World’s Largest Religious Gathering Becomes Trans-Inclusive Despite Controversies

Despite a blazing sun and growing heat, Pavitra Nandagiri sits on a cot smiling. Clad in a saffron robe and headgear with her forehead painted with turmeric and vermillion, Nandagiri is a Mahamandaleshwar—one of the highest-ranking monks of the Kinnar Akhada (Transgender Arena) at the Maha Kumbh, the world’s largest religious gathering currently underway in northern India.

Human Rights, Healthcare Disrupted in Eastern Europe With USAID Funding Freeze

As the full effects of the US decision to freeze foreign aid funding begin to be felt across the world, organizations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) are warning years of work in everything from delivering life-saving healthcare to defending human rights and strengthening democracy could be undone.

A Global Retreat from Solidarity

The world is witnessing a dangerous retreat from international solidarity by Global Minority countries. From Washington to Brussels, governments are slashing funds that sustain human rights, democracy, and humanitarian initiatives.

Why a Global Tech Fund for the Poorest Countries is a Smart Investment

The 4th International Conference on Financing for Development could catalyse coordinated action to close the financing gap and set the stage for a STI-driven transformation in the world’s poorest countries.

Afghan Refugees, Among Others, Feel the Impact of USAID Funding Freeze

“I was shocked when told by a security guard that the clinic has been closed down. I, along with my relatives, used to visit the clinic for free checkups,” Jamila Begum, 22, an Afghan woman, told IPS.

Bangladesh: UN Human Rights Denounces Former Government’s Violations Against Protestors

A new report from the UN Human Rights Office confirms that Bangladesh’s former government coordinated and committed human rights violations against its civilians to suppress the protest movement in July last year, with the high commissioner calling for justice and serious reform to end the cycle of violence and retribution.

Development Effectiveness & the Quality of Financing: Towards a More Holistic Approach at Seville

When world leaders gather in Seville for the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in June, they will be meeting at a pivotal moment: one defined by mounting systemic risks, a multiplication of crises, and proliferation and fragmentation of development co-operation actors and funds.

US Pullout Gives Upper Hand to Human Rights Abusers Worldwide

When some of the world’s “authoritarian and repressive regimes” were elected as members of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) --including Cuba, China, Russia, Kazakhstan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) -- a US Congressman Dana Rohrabacher infamously remarked: “The inmates have taken over the asylum, I don’t plan to give the lunatics any more American tax dollars to play with.”

Legal Amendments in Iraq Threaten Rights of Women and Girls

Efforts to end child marriage in Iraq are facing a serious threat, with the Iraqi Council of Representatives’ approval of amendments to Iraq’s Personal Status Law raising grave concerns that it risks permitting child marriage for girls.

Not an Option. A Call for Action

A global alert is not an option. It requires global action. Over the past three years, the number of crisis-impacted school-aged children in need of urgent quality education support has grown by an alarming 35 million, according to Education Cannot Wait’s new Global Estimates Report.

What is Not Good for Democracy in Peru is Not Good for Women

"We are facing a deeply conservative government that is opening the doors to all kinds of setbacks. We have a failed state with a democracy that is no longer a democracy," said Gina Vargas, a Peruvian feminist internationally recognized for her contributions to women's rights.

Belarus: Brutal Repression Continues Post Presidential Election, Say Human Rights Groups

In the months leading up to presidential elections at the end of January, Belarus’s authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko ordered the release of hundreds of political prisoners. Some observers saw this as a sign that the man who had led the former Soviet state for the last three decades could be planning a relaxation of his regime’s brutal repressions in return for a lessening of Western sanctions.

Belarus: A Sham Election That Fools No One

Alexander Lukashenko will soon begin his seventh term as president of Belarus. The official result of the 26 January election gave him 86.8 per cent of the vote, following an election held in a climate of fear. Only token opposition candidates were allowed, most of who came out in support of Lukashenko. Anyone who might have offered a credible challenge is in jail or in exile.

Ending FGM Requires Strengthening Partnerships and Advocacy Efforts

February 6 is the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). A practice deemed a gross violation of human rights, tragically the practice persists across multiple countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Over 230 million women and girls alive today have been subjected to this gruesome practice, and experts warn that at least 27 million more could endure this by 2030.

Goma: What Have We Done to God to Deserve All This?

Zawadi Delphine is a soldier's wife and mother of three. She and her family live in Camp Katindo, east of the city of Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu. Recalling what happened on the night of Sunday, January 26, 2025, she says that her husband had come from the front, north of the city of Goma, visibly angry and in a hurry. Without telling her what was really going on, he had told her that they would only meet again by "divine grace."

U.S. White House Executive Order Raises Concerns for Its Support to the UN

A new executive order from the United States White House calls for withdrawing support from major UN entities and a review of all international intergovernmental organizations which the United States is a member of. The U.S.’s orders against the UN Palestine Refugee Agency also do not bode well for ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Gaza.

‘Reconciliation Will Require Robust Transitional Justice and Accountability Mechanisms’

 
CIVICUS discusses the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia’s Amhara region with Hone Mandefro, advocacy director at the Amhara Association of America, and Henok Ashagray, PhD candidate and project officer at the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria.

Pakistan: Freedom of Expression at Stake With New Cybercrime Law

“I may not be able to continue hosting my show because the content I put up will most certainly land me in prison,” said senior correspondent Azaz Syed who works for a private TV channel, but who also has his own private online digital channel. He was referring to the recent amendment in the already existing cybercrime law, terming it a “wild” law which has been instituted to grapple with fake news among other online harms.

Venezuela: The Democratic Transition That Wasn’t

Venezuela stands at a critical juncture as Nicolás Maduro begins a controversial third term as president. His 10 January inauguration, following a post-election period marked by widespread protests against election fraud and heightened repression, represents a significant setback for democratic aspirations in a country devastated by years of economic collapse and political oppression. Maduro’s confirmation at the helm is the latest chapter in a decades-long process that has transformed Venezuela from a beacon of leftist democratic aspirations into a full-blown authoritarian regime, where the last shred of legitimacy – popular election – has now vanished.

Mozambique: Two Presidents, One Divided Nation

No illusions: Mozambique remains in crisis, despite the inauguration of Daniel Chapo as president and the establishment of a new parliament. While the widespread allegations of massive electoral fraud during the elections on 9 October 2024 were the immediate trigger for the unrest, the protests revealed deeply entrenched socio-economic and political grievances.

Hidden Danger: How War Remnants Threaten Syrian Lives

When 42-year-old Amina al-Hassan's family returned home after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, her son stood on a landmine. Hassan, from Kafranbel in southern Idlib countryside, sits beside her son's bed in the hospital after his leg was amputated following the explosion on agricultural land near their home.