Analysing the resilience of rights-based civil society organisations (CSOs) in the era of (de) securitisation: Insights from Ethiopia

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article investigates the resilience of rights-based Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Ethiopia amidst restrictive legal frameworks, particularly the Proclamation No. 621/2009 Charities and Societies Proclamation (CSP), government securitisation, ongoing conflicts, and subsequent regulations. Using a qualitative research method, the study employed purposive sampling and key informant interviews, supplemented by secondary data. The findings indicate that despite significant challenges, including a restrictive legal environment and operational hurdles, CSOs play a crucial role in peacebuilding, democracy, human rights promotion, and conflict resolution. While some CSOs adopted themselves to unrestricted thematic areas and rescaled their geographic scope to fit government expectations, others were resilient continuing to work on peacebuilding and other rights based themes. Some of the methods used to navigate the restrictive legal and political environment include leveraging personal connections with high level political figures, trade-off with government by serving it as a bridge to engage with critical constituencies, informal channels of fundraising as well as voluntarism.