2021 Reflections By Elisa Novoa, Enhle Khumalo and Leonardo Párraga   Thanks to the richness and power that the CIVICUS Youth communities hold, the CIVICUS Youth coordination team learned and built up our practices in 2021 around:  How to run a genuinely inclusive recruitment process by shifting the decision-making power  How to bring onboard new members and transfer information in an effective way  How to create opportunities and spaces for networking and visibility  How to create a culture of peer accountability and solidarity The following series shares the learnings and reflections encountered by the CIVICUS Youth team during 2021 while engaging with our different youth communities.

By Aarti Narsee, civic space research for CIVICUS Monitor Janša was once branded a national hero, having played an important role in leading his country to the path to independence: an independence formally recognised by the European Union 30 years ago, on January 15, 1992.

At CIVICUS, redistributing funds to our members and partners is a crucial way in which we work towards the alliance's strategic goals.

By Lysa John and Mandeep Tiwana  Despite a percentage point decline in trust in NGOs in the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer, these institutions actually delivered a strong performance during the COVID-19 pandemic — especially in comparison with the well-documented failures of many governments and businesses in dealing with the crisis.

Message from Lysa John, CIVICUS Secretary-General Dear CIVICUS members and allies, Another year is now drawing to a close.

By David Kode, Advocacy and Campaigns lead at CIVICUS International Human Rights Day 2021 on 10 December is commemorated at a time when being a human rights defender in many countries is risky and, for many, a matter of life and death.

By Aarti Narsee, Civic Space Research Officer at CIVICUS, Susannah Fitzgerald, Coordinator of UK Anti-Corruption Coalition & Karla Mclaren, Government and political relations manager at Amnesty International UK The US-led Summit for Democracy, taking place on the 9-10 December 2021, promises to kick off a year of action to reduce corruption, defend against authoritarianism and protect human rights that will end in an in-person summit in December 2022.

By Josef Benedict, Civic Space Researcher at CIVICUS Two years on from the election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as President of Sri Lanka, the state of civic freedoms in the country continues to regress.

By Aarti Narsee, civic space researcher at CIVICUS This year marks 30 years of fighting to live free of gender-based violence through the 16 Days of Activism campaign, which commences every November 25 on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Across the world, brave and resolute women rights defenders are taking action on everything from advocating for equality, access, and justice, to standing up to corruption, environmental violations, and even persecution of fellow activists.

Secretary-General Update: October 2021 In 2020, the Human Rights Committee published its interpretation of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly in its General Comment No.

Youth leaders from India and South Africa share how they have been practicing accountability to the individuals, communities and groups that their work serves and supports (otherwise known as their constituents).

By Aarti Narsee, civic space research at CIVICUS & Camille Butin Advocacy Advisor at International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network (IPPF) In its latest politically motivated ruling, Poland's Constitutional Tribunal last week ruled that the Polish Constitution was not subject to EU law.

Dunia Mekonnen Tegegn, Human Rights Lawyer and Gender Equality Advocate Dunia Mekonnen Tegegn is a human rights lawyer and Penn Kemble Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy.

By Mandeep Tiwana, Chief Programmes Officer Although, people around the world generally hold positive opinions about the UN, its ability to respond to global crises remains constrained by state-centric bureaucratic impulses and the assertion of narrow interests by powerful countries.

By Mandeep Tiwana, Chief Programmes Officer at CIVICUS Following the negotiated departure of international security forces and overthrow of the internationally backed government in Afghanistan, the Taliban ominously claimed freedom and sovereignty.

Secretary-General Update: August 2021 In June this year, we presented the CIVICUS Board with our annual plan for 2021/22.

By Kgalalelo Gaebee, Communications Officer at CIVICUS & David Kode, Advocacy and Campaigns Lead for CIVICUS As the global community commemorates the two decades since the abhorrent attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, it should also be time to reflect on the impact of what followed on human rights and rule of law in Africa.

By Vanessa Stevens, Elisa Novoa, Freya Seath, and Sonya Friel This year’s International Youth Day provided an opportunity to recognize how young people have endured the pandemic and to celebrate their actions for community recovery and resilience.

Hello! I am Mohaiminul Raqib and I am a citizen of Bangladesh.

By Tamryn Lee Fourie, Jerusha Govender and Khotso Tsotsotso For CIVICUS, and civil society as a whole, the COVID-19 pandemic drastically shifted the way we work, and the world we work in.

