Opinions & Features

Strengthening young activists by tagging-in local mentors and standing back

Opinions & Features
By CIVICUS youth On the celebration of the International Youth month in August 2020, CIVICUS Youth launched a new mentorship format for the ten participants of the Youth Action Lab.
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Angola decriminalises homosexuality

Opinions & Features
Angola has officially decriminalised same-sex relationships and prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Deepening Roots: How our partners are doing nine months on

Opinions & Features
Photo: Projet Jeune Leader By Jack Cornforth, Resilient Roots Coordinator, CIVICUS Towards the end of 2020, we spoke to many of our national partners from the initial phase of the Resilient Roots initiative to find out how they are doing nine months after our financial and technical support for their pilot accountability projects ended (see them on our interactive map).
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Saudi activist, Loujain Al-Hathloul spends 1000+ days in prison: Masana Ndinga-Kanga

Opinions & Features
Prominent Saudi female activist, Loujain al-Hathloul, who campaigned for women's right to drive, was sentenced to more than five years in prison in December 2020, after having already spent two years in detention.
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Abortion Law | Mass protests across Poland

Opinions & Features
Protests against new abortion laws have erupted across Poland.
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Europeans’ right to protest under threat

Opinions & Features
By Aarti Narsee, Civic Space Researcher for Europe and Central Asia at CIVICUS The year 2020 tested democracy and civic freedoms in many ways.

Shaping post-pandemic politics

Opinions & Features
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted politics and power for years to come, pushing the boundaries of political systems, impacting or delaying election outcomes and fuelling popular movements.
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Another Republic Day, another mass protest and another year of repression?

Opinions & Features
By Mandeep Tiwana, Chief Programmes Officer at CIVICUS It’s an anathema that in the 21st century when humanity claims to have made great progress in cultural and technological spheres that we should still have prisoners of conscience.
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Imprisoned Saudi activist and other rights defenders seek justice in 2021

Opinions & Features
By Mandeep Tiwana, Chief Programmes Officer at CIVICUS Two events generated significant interest and global solidarity in the final days of December 2020.
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How to create a UN that listens

Opinions & Features
By Lysa John, Secretary-General of CIVICUS & Mandeep Tiwana, Chief Programmes Officer at CIVICUS The UN was conceived as a ground-breaking experiment in global cooperation and people-centred multilateralism.
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What is the Health of SDG Targets on Civic Freedoms after 2020?

Opinions & Features
By Emily Standfield, Data Volunteer with CIVICUS & Matthew Reading-Smith, Communications Coordinator at CIVICUS The events of 2020 accelerated the decline of civic freedoms.
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2020 to reshape the future of humanity

Opinions & Features
By Hafiz Jawad Sohail, Climate Reality Leader and SDGs Advocate from Pakistan 2020 was a year of real superheroes.
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Fundamental civic rights have deteriorated across Africa in 2020 - CIVICUS report finds

Opinions & Features
Advocacy and Campaigns Head at CIVICUS David Kode explains to SABC News the several drivers of civic space violations in Africa including mass protests that were met with violent repression, and electoral processes, mostly presidential elections.
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USA Downgraded as Civil Liberties Deteriorate Across the Americas

Opinions & Features
By Débora Leão, Civic Space Researcher at CIVICUS and Suraj K.
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People power under attack as world celebrates International Human Rights Day

Opinions & Features
By Mandeep Tiwana, Chief Programmes Officer at CIVICUS The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is 72 years old, but still the civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights it protects remain fiercely contested, with 87% of the world's population living in countries with very poor civic space conditions.
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Persevering through the pandemic

Opinions & Features
Message from Lysa John, CIVICUS SG Dear CIVICUS members and allies, What a year it has been! 2020 came with so many new challenges - both personally and professionally.
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Africa: Civic rights were eroded across Africa in 2020

Opinions & Features
By Sylvia Mbataru and Ine Van Severen, Civic Space Researchers at CIVICUS Fundamental civic rights, including freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression, deteriorated across Africa in 2020.

#SiConLasOSC - Yes with CSOs!

