CIVICUS discusses open data governance and AI with Natalia Carfi, executive director of the Open Data Charter, a global civil society organisation that promotes open data policies.
Interviews
CIVICUS discusses the outlook ahead of Peru's runoff presidential election with David Hidalgo, journalist and executive director of OjoPúblico, a Peruvian digital investigative journalism outlet.
CIVICUS discusses North Macedonia's 2025 series of protests with Viktor Buchkovski, a lawyer and coordinator at the Health Education and Research Association and co-founder of the Who's Next protest movement.
CIVICUS discusses the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla on its mission to bring humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza with Musa Roshdy, a humanitarian activist who took part in the flotilla.
CIVICUS discusses Mexico's Gen Z-led November 2025 protests with Rafael Amézquita Castellanos, a lawyer and young activist from Guadalajara.
CIVICUS discusses Gen Z-led protests in Togo with Ahouefa Sossou, a human rights defender, lawyer and member of the Centre for Documentation and Training on Human Rights (CDFDH).
MALTA: 'Young people see the value in protecting women's health over enforcing religious doctrine' %
CIVICUS discusses the Women on Waves campaign to expand access to abortion with Dr Natalie Psaila Stabile, a reproductive rights advocate and member of Doctors for Choice Malta, an organisation that campaigns for the decriminalisation of abortion and access to reproductive healthcare.
CIVICUS discusses anti-war protests in Japan with Koichi Nakano, professor of political science at Sophia University in Tokyo and a leading analyst of Japan's post-Second World War pacifism.
CIVICUS discusses civic space repression under military rule in Niger with a political analyst with decades of experience in human rights advocacy, who has asked to remain anonymous for security reasons.
CIVICUS discusses Lebanon's postponed parliamentary election with Dayana El Baba, Executive Director of the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE), a secular civil society organisation that monitors elections and advocates for electoral reform.
CIVICUS discusses Gen Z-led protests in Peru with an activist with a decade of experience in public mobilisation who has asked to remain anonymous for security reasons.
CIVICUS discusses Togo's Gen Z-led protests with Esso-Dong Kongah, a young Togolese lawyer and human rights defender who took part in the protests.
CIVICUS discusses US deportations to Eswatini with Sibusiso Nhlabatsi, a human rights lawyer involved in defending deportees.
CIVICUS discusses the candidates for the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General position with Aditi Gorur, coordinator of the 1 for 8 Billion campaign, a global movement that's pushing for a fair, open and inclusive process to appoint the first woman UN Secretary-General.
CIVICUS discusses the cancellation of RightsCon 2026 with Barbora Bukovská, Senior Director for Law and Policy at ARTICLE 19, a human rights organisation that works on freedom of expression and information around the world.
CIVICUS discusses a change of government in Hungary with Márta Pardavi, co-chair of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, a human rights organisation that monitors democratic backsliding and defends the rule of law in Hungary.
CIVICUS discusses Bahrain's crackdown on dissent with Sayed Yusuf Almuhafdha, a human rights advocate and researcher affiliated with Salam for Democracy and Human Rights and the Human Rights Movement for MENA.
CIVICUS discusses Israel's new death penalty law with Carol Daniel-Kasbari, Senior Associate Director of the Conflict Resolution Program at The Carter Center, a non-partisan organisation focused on conflict prevention and human rights.
CIVICUS discusses the protests that ousted an autocratic government in Bangladesh with Lutfa Pathan, a young community activist involved in community organising, democracy work and volunteering.
CIVICUS discusses Gen Z-led protests in Peru with Jackelinne Ponce Paredes, an activist and lawyer specialising in human rights.
CIVICUS discusses the building of wellbeing economies with Simon Ticehurst, Head of Advocacy and Movement Engagement at the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll), a global alliance founded in 2018 to drive the transformation of economies towards wellbeing.
CIVICUS speaks with Lauren Prather about declining trust in US elections and the role civil society can play in defending democratic integrity ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections.
CIVICUS discusses Djibouti's presidential election with Adam Daud Ahmed, a political and security analyst specialising in governance, security and political dynamics in the Horn of Africa.
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.
CIVICUS discusses Tanzania's 2025 post-election protests with Gabriel Karsan, a digital rights activist and internet governance advocate with over 13 years of experience in civic media and youth empowerment.
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.
CIVICUS discusses the aftermath of Kenya's 2024 Gen Z-led protests with Ahmednoor Haji, a young activist from Garissa, northeastern Kenya, organiser of the Occupy Garissa protests against the Finance Bill and founder of the KESHO Alliance, a youth-led peacebuilding and human rights organisation.
