Building a Civil Society

12 January 2011

Civil society is often referred to as the “third sector” because it serves to give voice to those outside of the governmental and for-profit sectors. PILnet works to amplify this voice and strengthen the ability of civil society to influence laws and policies.

PILnet is fortifying NGOs in selected countries around the world by providing transformative experiences to the next generation of public interest leaders through its International Fellows Program. On the ground, in countries such as China and Nepal, PILnet is providing know-how and facilitating the exchange of best practices in order to strengthen nascent public interest programs and organizations.

In addition, PILnet is building the infrastructure to enable the leveraging of considerable resources from the private sector to assist NGOs around the world and their beneficiaries. That infrastructure includes PILnet’s pro bono clearinghouses in Hungary, Russia and China, a cross-border Global Pro Bono Clearinghouse and a growing network of partnerships with clearinghouses in other countries. PILnet’s annual European Pro Bono Forum, as well as technical support and guidance it provides to partner clearinghouses, have cemented PILnet’s role as an international leader in the development of pro bono legal practice.

News

  • 06 June 2013

    Nominations Open for European Award for Partnership in the Public Interest

    PILnet: The Global Network for Public Interest Law is seeking nominations for the third annual European Award for Partnership in the Public Interest, which will recognize the best pro bono legal project (or projects) undertaken jointly between a nongovernmental organization and a law firm in Europe.  Read more

  • 07 May 2013

    Three Ways Are Better than One: Building Public Interest Law in China

    Standing on the front lines of public interest advocacy, PILnet’s International Fellows in China are faced with critical questions of strategy. Is legal aid the most effective way to advance the interests of the public, or is NGO advocacy? Or perhaps engaging the private sector through pro bono? Read more

  • 24 April 2013

    Sowing Independence, Together

    Most of us take home for granted: a place where you get the life skills necessary to move out and up in the world, where you’re nourished, and, importantly, where you learn to give back. The Dacha Program, run by the Russian charity Together Fund, was created to give such a home to older orphans—some of the most disadvantaged youth in Russian society. The program represents an ideal combination of motivated individuals and practical solutions, all for a compelling cause. What more can be asked?Read more

  • 28 March 2013

    PILnet’s Mission and its Method Find a Home in Nepal

    After more than a decade of brutal civil war in Nepal, a peace treaty was signed in 2006—the same year PILnet: The Global Network for Public Interest Law welcomed its first Nepali advocates to the International Fellows program. Since then, the Fellowship has included leading Nepali human rights lawyers in every class, in the process building an influential cadre of advocates who are deeply involved in shaping the country’s constitution and its legal system.Read more

  • 18 January 2013

    Small Mercies: Delivering on the Promise of Child-Friendly Justice

    Children need more than off-the-shelf advocates. Each year, thousands of juveniles across Central and Eastern Europe come face to face with judicial systems that are insensitive to their unique needs and lawyers who are inadequately trained to protect their rights. Read more