📅 April 21–23, 2026 (EDT)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Brought Together by Resilient Societies & Cooperation Canada – Founding Partners Engaged in the Protection of Civic Space.
The Ottawa Civic Space Summit is a new global platform to resist repression, reclaim civic power, and reimagine a more inclusive democratic future. This bold gathering will bring together civil society leaders, civic space activists, governments, donors, media, academics, and private sector allies to ignite hope and drive change.
Summit Objectives
Defend civic space as a cornerstone of democracy, rights, justice and sustainable development. Catalyze global momentum and political will to invest in and protect civic freedoms as foundational for social progress across all dimensions of sustainable development.
Reclaim civic space by strengthening collective resistance to its repression and fostering collaboration. Foster partnerships among governments, civil society, media, academia, and the private sector to counter the global rollback of civic space. Elevate the leadership, voices, and agency of youth, women, Indigenous peoples, refugees and displaced people, racialized communities, LGBTQI+ persons, and other marginalized groups.
Reimagine civic space to chart inclusive futures grounded in learning, creativity, and collective action. Advance transformative research, innovative tools, and coordinated strategies that respond to past and present challenges—while inspiring renewed vision, resilience, and inclusive civic renewal.
Join Us
Whether you’re a civic leader, community organizer, donor, policymaker, researcher, journalist, artist or ally—this summit is your space to connect, strategize, and shape what comes next. Let’s ignite hope and co-create the future of civic space – together.
