A/HRC/35/28 B. 1. Imagining a world without civil society Civil society’s contribution in a historical context 16. Although civil society formations have only gained prominence in the last few decades, civil society has played a central role in addressing some of the greatest injustices in human history. One cannot speak of the success of the nineteenth century anti-slavery movement without highlighting the role played by faith-based individuals and groups, philanthropists, writers and political figures. The luminaries of the civil rights movement in the United States — activists weary of the oppression and discrimination they experienced on a daily basis — belonged to a variety of civil society organizations, religious institutions, local grass-roots groups and students’ movements. Similarly, the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa was mainly characterized by concerted national and international civic resistance by communities, young people, women, students, workers, cultural and sports associations and other groups, such as those under the umbrella of the United Democratic Front, together with armed resistance groups. 17. The struggle against colonialism in several parts of the world and resistance to authoritarianism in Latin America and Eastern Europe also illustrates the strong ties that existed between workers’ groups, the political opposition and other civil society groups. The women’s rights movement and trade unions fought for, and achieved, many advancements around the world, including the right to vote for women; the reduction of child labour; and the advancement of worker’s rights, which included eight-hour working days, two-day weekends, a minimum wage and paid holidays. These groups and their large constituencies have also played a key role in many broader-based struggles. 18. At the heart of all these movements was a strong attachment to the values of preserving human freedom, dignity and rights, the necessity of active participation in decisions that affect one’s life and livelihood, self-determination, resistance to the State’s interference in private life and liberation from foreign domination. The ability of people to aggregate their voices, to assemble to express support or dissent, to volunteer their time and resources to a cause and to access funding from all available sources was central to the success of these movements. These freedoms were often exercised in the face of tremendous opposition by the State, frequently at great personal cost. These movements were not just national; their ideals were shared and supported at the regional, continental and international level by other civil society groups. 19. In the development field, civil society has played a prominent role in critiquing, establishing and strengthening empowering discourses. If we recall the role in the last few decades of protestors during the “Arab Awakening”, the Indignados movement in Spain, the peaceful anti-austerity demonstrations in Greece, the Occupy movement, antiglobalization protests and other movements in focusing attention on the gross inequalities that result from pervasive social and economic injustice. The Occupy movement’s rallying call, “We are the 99 per cent”, succinctly illustrated the gross economic inequalities between the vast majority of global citizens and the tiny minority that controls capital, political influence and means of production. Women’s movements, meanwhile, have emphasized the inequalities that women suffer by having to take on more caregiving work, which is unrecognized and disregarded in a monetized economy, and the impact of weakening labour protection on a burgeoning informal sector dominated by women workers. These movements succeeded in mobilizing people across the globe to express their dissatisfaction with current global economic arrangements, illustrating the ability of ordinary people — comprising the diversity of the global citizenry — to rally around an issue and to question the status quo. 20. Civil society’s contributions to peacebuilding can be traced back to the Geneva Conventions and their additional protocols that regulate the conduct of armed conflict and its effects. The Conventions owe their existence in large part to the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), established in 1863. Over the years, ICRC and its affiliate national societies have continued to play an instrumental role in providing humanitarian relief to prisoners of war, victims of conflict and people in other emergency situations. ICRC has also performed exemplary work by helping vulnerable 6