WASHINGTON, D.C., DECEMBER 11, 2014 – Yesterday Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. (AKF USA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) convened an interactive panel discussion with over 100 representatives of civil society, academia, development partners, and think tanks at the Global Trends in Civil Society Resilience: Opportunities and Challenges. The panel highlighted the latest findings from the USAID and Aga Khan Foundation-supported Civil Society Organization Sustainability Index (CSOSI) reports. First developed by USAID in 1997, the CSOSI enables users to track developments and identify trends in the civil society sector over time while allowing for cross-country and cross-region comparison.

In September 2013, President Obama launched Stand with Civil Society, a global call to action to support, defend, and sustain civil society amid a rising tide of restrictions on its operations globally, stating: “If you want strong, successful countries, you need strong, vibrant civil societies. When citizens are free to organize and work together across borders to make our communities healthier, our environment cleaner, and our world safer, that’s when real change comes.” This past September, President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum on Deepening U.S. Government Efforts to Collaborate with and Strengthen Civil Society, directing U.S. agencies to defend and strengthen civil society abroad.

The USAID-Aga Khan Foundation event was an opportunity to discuss global trends and share best practices related to civil society resilience to continue moving forward in keeping with the President’s initiatives. Claire Ehmann, Civil Society and Media Division Chief, USAID’s Center of Excellence on Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance, opened the event with introductory remarks. The discussion featured Paige Alexander, USAID Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Europe and Eurasia, who moderated a panel with Dr. Mirza Jahani, CEO of Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A.; Amy Hawthorne, Resident Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East; and Alex Sardar, Vice President of Programs, Counterpart International.

Read the full press release here.