Active Citizens

We’re All in the Same Storm, Different Boats, Says Young Activist With Disability

By Tanka Dhakal
At the UN Climate Conference venue in Belém, young activist João Victor da Costa da Silva is trying to make his case heard by negotiators. The 16-year-old Da Silva has a specific request for the parties: the needs of young people with disabilities should be addressed through the lens of climate justice.

Without Truth, There Can Be No Climate Justice—Experts

By Tanka Dhakal
Concerned scientists at the UN climate conference in Belém are appealing for collective action to combat climate change-related misinformation and disinformation.

The World Social Summit in Doha: Time to Act

By Isabel Ortiz
Qatar hosted the Second World Summit for Social Development from 4–6 November. According to the United Nations, more than 40 Heads of State and Government, 230 ministers and senior officials, and nearly 14,000 attendees took part. Beyond plenaries and roundtables, more than 250 “solution sessions” identified practical ways to advance universal rights to food, housing, decent work, social protection or social security, education, health, care systems and other public services, international labor standards, and the fight against poverty and inequality.

Demonstrators Face-Off With Security as COP30 Activism Intensifies

By Joyce Chimbi
In a departure from the past three COPs, in Egypt, Dubai and Azerbaijan, there have been increasingly intense demonstrations from activists at the COP30 venue in Belém, the capital of the northern Brazilian state of Pará.

‘We Want a Place at the Negotiation Table’ — Indigenous Leader

By Tanka Dhakal
Indigenous leaders from across the Amazon region are calling on climate negotiators to base climate initiatives on the recognition of the land rights of affected Indigenous communities. From the COP30 venue in Belém, these leaders are demanding full participation in the design and implementation of proposed projects.

The Silent War Before COP30: How Corporations Are Weaponising the Law to Muzzle Climate Defenders

By Bibbi Abruzzini and Lucia Torres (Forus) and Jake Wieczorek (Hivos)
As the world prepares for the next COP30 summit, a quieter battle is raging in courtrooms. Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) are the fossil-fuel industry’s new favourite weapon, turning justice systems into instruments of intimidation.

Nuclear Disarmament Conversations Cannot Lose Traction

By Naureen Hossain
In recent days, nuclear state leaders have flouted the regulations and norms around nuclear non-proliferation and are flirting more openly with nuclear might in the name of projecting strength.

Power-Sharing —Boomers and Gen Z Face Off at the ICSW

By Zofeen Ebrahim
The message is clear: today’s youth are not “wishy-washy.” They are not just the future—they are the present, full partners in shaping it, and “power-sharing” is the new mantra. The veterans of activism are being reminded not merely to listen but to hear and to leave their egos at the door.

Tanzania’s Post-Election Turmoil Deepens Economic and Social Woes

By Kizito Makoye
At dawn in Manzese, a dusty township on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam, silence hangs where the sounds of commerce once roared. The township, usually crowded with street cooks, vegetable vendors, mechanics, and motorcycle taxis snaking through the morning rush, stood eerily empty. Shutters are pulled down, wooden stalls abandoned, and the air is heavy with the smell of burnt rubber. For five days, the township’s bustling economic life has been paralyzed—leaving residents unable to buy food or access basic services.

Rajagopal PV’s Blueprint for Another World: Peace

By Zofeen Ebrahim
"If nations can have defense ministries, why not peace ministries?" asks Rajagopal PV, the soft-spoken yet formidable founder of Ekta Parishad. "We are told to see issues through a gender lens—why not a peace lens? Why can’t we imagine a business model rooted in non-violence or an education system that teaches peace?”

Humor, Courage, and Coffee: Inside Asia’s Independent Media Resistance

By Zofeen Ebrahim
In Pakistan, journalism is a risky profession—and the danger only intensifies if you’re a woman, young, and a freelancer, says 30-year-old Saba Chaudhry, a journalist from a village near Narowal, in Punjab province.

Challenging Elites, Defending Democracy: Oxfam’s Amitabh Behar Speaks Out

By Zofeen Ebrahim
Speaking to IPS on the sidelines of the International Civil Society Week in Bangkok (November 1–5), Amitabh Behar, Executive Director of Oxfam International and a passionate human rights advocate, highlighted his concerns about rising inequality, growing authoritarianism, and the misuse of AI and surveillance. Yet, he expressed optimism that, even as civic spaces shrink, young people across Asia are driving meaningful change. He also shared his vision of a just society—one where power is shared, and grassroots movements lead the way.

Defending Democracy in a “Topsy-Turvy” World

By Zofeen Ebrahim
It is a bleak global moment—with civil society actors battling assassinations, imprisonment, fabricated charges, and funding cuts to pro-democracy movements in a world gripped by inequality, climate chaos, and rising authoritarianism. Yet, the mood at Bangkok’s Thammasat University was anything but defeated.

As Civil Society Is Silenced, Corruption and Inequality Rise

By Busani Bafana
From the streets of Bangkok to power corridors in Washington, the civil society space for dissent is fast shrinking. Authoritarian regimes are silencing opposition but indirectly fueling corruption and widening inequality, according to a leading global civil society alliance.

From Slogans to Systems: Five Practical Steps for Turning Social Development Commitments into Action at Doha and Beyond

By Mavalow Christelle Kalhoule
Thirty years ago, world leaders gathered in Copenhagen and made a promise: people would be at the center of development. This November, Heads of State and Government will meet again in Doha, Qatar, for the Second World Summit for Social Development or WSSD2.

Will COP30 Reenergize Nigeria’s Great Green Wall Project?

By Promise Eze
In 2017, 45-year-old Jabiru Muhammed could hardly contain his excitement when the village head of Batu in Jigawa State, northwestern Nigeria, announced that their community would work with officials from the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW) to plant trees across a large stretch of land in the village.

George Soros Receives Prize for Work Supporting Roma, Sinti Rights

By Ed Holt
Billionaire philanthropist George Soros has been awarded the European Civil Rights Prize of the Sinti and Roma for his decades of work supporting Roma rights.

‘Turkmen Authorities Are Carrying out a Systematic Campaign to Eliminate Independent Voices’

By CIVICUS
CIVICUS speaks about the disappearance of Turkmen activists Abdulla Orusov and Alisher Sahatov with human rights defender Diana Dadasheva from the civil movement DAYANÇ/Turkmenistan and with Gülala Hasanova, wife of Alisher Sahatov.

Community Volunteers Working to Safeguard Bangladesh’s Last Wild Elephants

By Rafiqul Islam
When wild elephant herds come down from the hills in search of food, Sona Miahm, with community volunteers, steps forward to help prevent human-elephant conflicts.

Foreign Agent Laws: The Latest Authoritarian Weapon Against Civil Society

By Inés M. Pousadela
When thousands of Georgians filled the streets of Tbilisi in 2023 to protest against their government’s proposed ‘foreign agents’ law, they understood what their leaders were trying to do: this wasn’t about transparency or accountability; it was about silencing dissent. Though the government was forced to withdraw the legislation, it returned with renewed determination in 2024, passing a renamed version despite even bigger protests. The law has effectively frozen Georgia’s hopes of joining the European Union.

They Have Known Nothing but War—The Plight of Syria’s Out-of-School Children

By Sonia Al Ali
The war has deprived thousands of Syrian children of their right to education, especially displaced children in makeshift camps. Amidst difficult economic conditions and the inability of many families to afford educational costs, the future of these children is under threat.
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