Delegitimizing Civil Society: Global Perspectives

Recording of the Maecenata Foundation, Why Philanthropy Matters and Deutsch-Britische Gesellschaft event held on 29 October 2026. How can we defend civil society against growing attacks on their legitimacy? In many countries around the world, civil society organisations (CSOs) are facing increasing attacks on their legitimacy. Autocrats and populists portray them as „enemies of the people“ or as tools of hidden elites, using such narratives to justify laws and policies that restrict fundamental freedoms – including freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and the right to protest. Increasingly, these attacks are no longer limited to authoritarian contexts. Politicians who might once have recognised or even championed the important role of civil society within a healthy democracy are also adopting narratives that undermine its legitimacy and portray independent civil society as a threat to political power. Against this challenging backdrop, the Maecenata Foundation and Why Philanthropy Matters, in cooperation with the Deutsch-Britische Gesellschaft, brought together an international panel of experts to discuss: What lies behind attacks on the legitimacy of civil society? How are these narratives being developed and disseminated? What can we do to counter them? How can we defend civil society – and democracy – against further attacks? Speakers: Catherine Anite, Human Rights Lawyer, Uganda Marwa el-Daly, American University in Cairo, Egypt Rhodri Davies, Why Philanthropy Matters, United Kingdom Benjamin Gidron, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel Mark Sidel, University of Wisconsin–Madison and International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), United States Rupert Graf Strachwitz, Maecenata Foundation, Germany Chair: Ansgar Gessner, Maecenata Foundation This event brought together perspectives from different regions and disciplines to explore a challenge that is becoming increasingly important for civil society worldwide: the defence not only of civic space, but also of the legitimacy of civil society itself. Organised by: Maecenata Foundation and Why Philanthropy Matters In cooperation with: Deutsch-Britische Gesellschaft www.maecenata.eu