With more than 20 years’ experience strengthening civil society, IREX has helped promote partnerships between government, media, and communities to foster accountability, elevate citizen voices, and address public needs. As closing spaces threaten civic freedoms, the key role of civil society organizations (CSOs) cannot be neglected. IREX’s Swathi Balasubramanian, a Senior Program Officer working on democracy, governance, and media initiatives, has extensive experience with CSOs in the field – from spearheading civil society development programs in the Middle East to helping build the capacity of the BOTA Foundation in Kazakhstan. In a recent interview, Swathi shared her perspectives on the role of CSOs and key obstacles to their success within challenging environments.
With more than 20 years’ experience strengthening civil society throughout Eurasia, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, IREX has helped promote partnerships between government, media, and communities to foster accountability, elevate citizen voices, and address public needs. As closing spaces threaten civic freedoms, the key role of civil society organizations (CSOs) cannot be neglected.
