Diverse Influencing Approaches in Closing Civic Space Contexts: Experiences from Oxfam and Partners

Around the world, civil society faces increasing restrictions as governments curtail freedoms of association, expression and participation. Oxfam’s Civic Space Knowledge Hub sheds light on these challenges in its latest learning report, “Diverse Influencing Approaches in Closing Civic Space Contexts.” Drawing on a nine-month participatory exercise across five countries in four regions, classified by CIVICUS as “closed,” “repressed,” or “obstructed,” the report explores how local actors and their allies navigate challenging environments to keep civic action alive. 

Framed by the central question, “How do we influence differently in restricted environments?,” the report identifies eight core strategies that civil society organisations employ to adapt and survive. These range from subtle, community-based programming and locally led partnerships, to shifting narratives, forging broad alliances, leveraging digital and alternative media, producing evidence-based research and engaging international advocacy channels when domestic space is limited. 

Key strategies include: 

• Working inside and outside the country in combining local programme delivery with international advocacy, leveraging networks in Brussels, Geneva or Washington to guide decisions by the European Union (EU), African Union (AU), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and US policymakers.
• Shifting targets and narratives by engaging diverse stakeholders (religious or community leaders, judiciary and other influencers) to reframe narratives when direct advocacy is too risky and using storytelling to rebuild trust within civil society before reaching wider audiences.
• Programming as influence by embedding change through long-term development programmes in areas like agriculture, gender or humanitarian assistance, subtly shaping social norms and practices where public campaigning is unsafe.
• Strengthening localisation/locally led approaches by empowering local partners, women’s rights groups, youth and grassroots movements to lead consortia in programme design, implementation and influencing strategies, with International NGOs playing a supportive role (technical and capacity-building).
• Using alternative and digital media through participatory film, storytelling, blogs and online platforms to amplify voices safely and engage communities, particularly the youth, while mitigating risks under increasing censorship and surveillance.
• Producing evidence-based data by partnering with universities, think tanks and research institutions to generate credible data, document human rights violations, protect activists and create spaces for dialogue and indirect advocacy. 

The report stresses the need for donors and allies to provide flexible, core funding, support risk management, prioritise safety and digital security, back solidarity platforms connecting in-country and exiled actors, and adopt adaptive, feminist approaches to partnerships. It also calls for recognising diverse forms of impact beyond rigid metrics/indicators. The lessons are clear: in closing civic spaces, progress can be fragile or uneven, sometimes taking the form of survival, cohesion or small incremental gains. Yet, hope, innovation and solidarity remain powerful drivers of resilience, where small victories today can lay the foundation for longer-term democratic change.