Opinions & Features

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From Crisis to Collective Action: A Message from CIVICUS Co-Secretary Generals

Opinions & Features
A message from Interim Co-Secretary Generals, Claire Nylander and Mandeep Tiwana    Dear CIVICUS members, partners and allies A lot has transpired in the first few months of 2025.

A New Pope at a Pivotal Moment: Civil Society’s Hopes for Leo XIV

Opinions & Features
By Andrew Firmin, CIVICUS Editor-in-Chief, co-director and writer for CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report.

From Grief to Action: Demands for Democratic Renewal in the Balkans

Opinions & Features
By  Inés M.

Rights with No Age Limit: Hopes for a Convention on the Rights of Older People

Opinions & Features
By Samuel King, a researcher with the Horizon Europe-funded research project ENSURED: Shaping Cooperation for a World in Transition and Inés M.

A Feminist Future for the UN: Why the Next Secretary-General Must Champion Civil Society

Opinions & Features
By Jesselina Rana, the UN Advisor at CIVICUS’s New York office and Mandeep S.

Standing Firm: Civil Society at the Forefront of the Climate Resistance

Opinions & Features
By Andrew Firmin, CIVICUS Editor-in-Chief, co-director and writer for CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report.
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Civil Society’s Reform Vision Gains Urgency as the USA Abandons UN Institutions

Opinions & Features
Today’s multiple and connected crises – including conflicts, climate breakdown and democratic regression – are overwhelming the capabilities of the international institutions designed to address problems states can’t or won’t solve.
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Turkey’s Democratic Uprising: A Generation Takes a Stand

Opinions & Features
In the heart of Istanbul, a remarkable transformation is underway.
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Digital Democracy at a Crossroads. Key Takeaways from RigthsCon2025

Opinions & Features
In an increasingly digital world, democratic practices are evolving to encompass new forms of participation.

Civil Society’s Reform Vision Gains Urgency as the USA Abandons UN Institutions

Opinions & Features
By Andrew Firmin,  Today’s multiple and connected crises – including conflicts, climate breakdown and democratic regression – are overwhelming the capabilities of the international institutions designed to address problems states can’t or won’t solve.
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How to Turn the Tide: Resisting the Global Assault on Gender Rights

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By Ines Pousadela, CIVICUS Senior Research Specialist, co-director and writer for CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report.
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A Test of Humanity: Migrants’ Rights in a World Turning Inward

Opinions & Features
By Ines Pousadela, CIVICUS Senior Research Specialist, co-director and writer for CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report.

Civil Society: The Last Line of Defence in a World of Cascading Crises

Opinions & Features
By Inés M.
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Funding Disruptions Are a Systemic Failure – Philanthropy Must Do What’s Right and Support Local Leadership

Opinions & Features
The slashing of US aid funding by Donald Trump and Elon Musk, and cuts or planned cuts in international support by several European states, threaten to cut off the oxygen supply to a civil society already in a critical condition.
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International Women's Day, 2025 - It's Time for a Feminist Woman Secretary General At the UN

Opinions & Features
By Jesselina Rana, CIVICUS UN Advisor, in New York In 2025, the United Nations will celebrate 80 years of shaping global policies, fostering peace, and driving international development.
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Resilient Together: Responding to Challenges with Solidarity and Action

Opinions & Features
A message from Interim Co-Secretary Generals, Claire Nylander and Mandeep Tiwana  Dear CIVICUS members, partners, and allies  We write to you amid the immense disruptions caused by the arbitrary suspension of development aid by the new administration in the United States.

Electoral Technology Evolution: A Journey from 2024’s Lessons to 2025’s Opportunities 

Opinions & Features
By Seun Akinyemi and Vincy Mighulo Masaka, Project Officers - Host Liaison, Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI).
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A Global Retreat from Solidarity

Opinions & Features
By Jessica Corredor Villamil, Chief Officer, Advocacy and Solidarity Action at CIVICUS.

Belarus: A Sham Election That Fools No One

Opinions & Features
By Andrew Firmin,  Editor-in-Chief and co-director and writer for CIVICUS Lens and co-authors of the State of Civil Society Report.
Featured

Kenya’s Shadow War on Activism

Opinions & Features
By Andrew Firmin, CIVICUS Editor-in-Chief, co-director and writer for CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report.
Featured

Colombia’s Historic Child Marriage Ban

Opinions & Features
By Ines Pousadela  Colombia has just marked a historic milestone in the global campaign against child marriage, with the Senate passing one of Latin America and the Caribbean’s most comprehensive bans on child marriage and early unions.

Civil Society Trends for 2025: Nine Global Challenges, One Reason for Hope

Opinions & Features
By Andrew Firmin and Inés M.
Featured

South Korea’s Democracy Defended

Opinions & Features
By Andrew Firmin, Editor-in-Chief, co-director and writer for CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report.
Featured

From Outrage to Action: Global Protests Against Gender-based Violence Resonate in Kenya

Opinions & Features
By Inés M.
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Local Action, Global Accountability

Opinions & Features
This speech was delivered at the "Local Action, Global Accountability" UNGA-Side Event on September 20, 2024, at the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice in New York City, USA.
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Corruption in Uganda: A Barrier to Local Leadership and Aspirations

Opinions & Features
By Hannah Stacey Baluka.
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This Year Saw Most of the World Repressed – but in Civil Society there is Hope

Opinions & Features
By Mandeep Tiwana, Interim Co-Secretary General, CIVICUS.
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2024 in Review: Celebrating Civil Society’s Resilience and Impact

Opinions & Features
A message from Interim Co-Secretary Generals, Claire Nylander and Mandeep Tiwana  Dear CIVICUS members, partners and allies   As a tumultuous 2024 draws to a close, we would like to celebrate the remarkable courage of civil society in the face of adversity.

