Engaging in Shrinking Space – a response manual for German development actors

This policy-oriented project was commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and conducted in cooperation with the Sector Program “Promoting Good Governance” of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). Its goal was to provide orientation for German development actors working in the diverse contexts of shrinking space, that is in contexts in which the space for (the external support of) civil society organizations is significantly restricted. The project produced a “response manual” that a broad range of actors – BMZ and GIZ personnel, NGO employees, members of political foundations – can use as practical guide for their work assignments abroad. Beyond an assessment of the shrinking space phenomenon in all its expressions, the bulk of the consultancy work thus consisted of identifying and analyzing existing learning experiences and drawing from these systematic conclusions that might be helpful in similar contexts.