Foreword

Civil society is working through a period of growing digital uncertainty. Organisations rely on systems and platforms that are shifting quickly, often in ways that limit civic space, increase operational risk and reduce the ability of communities to organise safely. Funding pressures, political constraints and uneven digital capacity make this harder across many regions.

At the same time, new approaches are emerging. Across different movements and contexts, practitioners are testing models that give communities greater control over data, decisionmaking and digital infrastructure. Experiments with public-interest technology, shared governance and decentralised systems are still in the early stages, but they offer useful signals about what more resilient civic infrastructure could look like.

This report, prepared for the CIVICUS Coalition Hub, brings together a curated set of these developments. It draws on global discussions at International Civil Society Week, MozFest, Web Summit and recent digital sovereignty gatherings, alongside conversations with technologists, organisers and researchers. It is not a complete map of the field, but an attempt to surface promising ideas, relevant risks and practical entry points for CIVICUS and civil society actors exploring this space.

The aim is straightforward: to help leaders, organisers and partners build a clearer view of the landscape and identify where experimentation may strengthen people-powered action. No single organisation can do this alone, but shared understanding and collaborative effort can put civil society in a stronger position to shape the next generation of digital infrastructure.