.
Although project funding concluded in 2024, the Forum continues to serve as an important platform for collaboration, learning, monitoring, and collective advocacy—strengthening the resilience and voice of civil society organizations across the region.
The overarching aim of the project is to expand civic space and strengthen civil society action to promote human rights and good governance across the 11 member countries. This is achieved through advocacy, strengthening the capacity of civil society organizations to respond to volatile and dynamic operating environments, and supporting regional monitoring and evaluation of civic space trends and restrictions.
Project Objectives
- Strengthen the capacity of Forum members in organizational resilience, physical security, and digital security to enable safer and more effective civic engagement.
- Enhance the capacity of Forum members to monitor civic space developments and produce regular reports on fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression, freedom of association, and freedom of organization.
- Build the capacity of Forum members in advocacy, networking, and strategic engagement, including effective use of regional and international human rights mechanisms, particularly those of the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU).
Project Activities
- Strengthening the capacity of Horn of Africa Forum members through training and technical support.
- Coordinating collective advocacy efforts to promote policies and practices that protect and expand civic space.
- Establishing and maintaining a regional monitoring and reporting mechanism to document civic space developments and publish monitoring reports.
- Facilitating exchange visits among civil society leaders across the region to encourage collaboration, peer learning, and stronger regional solidarity.