Opinions & Features
By Oriana Castillo, CIVICUS In July 2019, the VUKA! Coalition, a group working to coordinate civil society actors to reclaim civic space across the globe, supported VUKA! ally Alternativas y Capacidades to bring together 25 CSOs from across Mexico for a pilot workshop on strategies to counteract the stigmatisation and demonisation of civil society in the country.

Low engagement in virtual events: are we lacking digital confidence?

Opinions & Features
As virtual events become more relevant in our lives, we need to analyse what elements are limiting people’s willingness or capacity to engage with others in the virtual space By Richa Puri This year is like no other.

The humanising power of art in virtual events

Opinions & Features
By Bistra Kumbaroska “.

Beyond the checklist: what made ICSW/virtual events special?

Opinions & Features
By Bistra Kumbaroska Let me start this blog post with a personal confession: I love organising events, any kind of events - workshops, conferences, hackathons, week-long summits, team building activities, celebrations and anniversaries.

3 hard lessons learned during the ICSW/Virtual webinar series

Opinions & Features
Organising our webinar series was a joy met with a few challenges like dealing with Internet trolls.

3 positive lessons learned during the ICSW/Virtual webinar series

Opinions & Features
After celebrating seven online conversations about people power, we are inspired by the potential of virtual engagements and the resilience of civil society Virtual events can be fertile ground for people power Through our seven ICSW/virtual webinars, over 400 people (between attendees, speakers, collaborators and video viewers) engaged in meaningful conversations and exchanges that enriched our knowledge, souls and amplified the voices of civil society.
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Civil society fights back as smears and vilification intensify

Opinions & Features
By Andrew Firmin and Inés Pousadela The pattern is now clear.
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Women’s groups fight back as gender-based violence surges during the pandemic

Opinions & Features
By Inés Pousadela Barely weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns arose about the safety of women trapped indoors with their abusers, and data showing spikes in gender-based violence (GBV) quickly reached the news headlines.
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Myanmar elections show the regression of civic space over the last five years

Opinions & Features
By Lisa Majumdar, Advocacy Officer, CIVICUS Amidst a flurry of high-profile elections this week, it will be Myanmar’s turn to go to the polls on 8 November.
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CIVICUS report documents how states need civil society as second wave of COVID-19 hits worldwide

Opinions & Features
By Inés Pousadela, Senior Research Specialist and Andrew Firmin Editor-in-Chief at CIVICUS Covid-19 has unleashed a multi-dimensional, once-in-a-generation crisis.
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Amid COVID-19, what is the health of civic freedoms?

Opinions & Features
By Marianna Belalba Barreto, Civic Space Research Lead at CIVICUS and Aarti Narsee, Civic Space Research Officer More than half a year after the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, governments are continuing to waste precious time and energy restricting human rights rather than focusing on fighting the virus.
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With targeted attacks on civil society, the future of democracy hangs in the balance in Tanzania

Opinions & Features
By Sylvia Mbataru, Civic Space Research at CIVICUS Elections in East Africa have faced a wave of recent problems.
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Violence against transgender people in Pakistan

Opinions & Features
TW/CW: transphobia, physical abuse, emotional abuse, financial abuse, sexual violence, rape, torture, murder, self-harm, drug and alcohol abuse I am Saro Imran, a transgender activist running a community-based organisation in Pakistan.
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Access to information during a pandemic: a matter of life or death

Opinions & Features
By Inés Pousadela, Senior Research Specialist No year could be more appropriate than 2020 for the world to celebrate its first International Day for Universal Access to Information (September 28).
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High stakes and pent up tensions in Côte d’Ivoire’s presidential election

Opinions & Features
By David Kode, Advocacy and Campaigns Lead As Côte d’Ivoire’s much-anticipated 31 October elections approach, voters are facing a familiar sequence of events.

Case Study on the Power of Radical Collaboration: People Before Projects

Opinions & Features
Conversation between Enhle Khumalo, CIVICUS Youth and Abigail Freeman, Alliance for Gender Justice Liberia in August 2020.
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At 75, is the UN still fit for purpose?

