Interviews

COLOMBIA: ‘Citizens are outraged and tired of the policies that have plunged them into poverty’

February 21, 2020

COLOMBIA: ‘Citizens are outraged and tired of the policies that have plunged them into poverty’

CIVICUS speaks with Alexandra González Zapata, coordinator for democracy and social protest at the Solidarity Committee with Political Prisoners Foundation, and a member of…

SDGs: ‘Gaps in data coverage are most likely to exclude the poorest people’

February 20, 2020

SDGs: ‘Gaps in data coverage are most likely to exclude the poorest people’

in Interviews

CIVICUS speaks to Dr Claire Melamed, CEO of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, an open, independent, multi-stakeholder network aimed at harnessing the…

LGBTQI+ RIGHTS IN UGANDA: ‘Intolerance is fuelled by anti-rights groups and leaders’

February 19, 2020

LGBTQI+ RIGHTS IN UGANDA: ‘Intolerance is fuelled by anti-rights groups and leaders’

in Interviews

Following our 2019 special report on anti-rights groups and civil society responses, we are interviewing civil society activists and leaders about their experiences of…

DIGITAL DIVIDE: ‘The uncritical adoption of technology is particularly risky in humanitarian crises’

February 18, 2020

DIGITAL DIVIDE: ‘The uncritical adoption of technology is particularly risky in humanitarian crises’

in Interviews

CIVICUS speaks to Barnaby Willitts-King, Senior Research Fellow at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI). Established in 1960 and currently working in 50 countries around…

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: ‘If we allow seabed mining everyone is at risk’

February 17, 2020

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: ‘If we allow seabed mining everyone is at risk’

in Interviews

Following a year marked by massive mobilisation around the climate emergency, CIVICUS is interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about the main environmental…

CHINA: ‘Its international role both originates in and enables domestic political control’

February 14, 2020

CHINA: ‘Its international role both originates in and enables domestic political control’

in Interviews

CIVICUS speaks about China’s growing international role with Sharon Hom, Executive Director of Human Rights in China (HRIC), Adjunct Professor of Law at the…

#UN75: ‘Commitments to the Women, Peace and Security agenda are going unfulfilled’

February 13, 2020

#UN75: ‘Commitments to the Women, Peace and Security agenda are going unfulfilled’

in Interviews

2020 marks 75 years since the founding of the United Nations (UN). CIVICUS is speaking with civil society activists, advocates and practitioners about the…

‘Chile has entirely privatised water, which means that theft is institutionalised’

February 12, 2020

‘Chile has entirely privatised water, which means that theft is institutionalised’

in Interviews

Following a year marked by massive mobilisation on the climate emergency, CIVICUS is interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about the main…

BOLIVIA: ‘We empower young people so they can lead the climate movement’

February 11, 2020

BOLIVIA: ‘We empower young people so they can lead the climate movement’

in Interviews

Following a year marked by massive mobilisation on the climate emergency, CIVICUS is interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about the main environmental…

HONG KONG: ‘This is a leader-full movement, ran by countless small networks of talented people’

February 10, 2020

HONG KONG: ‘This is a leader-full movement, ran by countless small networks of talented people’

in Interviews

CIVICUS speaks about the protests that have rocked Hong Kong since June 2019 with Johnson Ching-Yin Yeung, democracy movement organiser and chairperson of the…

BOLIVIA: ‘Civil society, like political society, is deeply divided’

February 07, 2020

BOLIVIA: ‘Civil society, like political society, is deeply divided’

in Interviews

CIVICUS speaks about the 2019 protests and elections in Bolivia with Eliana Quiroz, Executive Director of Fundación Internet Bolivia (Bolivia Internet Foundation), an organisation…

ANTI-RIGHTS GROUPS: ‘Protesting once is not enough; we need to fight back every single day’

February 06, 2020

ANTI-RIGHTS GROUPS: ‘Protesting once is not enough; we need to fight back every single day’

in Interviews

Following our 2019 special report on anti-rights groups and civil society responses, we are interviewing civil society activists and leaders about their experiences of…

#UN75: ‘The system is slow and not at all agile’

February 05, 2020

#UN75: ‘The system is slow and not at all agile’

in Interviews

2020 marks 75 years since the founding of the United Nations (UN). CIVICUS is speaking with civil society activists, advocates and practitioners about the…

#UN75: ‘It is time for the UN to be bold again!’

