March 2016 — This study presents an inventory of major international civil society networks working in the field of democracy and human rights, and explores ways international donors may support the work of these networks. The authors focused on networks with three characteristics: 1) membership consists of nongovernmental organizations, 2) members are drawn from more than one country and usually several countries in a region, and 3) member organizations focus primarily on democracy and human rights issues. We label these bodies regional democracy and rights-promoting networks (RDRNs). Drawing on desk research, a limited-release survey and a series of key informant interviews, this paper assesses the state of RDRNs around the world and provides an overview of existing networks. It analyzes factors that affect network success and recommends avenues for engagement.
