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Monday, June 15, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Democracy
The World Cup of Human Rights
This planet’s biggest sporting event—the FIFA Men’s World Cup—will soon kick off. Millions of people around the world will sit up, bleary eyed, watching matches at unreasonable hours and inventing feeble excuses for why we won’t be at work in the morning. More than one billion are expected to watch the finale on TV in mid-July. That’s a bigger audience than any Olympic sporting event and more than the number of people who have viewed Squid Game on Netflix.
Downfall of a Superstar
This is the downfall of a diplomatic superstar. Germany’s defeat in the election to the UN Security Council is the consequence of a foreign policy that has proven disastrous in recent times, failing to uphold either the values or the interests of the Federal Republic.
Iran War Exposes Limits of US Power Projection
The outcome of the current Iran war is still in doubt, but one consequence is already becoming clear: it has weakened America’s capacity to project power. Many are asking who won. The more important question may be what the war has cost.
US-Israeli Ceasefire: You Cease, We Fire
If you have been paying attention to the ongoing wars in Ukraine, Iran, Lebanon, and many other places, perhaps you have noticed that battles today are far different from those of the last century. Now it’s not only tanks and planes but also scores of long-range missiles and massive flights of drones linked to cybernetic warfare.
When UN Elections Were Once Tainted by Trade-Offs, Cheque Book Diplomacy & Luxury Cruises…
The year 2026 seems to be an eventful year at the United Nations --a new President of the General Assembly (PGA), who will officially preside over the 81st session in mid-September, plus the election and appointment of a new Secretary-General (SG) who will takeover in January 2027 after the conclusion of a 10-year tenure by the outgoing SG Antonio Guterres.
A New Youth Generation: Largest in History & a Decisive Force
In this exclusive interview, Dr. Felipe Paullier, UN Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) and Head of the United Nations Youth Office shares his leadership approach, insights on youth engagement, and his vision for driving institutional change from the grassroot level — redefining what is possible and proving that age is just a number.
The Search is On for the Next U.N. Secretary General in a Turbulent World
AS THE WORLD HURTLES TO HELL (albeit in a SpaceX rather than a hand basket), it might seem of only academic interest which cipher vegetates on the 38th floor of the U.N. Headquarters. However, the choice is due by the end of the year, unless, as has happened in the past, the Security Council is veto-bound and asks António Guterres to stay on as interim Secretary General.
Trump’s Cuts are Pushing the UN out of Geneva. That may be a Win
The $1.2 billion renovation of the Palais des Nations was intended to reaffirm Geneva's centrality to the multilateral system. Instead, the city’s international quarter is emptying.
Faced with a Cash Crisis, UN is Urging Senior Staff to Forgo First Class & Business Class Travel
The United Nations has had a longstanding tradition, described by some as a “privilege”, where most senior staffers are entitled to highly-expensive First Class or Business Class seats on trips worldwide.
The 3Ds for a Credible Post-2030 Development Agenda
Just four years of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development remain. What comes after 2030 is already a political battleground.
Stop the Madness: Civil Society Cannot Thrive on Burnout
In an era when civil society funding is in decline, it’s time to rebel against a broken system.
Media As Bedrock for Developing Russian-African Relations
Under the auspices of the Faculty of Journalism of Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Russian-African Club, in late April, held its IV International Forum of Journalists from Russia and Africa, which marked another historical milestone. According to an established annual tradition, discussions were focused on aspects of the media, its structure, current performance, information contents, and challenges as well as future perspectives.
What Hungary’s New Pro-Democracy Government Means For Rule of Law
Péter Magyar, leader of the pro-democratic centre-right Tisza Party, which recently swept into power on an unstoppable wave of hope for change, has now been sworn into office as Hungary’s new Prime Minister.
The Global Epidemic of Violence in an Age of Impunity
Violence has metastasized into humanity's baseline condition. Yet international institutions remain paralyzed by vetoes and rivalry, offering hollow declarations while dehumanization becomes normalized. Coordinated action, not gestures, is desperately needed.
The Iran War Is Costing Children’s Lives in Somalia
When war erupted in the Middle East in late February, the most visible consequences were playing out in the Persian Gulf, with smoke rising from Dubai's Jebel Ali port and shipping traffic across one of the world's most critical maritime routes grinding to a near halt.
PHILIPPINES: ‘A Protest Is One Day, but Organising Is the Thousands of Conversations That Make That Day Possible’
CIVICUS discusses Gen Z-led protests in the Philippines with Charles Zander, a 17-year-old climate justice activist from Bohol and youth campaigner for Greenpeace Philippines.
Hungary’s Long Road Back
When Péter Magyar took the stage in Budapest on the night of 12 April, he told the crowd they had ‘liberated Hungary’. The hyperbole seemed justified. His party, Tisza, had won a parliamentary supermajority on the highest turnout since Hungary’s first free election in 1990, ending 16 years of increasingly autocratic rule.
The Mideast Conflict Spreads—Beyond the Strait of Hormuz & towards the UN Cafeteria
The 10-month-old Middle East conflict—which has triggered a rise in the cost of living worldwide, and an increase in the prices of food, groceries and gasoline—is likely to impose burdens on hundreds of UN staffers, delegates, journalists and civil society representatives-- and thousands more, during the General Assembly sessions beginning September.
Data Gaps are Hiding the Most Excluded Children
In 2024, 273 million children, adolescents, and youth were out of school globally as per the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. While that is a staggering number, the figure is incomplete. The 2026 Global Education Monitoring report warns that the global out of school population may be undercounted by at least 13 million once humanitarian sources are used to correct data gaps in conflict-affected contexts.
VENEZUELA: ‘The Credit Goes to Detainees’ Families, Human Rights Organisations and the International Community’
CIVICUS discusses the status of political prisoners in Venezuela with Manuel Virgüez, director of Movimiento Vinotinto, a Venezuelan human rights organisation that works for citizen empowerment, democracy and justice.
Strengthening Financial Integrity: Why It Matters and What Needs to Change
A conversation with Toril-Iren Pedersen, Director of the UNDP Global Policy Centre for Governance, and Michael Jarvis, Executive Director of the Trust, Accountability, and Inclusion (TAI) CollaborativeNext Page »
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Tracking global progress towards a sustainable world
Tracking global progress towards a sustainable world