COP29 Falls Short on Finance

Opinions & Features
By Andrew Firmin, CIVICUS Editor-in-Chief, co-director and writer for CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report.
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International community: Speak up now about Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians

Opinions & Features
By Jesselina Rana, Human rights lawyer and UN adviser at the New York Hub of CIVICUS Every week, the evidence mounts that Israel is committing grave war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip that likely amount to genocide.
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Strengthening our alliance: Key Outcomes from Board Week, MEM2024, and Team Initiatives

Opinions & Features
A message from Interim Co-Secretary Generals, Claire Nylander and Mandeep Tiwana Dear CIVICUS members, partners and allies  Hope this message finds you well despite the turbulent times we are living in.
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Solidarity is the missing link to a stronger civil society ecosystem

Opinions & Features
Ecosystem is a widespread term today, having grown in popularity in recent years.
Featured

When the truth becomes a lie: What Trump’s election means for the world as we know it

Opinions & Features
By Mandeep S.

Mohammad Yunus can go down in history as the architect of a new Bangladesh

Opinions & Features
By Mandeep Tiwana, Chief of evidence and engagement and Representative to the United Nations at CIVICUS After mass protests forced long-term Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee the country in early August, Bangladesh found itself in a unique moment of opportunity to chart a path towards true democracy.

Can the UN Human Rights Council Protect Rights While Abusers Sit at the Table?

Opinions & Features
States with abysmal human rights records seek election to the UN Human Rights Council not to advance human rights but to block their realization.

Honduras: Environmental Defenders Still under Siege

Opinions & Features
By Ines Pousadela, Senior Research Specialist, co-director and writer for CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report.

The UN Cybercrime Convention: A New Repressive Tool in Disguise?

Opinions & Features
By Ines Pousadela,  Senior Research Specialist, co-director and writer for CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report.

Tunisia: A Hollow Victory in a Non-competitive Election

Opinions & Features
By Andrew Firmin Tunisia’s 6 October presidential election did what it was designed to do: prolong autocratic incumbent Kais Saied’s stay in power.

The Future of Civic Freedoms: Lessons from My Time at CIVICUS

Opinions & Features
By Lysa John, outgoing Secretary General of CIVICUS.

Georgia’s Dangerous Anti-LGBTQI+ Law

Opinions & Features
Georgia’s ruling party has put LGBTQI+ people firmly in the firing line ahead of next month’s election.

A UN 2.0 Needs Robust People’s Civil Society Participation

Opinions & Features
By Jesselina Rana, UN advisor at CIVICUS and Mandeep Tiwana, chief of evidence and engagement at CIVICUS plus representative to the UN in New York A cascade of crises endangers our world.
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New Zealand: Māori Rights in the Firing Line

Opinions & Features
A New Zealand bill that would roll back Indigenous rights is unlikely to pass – but it’s emblematic of a growing climate of hostility from governing politicians.

Climate Activists Target Culture Greenwashing

Opinions & Features
By Andrew Firmin, CIVICUS Editor-in-Chief, co-director and writer for CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report.
Featured

Rwanda: Authoritarian Leader Secures Another Term

Opinions & Features
By Andrew Firmin, CIVICUS Editor-in-Chief, co-director and writer for CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report No one can pretend to be surprised.
Featured

Venezuela Struggles to Hold on to Hope

Opinions & Features
By Ines Pousadela, CIVICUS Senior Research Specialist, co-director and writer for CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report.

LOCAL LEADERSHIP LABS’ REFLECTIONS & INSIGHTS: THE SOUNDING BOARD

Opinions & Features
By Taís Siqueira (Local Leadership Labs Coordinator) and Joanna Makhlouf (Local Leadership Labs Assistant) The Sounding Board (SB) played a crucial role in the inception of Local Leadership Labs (LLL) by advising on partner selection, identifying priority countries within the two regions, and sense-making the initial LLL framework.
Featured

Cambodia’s Young Environmental Activists Pay a Heavy Price

Opinions & Features
By Andrew Firmin, CIVICUS Editor-in-Chief, co-director and writer for CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report It’s risky to try to protect the environment in authoritarian Cambodia.
Featured

Eswatini: Jailing of Politicians the Latest Act of Repression

Opinions & Features
By Andrew Firmin, CIVICUS Editor-in-Chief, co-director and writer for CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report Two politicians have just been sentenced to long prison terms in Eswatini.

Kenya’s Protests: More than a Question of Tax

Opinions & Features
By Andrew Firmin, CIVICUS Editor-in-Chief, co-director and writer for CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report.
Featured

The UK’s Chance for Change

Opinions & Features
By Andrew Firmin, CIVICUS Editor-in-Chief, co-director and writer for CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report The political tide has turned in the UK – and civil society will be hoping for an end to government hostility.

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