A message from CIVICUS Secretary General, Mandeep S. Tiwana
Dear CIVICUS members, partners and allies 
2025 has been a testing year. But we are still standing.
Today, just seven percent of the world’s population live in places where civic freedoms are generally respected. The right to critique decision makers is becoming increasingly fraught. Top violations of civic freedoms include arbitrary detention of protestors, journalists and human rights defenders. We face a situation where far too many people around the world are being actively denied agency to participate in decisions that affect them.
Yet, time-tested traditions of protest and peaceful resistance are alive. Throughout 2025, from Antananarivo to Belgrade, and from Kathmandu to Lima protestors continued to pour out on to the streets to demand rights and urge their governments to do better. Even as many of us had to navigate rising authoritarianism with resource constraints, our innate resilience and creativity carried us through. This year, we consciously reaffirmed the power of survival.
International Civil Society Week: Celebrating Courage and Connections
From 31 October to 5 November, Bangkok became a hub of civic action as we gathered for International Civil Society Week 2025 (ICSW). The event brought together almost 1000 civil society activists, partners, and allies from different parts of the world. We are grateful to those who joined us in person and online, as well as to all those who supported us from afar. We shone a spotlight on arbitrarily imprisoned civil society activists who couldn’t be there.
Overall, ICSW 2025 was filled with the spirit of courage and solidarity. We heard powerful testimonies of resistance reflected in insightful observations, sharing of good practices, laughter, music and poetry. The gathering had a strong international and intergenerational flavour which is captured in our Youth Manifesto which offers a bold vision from young activists for a just and inclusive future, and in the ICSW Declaration which includes collective commitment from civil society to resolutely defend civic space and strengthen solidarity.
Copenhagen Conference: Addressing Digital Threats and Disinformation
On 11–12 November, we joined the Copenhagen Conference on Information Integrity, a vital opportunity to showcase our work and recommit to addressing the growing risks of disinformation and propaganda in the digital age.
Our message was clear: while these challenges are not new, their scale and sophistication demand bold and coordinated responses. Civil society must strengthen its digital capacities and communication strategies to engage global publics directly and compellingly.
The conversations emphasized the importance of protecting and expanding civic space. They sparked creative ideas to explore in the year ahead to strengthen collaboration and innovation in the digital sphere.
People Power Under Attack 2025
Just before International Human Rights Day, we launched our annual round-up of global civic space conditions on 9 December. People Power Under Attack 2025 provides a comprehensive assessment of civic freedoms by regions and individually for 198 countries and territories. This year, 15 countries were downgraded while 3 experienced upgrades to their civic space ratings. The report offers a clear picture of the state of civic space worldwide, highlighting key trends, risks and opportunities to strengthen freedoms.
The findings underscore the urgency of defending civic space as populism and authoritarianism rise, and restrictions deepen. They also provide a roadmap for collective action by civil society. There’s lots of explore in terms of data, including updated country ratings and top violations. Do also check out our extensive media coverage on the web.
Annual Report and the Year in Review
Amid regressive political shifts, violent conflicts, resurgence of misogyny, rising economic inequality and worsening climate impacts, civil society’s role as a counterweight cannot be underestimated. This year we reaffirmed the importance of solidarity, adaptability and principled leadership. Our Annual Report outlines the breadth of our activities and the lessons learned.
As we wrap up this year, I am immensely grateful for our diverse membership and unique alliance. I also wish to extend my appreciation to CIVICUS staff who showed up everyday with dedication. Our struggle for a more peaceful, just, equal and sustainable world continues.
Sincerely,
Mandeep S. Tiwana