February 04, 2020

#UN75: ‘It is time for the UN to be bold again!’

in Interviews

2020 marks 75 years since the founding of the United Nations (UN). CIVICUS is speaking with civil society activists, advocates and practitioners about the…

#UN75: ‘The Human Rights Council has made a positive difference in addressing human rights violations’

February 03, 2020

#UN75: ‘The Human Rights Council has made a positive difference in addressing human rights violations’

in Interviews

2020 marks 75 years since the founding of the United Nations (UN). CIVICUS is speaking with civil society activists, advocates and practitioners about the…

#UN75: ‘Governments use the UN to sanitise their image before the international community’

January 30, 2020

#UN75: ‘Governments use the UN to sanitise their image before the international community’

in Interviews

2020 marks 75 years since the founding of the United Nations (UN). CIVICUS is speaking with civil society activists, advocates and practitioners about the…

SPAIN: ‘Democratic rules are being used to promote an anti-rights ideology’

January 29, 2020

SPAIN: ‘Democratic rules are being used to promote an anti-rights ideology’

in Interviews

CIVICUS speaks about the recent election in Spain with Núria Valls, president of the Ibero-American League of Civil Society Organisations (Liga Iberoamericana), a platform…

PAKISTAN: ‘I was told the people who detained me were from the Army Intelligence Agency’

January 28, 2020

PAKISTAN: ‘I was told the people who detained me were from the Army Intelligence Agency’

in Interviews

CIVICUS speaks with Mohammed Ismail, a longstanding member of CIVICUS’ Affinity Group of National Associations (AGNA), a network of 90 national and regional civil…

CUBA: ‘Dissidents are in the millions; there aren't enough jail cells for so many people’

January 21, 2020

CUBA: ‘Dissidents are in the millions; there aren't enough jail cells for so many people’

in Interviews

CIVICUS speaks with Juan Antonio Blanco, director of the Cuban Observatory of Conflicts (Observatorio Cubano de Conflictos), an autonomous civil society project supported by…

#UN75: ‘Human rights are at the centre of multilateral diplomacy’

January 20, 2020

#UN75: ‘Human rights are at the centre of multilateral diplomacy’

in Interviews

2020 marks 75 years since the founding of the United Nations (UN). CIVICUS is speaking with civil society activists, advocates and practitioners about…

CHILE: ‘There's radical discontent with how the country's been ruled for decades’

January 06, 2020

CHILE: ‘There's radical discontent with how the country's been ruled for decades’

in Interviews

Protests broke out in Chile in October 2019, initially led by students rejecting an increase in the price of transport and quickly escalating into…

‘Due to the communications blockade in Kashmir, news of protests went largely underreported’

December 18, 2019

‘Due to the communications blockade in Kashmir, news of protests went largely underreported’

in Interviews

On 5 August 2019, the government of India revoked Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution, which guaranteed the autonomous status and rights of…

#ShiftThePower, exciting possibilities and challenges for resourcing

December 11, 2019

#ShiftThePower, exciting possibilities and challenges for resourcing

in Interviews

Left to Right: Dumiso Gatsha, SDGs Goalkeeper and founder of Success Capital NGO & Degan Ali, Executive Director at Adeso A growing movement of people is…

CHILE: ‘There has been a citizen awakening of historical proportions’

November 27, 2019

CHILE: ‘There has been a citizen awakening of historical proportions’

in Interviews

Protests broke out in Chile in October 2019, initially led by students rejecting an increase in the price of transport and quickly escalating into…