Opinions & Features
By Mandeep Tiwana, Chief Programmes Officer at CIVICUS This 75th anniversary offers a unique opportunity to examine the UN’s failings and reflect on ideas to improve its functioning.
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COVID is no reason to obstruct democracy

Opinions & Features
By Andrew Firmin, Editor-In-Chief of CIVICUS On the International Day of Democracy, it’s time to say that elections can be held under the pandemic.
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Côte d’Ivoire’s democracy in the balance as hotly contested elections loom

Opinions & Features
By David Kode, Advocacy and Campaigns lead at CIVICUS With two months to go before elections in Côte d’Ivoire, the priority is to ensure that there is an enabling environment for campaigns and rallies to be held without violence.
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From local to global: How can social-activism volunteering unite communities?

Opinions & Features
Lysa John, Secretary-General of CIVICUS Participation is a human right, deeply rooted in our need to form and voice opinions and influence the structures shaping our lives.
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Under attack but fighting back

Opinions & Features
By Débora Leão, Civic Space Research Officer at CIVICUS and Marianna Belalba Barreto, Civic Space Cluster Lead at CIVICUS 2019 was a year of collective action, and although the repression of civic space activism continues to rise, human rights defenders, activists, and civil society continue to operate, adapt, and resist.
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Coronavirus: Will it change our politics?

Opinions & Features
Has the Coronavirus crisis changed our view of politicians and what citizens now expect from them? Leaders around the world have dealt with the pandemic very differently, with some being praised for their handling of the outbreak, and some criticised.

Celebrating our 10,000 strong alliance!

Opinions & Features
Secretary General’s Update: August 2020
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Journalists fight back: Media freedom is further eroded in Hungary

Opinions & Features
By Aarti Narsee, Civic Space Researcher at CIVICUS & Orsolya Reich, Advocacy Officer at Civil Liberties Union for Europe What little media independence remains in Hungary hangs by a thread.

India: Rich Land of Poor People

Opinions & Features
On International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (9 August), we commend the work of imprisoned lawyer and activist Sudha Bharadwaj, defender of Indigenous communities in India.
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Stories from the youth climate movement in the Global South

Opinions & Features
By Inés Pousadela, Senior Research Specialist at CIVICUS In early 2020, as millions went into lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the environment experienced temporary relief from the impacts of human activity.
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Civil society in the post-pandemic world

Opinions & Features
By Inés Pousadela, Senior Research Specialist at CIVICUS In many circles, ‘civil society participation’ has become a fashion accessory that everyone wants to flaunt.
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Ending Systemic Racism

Opinions & Features
Around the world, protesters have gathered in solidarity with the US Black Lives Matter movement as they demand an end to systemic racism.
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3 funding concerns for civil society during this pandemic

Opinions & Features
The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly exacerbated, accelerated, and further exposed global challenges.
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COVID-19 Used as Smokescreen to Undermine Gender Rights Globally

Opinions & Features
By Aarti Narsee, Civic Space Researcher at CIVICUS Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, sexual and reproductive rights are being attacked globally: LGBTQI+ persons are facing heightened discrimination, women find themselves trapped indoors with the perpetrators of domestic violence, and access to abortion is being restricted.
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Coronavirus and European Civil Society

Opinions & Features
By Aarti Narsee, Civic Space Researcher at CIVICUS European civil society is in a tug-of-war between restrictions, which may lead to the rise of a more fragile, authoritarian Europe, and resilience, which may suggest a more optimistic future in which civil society emerges stronger than before.
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Observations on the quest to build back better

Opinions & Features
SDG Knowledge Hub’s interview with Mandeep Tiwana, Chief Programmes Officer Five years since the passage of the SDGs, the impulse in many quarters is still to scale up existing approaches, rather than to push for fundamental changes in how our societies and economies function to better realize rights.
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Right to protest and civic freedoms

Opinions & Features
By Josef Benedict, civic space researcher at CIVICUS The right to peaceful assembly is a fundamental freedom and key pillar for civic space.

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