Voĉo - A voice in defence of civil society
Since 2024, various civil society organisations (CSOs) have joined forces under the banner of Voĉo. Twenty-eight organisations working on environmental, social, human rights and international solidarity issues are speaking with one voice to ensure their message is heard more clearly by political and economic decision-makers, the media and society as a whole.
This platform is called Voĉo [feminine singular], which comes from Esperanto and means ‘voice’. Voĉo refers to the broad alliance of Luxembourgish civil society united within the platform as the polyphonic voice of civil society. The name ‘Voĉo’ is indeed inspired by the very origins of Esperanto, a language made up of several languages, and thus metaphorically expresses the idea of being a voice made up of many voices.
Civil society
Voĉo is committed to political advocacy and civic activism driven by civil society, as well as to societal advocacy work. It is not the voice of state service providers. It is dedicated to championing the voices of civil society, in all their diversity. Voĉo’s mission is to unite Luxembourg’s wider civil society, to enable it to coordinate its efforts, and to act as a driving force on issues of common interest, particularly in defending and strengthening the civic space in Luxembourg.
Since its establishment and organisation, Voĉo has been engaging with the government through regular submissions and interviews: the Prime Minister (the role of non-profit organisations in political advocacy within our democracy), the Minister for Home Affairs (tighter ‘Platzverweis’ measures, draft legislation on public gatherings), and the Minister for Justice (the non-profit organisations Act)...
Voĉo encourages its members to work collectively and to empower one another, particularly on the issue of the law governing non-profit organisations, which appears increasingly to be acting as a hindrance to community life. Over the coming months, a series of discussions are planned to establish a common position. The initiative also remains open to any civil society organisation that shares its guiding principles and wishes to help ensure that the voice defending civil society and a vibrant democracy is heard louder and clearer.
policy-makers, civil society
- withdrawal of the draft Assembly Act
- Launch of futur(s) newsletter in collaboration with Tageblatt