BANGLADESH: ‘Out of fear, people are being silent’

November 20, 2019

BANGLADESH: ‘Out of fear, people are being silent’

in Interviews

CIVICUS speaks with Aklima Ferdows, who works with the Centre for Social Activism in Bangladesh, about civil society’s challenges and support needs in the…

MALAYSIA: ‘We need global solidarity to push back on attacks on rights’

November 20, 2019

MALAYSIA: ‘We need global solidarity to push back on attacks on rights’

in Interviews

As part of our 2019 thematic report, we are interviewing civil society activists and leaders about their experiences of backlash from anti-rights groups and…

Letter from Jail: Members of poetry troupe in Myanmar

November 15, 2019

Letter from Jail: Members of poetry troupe in Myanmar

in Interviews

Letter from Zeyar Lwin and Paing Ye Thu members of the Peacock Generation in Myanmar Seven members of the Peacock Generation—Kay Khine Tun, Zayar…

TAIWAN: Same-sex marriage legalisation a joint effort of government and civil society

November 11, 2019

TAIWAN: Same-sex marriage legalisation a joint effort of government and civil society

in Interviews

In May 2019 Taiwan became the first nation in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage. CIVICUS speaks to Minister Audrey Tang about this historical decision…

CHILD RIGHTS: ‘Anti-child rights groups are making up stories to convince the public’

November 11, 2019

CHILD RIGHTS: ‘Anti-child rights groups are making up stories to convince the public’

in Interviews

As part of our 2019 thematic report, we are interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about their experience of facing backlash by anti-rights…

Mexico: Beyond a trend, community philanthropy has been essential to build people power

November 04, 2019

Mexico: Beyond a trend, community philanthropy has been essential to build people power

in Interviews

This article is part of the #StoriesOfResilience series, coordinated by CIVICUS to feature groups and activists on their journey to promote better resourcing practices…

SRI LANKA: ‘Trolls accusing people of being traitors are organised and political’

October 31, 2019

SRI LANKA: ‘Trolls accusing people of being traitors are organised and political’

in Interviews

Ahead of the Sri Lankan presidential elections on 16 November 2019, CIVICUS spoke with Sandya Ekneligoda, a human rights defender and campaigner for justice…

CLIMATE CHANGE: Feminists have pushed for marginalised voices to be heard

October 25, 2019

CLIMATE CHANGE: Feminists have pushed for marginalised voices to be heard

in Interviews

As calls grow for climate action to be more responsive to frontline communities, CIVICUS spoke to Maria Nailevu, a feminist climate activist from Fiji,…

SUDAN: Young activists show climate solidarity through drought, floods and tears

October 24, 2019

SUDAN: Young activists show climate solidarity through drought, floods and tears

in Interviews

بالعربية CIVICUS speaks to Nisreen Al Sayeem, Chair of the Sudan Youth Organization on Climate Change and Coordinator of Youth and Environment - Sudan…

Zombies in Post-Apartheid South Africa: Satirical protest & mobilisation against Apartheid-era policies in Cape Town

October 18, 2019

Zombies in Post-Apartheid South Africa: Satirical protest & mobilisation against Apartheid-era policies in Cape Town

in Interviews

On 30 September 2019 an unusual scene flooded Cape Town as ‘zombie’ protesters fled through the inner city in a satirical protest against the…

ANTI-RIGHTS GROUPS: ‘Their true objective is to eliminate all government policies related to gender’

October 14, 2019

ANTI-RIGHTS GROUPS: ‘Their true objective is to eliminate all government policies related to gender’

in Interviews

As part of our 2019 thematic report, we are interviewing civil society activists, leaders and experts about their experiences of backlash from anti-rights groups…

Civil Society in Latin America makes its way into sharing economy

October 03, 2019

Civil Society in Latin America makes its way into sharing economy

in Interviews

This article is part of the #StoriesOfResilience series, coordinated by CIVICUS to feature groups and activists on their journey to promote better resourcing practices…