Message from Lysa John, CIVICUS Secretary-General In May this year, we published the 10th edition of the annual State of Civil Society report.

Wai Hnin Pwint Thon, Switzerland Wai Hnin Pwint Thon is a Senior Advocacy Officer at Burma Campaign UK based in Geneva, Switzerland.

 Supyae Yadanar, Dublin, Ireland  Supyae Yadanar was born and raised in Yangon and is currently studying medicine at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland.

Thant Tun, Manchester, United Kingdom  Thant Tun has been involved in the struggle for democracy in Myanmar since birth.

By Andrew Firmin, Editor-in-Chief at CIVICUS Economic inequality soared while the super-wealthy cashed in.

 Bawi Hnem Sung, Texas, United States of America 17 year old high school student Bawi Hnem Sung is also from the Chin community in Lewisville, Texas, and is part of the Lewisville High School Chin Club.

Myra Dahgaypaw, Washington D.

By Andrew Firmin, Editor-in-Chief at CIVICUS Protest works.

The Youth Action Team (YAT) and Youth Action Lab at CIVICUS has now had several rounds of calls for candidates to champion youth engagement and civic space.

Message from Lysa John, CIVICUS Secretary-General The nature of civic space has changed significantly since the start of the pandemic.

In Myanmar, thousands of pro-democracy supporters have taken to the streets since February to demand an end to the military coup.

By Andrew Firmin, Editor-in-Chief of CIVICUS Protests have been rebuffed, brutally, by states.

 Par Tha Hniang, Texas, United States of America Par Tha Hniang is a youth member of the Bethel Baptist Church of Texas in Lewisville.

By Inés Pousadela, Senior Research Specialist at CIVICUS In the year that has passed since the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has circled the globe.

By Mandeep Tiwana, Chief Programmes Officer at CIVICUS Major political transformations in modern history have been catalysed through largely peaceful protests.

By Andrew Firmin, Editor-in-Chief of CIVICUS Elections should offer opportunities for citizens to make demands of their political leaders, debate alternatives and express dissent.

By David Kode, Advocacy & Campaigns Lead at CIVICUS The 68th Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) has just concluded.

  By Josef Benedict, CIVICUS Monitor Across the globe every year, workers and trade unions gather together on 1 May which is Labour Day to commemorate the hard-fought struggle for labour rights and to make demands of their governments’ where they are failing to protect workers.

Freelance journalist Hopewell Chin'ono.

Source: Open Democracy By Susan Wilding, Head of CIVICUS' Geneva office The Trial of the Chicago 7’ is up for six Oscars at the Academy Awards, to be announced on 25 April.

President Idriss Déby of Chad has been in power since 1990.

Photo by Sharon Seretlo/Gallo Images via Getty Images By Mawethu Nkosana, LGBTQI+ Advocacy and Campaigns Lead at CIVICUS & Safia Khan, Innovation and Communications Officer at CIVICUS From the rise in student activism to the rise in levels of xenophobia in South Africa, Mawethu and Safia list five human rights trends since COVID-19 took over.

Source: Wikicommons By Masana Ndinga-Kanga, the Crisis Response Fund Lead and Advocacy Officer for the Middle East/North Africa region at CIVICUS In recognising how moments of crisis heighten already existing inequalities, it is worth reflecting on how women activists have been able to conduct advocacy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Syria, hundreds of thousands of people have died since 2011.

Aarti Narsee, Civic Space Reseacher at CIVICUS spoke to JacarandaFM about the challenges faced by women human rights defenders, activists, feminists and journalists when online.

  Women journalists, feminists, activists, and human rights defenders around the world are facing virtual harassment.

We at CIVICUS Youth are very thankful to the Youth Action Team (YAT) 2019-2020, a group of accomplished and inspiring young leaders from all over the world who work together for a year and a half to instill a more youth-friendly vision within CIVICUS and act as an inspiration for other organisations across the world to have youth at the center and make decisions that do not leave behind the power of 1.

By Emily Standfield, CIVICUS Member and data volunteer A month into Joe Biden’s presidency, the U.

Champions of Change is an initiative started by the Pathfinders to highlight advocates who have made an impact in their communities and have helped to create peaceful, just and inclusive societies (SDG16+).