Putting People First: Why SRHR Must Be Central to Health and Development Agendas

As global leaders prepare to convene for the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) in New York, April 7-11, the world finds itself at a critical crossroads. We can either recommit to human dignity, equality, and justice—or risk unraveling decades of progress in global health.

Global Disability Summit Galvanizes Education Support for Crisis-Impacted Children with Disabilities

Of the nearly 234 million children and adolescents of school age affected by crises, 85 million are already out of school. At least 20 percent of them—or 17 million—are children living with disabilities.

Solar-Powered Spinning Machines Help Indian Women Save Time and Earn More

As light enters through the small window of a modestly constructed tin-roofed house, Philim Makri sits on a chair deftly spinning cocoons of eri silk with the help of a solar-powered spinning machine in Warmawsaw village in Ri Bhoi district of Meghalaya in northeast India.

Regime Obstructs Aid But Finally Declares Ceasefire in Quake-hit Myanmar

Boosting faint hopes of still finding survivors, rescue workers from Myanmar and Turkey pulled a man alive from the rubble of a hotel in the capital early on Wednesday, five days after the quake hit. But hope of finding more survivors is slim after central Myanmar was devastated by a massive earthquake last Friday. Now aid workers are struggling to deliver body bags, medicines and food and water against the backdrop of civil war.

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

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. Now US withdrawal from global bodies threatens to worsen a crisis in international cooperation.

UN Staff Put on Alert — as US Visa Holders Face Threats and Deportation

The Trump administration’s ground-rules are dangerously clear—and devastating. If you are a pro-Palestinian demonstrator, denouncing Israeli atrocities in Gaza, you are either a supporter of the “terrorist organization” Hamas or you are described as anti-Semitic veering on hate crimes liable for prosecution.

Forest Guards Risking Their Lives To Keep Malawi’s Forests Standing

In Malawi, being a forest guard isn’t a glamorous, sought-after job. And it has often been quiet, enjoying almost no publicity – until recently amid the worsening crashing down of the country’s forests, which is making the occupation increasingly perilous. In 2024 alone, a total of eight forest rangers got killed in separate incidents while in the line of duty, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources, which is responsible for the management of 88 forest reserves and 11 plantations across the country.

Global Climate Action Progressing, but Speed and Scale Still Lacking

2025 marks the tenth anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement. One of its chief architects, Christiana Figueres, says the world is heading in the right direction but warns that urgent action is needed to close critical gaps. The pact, adopted in 2015 by 195 nations, set out to limit global warming to "well below 2°C" above pre-industrial levels, striving for 1.5°C. But in 2024, the world shattered records as the hottest year ever, surpassing that crucial threshold.

‘Student Protests Have Sparked Solidarity, Empathy and a Renewed Belief in Collective Action’

 
CIVICUS discusses recent protests in Serbia with Alma Mustajbašić, researcher at Civic Initiatives, a Serbian civil society organisation that advocates for democracy, human rights and citizen engagement.

Southeast Asia’s Economies Can Gain Most by Packaging Ambitious Reforms

Southeast Asia’s major economies have made major strides over the last couple of decades. The largest have seen income per capita grow at least three-fold over the past 20 years amid global integration and prudent policymaking.

Latin America & the Caribbean in 2024: Renewable Energy and Early Warning Systems Offer Hope Amid Climate Extremes

Hope in the face of climate extremes. That is the overarching message about the State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024.

The Giant Plastic Tap: How art fights plastic pollution

"The size of the faucet highlights the magnitude of the problem. It makes the problem impossible to ignore. We're used to throwing things 'away'—but when we're confronted with what happens when 'away' is not an option, I think it creates an emotional wake-up call," says Benjamin Von Wong.

Building Resilience in Least Developed Countries – A Pathway to Sustainable Transformation

As the world grapples with overlapping crises—climate change, economic instability, and food insecurity—the 44 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) face existential threats that demand urgent, collective action.

Organic Fertilizers Prove Effective on Tea as Farmers Abandon Synthetic Inputs

On the outskirts of Kericho town within Kenya’s Rift Valley region, Kaptepeswet tea farm, an organic tea estate sprawling on a 50-acre piece of land, is a testament that organic fertilizers can be used on mature tea bushes and still produce the desired quantity and quality of premium leaves.

Bangladesh’s Ethnic People Safeguarding Forests and Wildlife

Kishore Kumar Chakma, a young man from an ethnic community in Rangamati district, voluntarily guards a village common forest (VCF) so that none can hunt wild animals and fell trees from it.

How to Turn the Tide: Resisting the Global Assault on Gender Rights

This year’s session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), the world’s leading forum for advancing gender equality, confronted unprecedented challenges. With Saudi Arabia in the chair and anti-rights voices growing increasingly influential in the forum, the struggle to hold onto international commitments on gender equality intensified dramatically. On 8 March, International Women’s Day mobilisations also took on added urgency, with demonstrations from Istanbul to Buenos Aires focusing on resisting the multiple manifestations of gender rights regression being felt in communities worldwide.

Will UN be a Possible Target as US Goes on a Rampage?

The Trump administration, spearheaded by senior adviser Elon Musk, has been on a wild rampage: mass layoffs of government employees, gutting federal agencies, dismantling the Department of Education and USAID, defying a federal judge and threatening universities with drastic cuts in grants and contracts—decisions mostly engineered by the newly-created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The Ocean Creeps In: Tanzanian Coastal Communities Fight a Losing Battle

The first time Jumanne Waziri tasted salt in his morning tea, he thought his wife had made a mistake. “Why did you put salt instead of sugar?” he asked, setting his cup down in their home in Ununio, a quiet suburb north of Dar es Salaam.

A Path Towards Ending Child Marriage

As the sun rises over coastal Gopalpur, Odisha, in eastern India, dozens of children prepare for school. Unfortunately, for many girls in the state, the arrival of their first period can mean the end of their school years as they face societal pressures to become brides.

A Test of Humanity: Migrants’ Rights in a World Turning Inward

The United Nations Refugee Agency faces devastating cuts that may eliminate 5,000 to 6,000 jobs, with potentially catastrophic consequences for millions of people fleeing war, repression, hunger and climate disasters. This 75-year-old institution, established to help Europeans displaced by the Second World War, now confronts an unprecedented financial crisis, primarily due to the US foreign aid freeze – and the timing couldn’t be worse.

Seeds of Survival, Amid Conflict Sudan Is Saving Its Agricultural Future

Sudan’s diverse crops and agricultural heritage are at risk of being lost. The ongoing conflict in Sudan is claiming lives and threatening livelihoods and food security. In the chaos of conflict, scientists like Ali Babiker are fighting to protect Sudan’s future food security—not with weapons, but with seeds.