The Civil Society Index (CSI) was conducted in 2009-2011 by the NGO Support Centre in co-operation with the Management Centre of the Mediterranean (Cyprus), and was funded by UNDP – ACT.
Aims and purposes
The Civil Society Index (CSI) is a participatory action-research project implemented by civil society organisations in partnership with CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation. The study assesses the state of civil society around the world with the aim of strengthening areas of weakness and challenge. It is implemented in about 60 countries so comparability between countries is a major strength of the study. The results of the CIVICUS: CSI Report for Cyprus facilitated planning of future strategies to strengthen civil society and CSO strategic operations, and helped to address the framework in which civil society operates. The study findings represent the main thematic issues affecting civil society across the island, building on a previous study undertaken in 2005. The research is a tool for greater civil society action and advocacy to influence public policy in the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities in Cyprus.
Main activities and products
The main product was the publication of the CIVICUS report entitled ‘An Assessment of Civil Society in Cyprus. A Map for the Future – 2011’. The full report can be found here. To conclude the report a number of activities took place including consultation with CSOs to determine the type of formal management structures and systems, a review of best practices employed by CSOs in Cyprus particularly around issues of peace and reconciliation, and a comparison with other studies in the Middle East and North Africa.