CIVICUS discusses the workings of the United Nations (UN) Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) with Maithili Pai, UN advocate at the International Service for Human Rights, an organisation that supports civil society and human rights defenders at the UN.
CIVICUS discusses the challenges facing the United Nations (UN) development system with Philipp Schönrock, director of the Centre for International Strategic Thought (Cepei), a Colombian think tank that specialises in global governance and sustainable development.
CIVICUS discusses Bulgaria's Gen Z-led protests with Aleksandar Tanev, founder of Students Against the Mafia, an informal student organisation that took part in mass protests against corruption and state capture.
CIVICUS discusses Gen Z-led protests in Nepal with Nishchhal Kharal, founder of Freedom Studio, a Kathmandu-based civic media organisation that provides creative and strategic support to social movements.
CIVICUS speaks about the state of multilateralism with Professor Waheguru Pal Sidhu, Director of the United Nations (UN) Initiative at the Centre for Global Affairs at New York University's School of Professional Studies.
CIVICUS speaks about Donald Trump's attacks on US civil society with Christopher Einolf, professor of sociology at Northern Illinois University and a researcher on civil society.
CIVICUS discusses Gen Z-led protests in Nepal with Abhijeet Adhikari (Abhi), a lawyer and political activist who took part in the protests.
CIVICUS discusses recent regressive changes to Argentina's labour laws with Facundo Merlán Rey, an activist with the Coordination Against Police and Institutional Repression (CORREPI), an organisation that defends workers' rights and resists state repression.
CIVICUS discusses Afghanistan's new Criminal Procedure Code with Wahida Omari, a human rights and legal professional specialising in human rights law, international criminal law and justice sector reform, with experience at institutions including the European Union, the International Criminal Court and the Office of the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights.
CIVICUS speaks about protests in Indonesia with Thalitha Yuristiana, a campaigner and movement builder committed to civic awareness and environmental justice, and one of the people behind Bijak Memantau, a community-driven learning space that encourages people to learn, actively participate, organise and take collective action.
CIVICUS discusses the spread of AI-powered surveillance in Africa with Wairagala Wakabi, executive director of the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) and co-editor of Smart City Surveillance in Africa: Mapping Chinese AI Surveillance Across 11 Countries, the latest report by the African Digital Rights Network (ADRN) and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS).
FRANCE: 'Individual acts of violence will continue to be weaponised to normalise far-right politics'
CIVICUS discusses political polarisation and far-right mobilisations in France with Aldo Rubert Echevarria, a researcher at the Research Centre on Political Action at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
CIVICUS speaks with Khabir Moncef, executive director of the Association for the Defence of Human Rights, about the conviction of Tunisian anti-racist activist Saadia Mosbah and the government's growing repression of civil society.
CIVICUS speaks about the erosion of civic space and the implications of the 20-year sentence handed to democracy campaigner and media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai with Alric Lee, co-founder of Lady Liberty Hong Kong, a civil society organisation that documents human rights violations and advocates for democratic freedoms in Hong Kong.
CIVICUS discusses Zimbabwe's proposed constitutional amendment with Narshon T Kohlo, a youth leader of the Constitution Defenders Forum, a civil society coalition that's mobilising resistance to the changes.
CIVICUS discusses the prospects for a democratic transition in Venezuela with Pedro González Caro, a university lecturer and member of the national coordination committee of Creemos Alianza Ciudadana (Citizen Alliance We Believe), a citizen platform that works for democracy in Venezuela.
CIVICUS discusses the presidential election in the Republic of the Congo with Ivan Kibangou Ngoy, executive director of Global Participe, a civil society action-research organisation focused on democratic governance based in Pointe-Noire.
CIVICUS speaks with a member of 7amleh, the Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, about how European Union (EU) funding and technology exports enable surveillance and human rights violations in Palestine and across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
CIVICUS discusses the African Union's (AU) democratic accountability gap with Olorunyomi Pauline Adedigba, a lawyer and Global Shaper at the Abuja Hub of the Global Shapers Community, working to strengthen civic space in Africa.
CIVICUS speaks with Lorenz Blumenthaler, Political Communications Specialist at the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, a German civil society organisation that strengthens democracy and counters extremism through analysis, coalition-building and grassroots support.
CIVICUS discusses Italy's restrictive immigration policies with Eleonora Celoria, a researcher at FIERI (Forum Internazionale ed Europeo di Ricerche sull'Immigrazione), a research centre on migration, and a member of the Association for Legal Studies on Immigration (ASGI), an Italian legal organisation that defends migrants' and asylum seekers' rights through advocacy, public awareness and strategic litigation.
CIVICUS discusses Portugal's presidential runoff election and the rise of the far-right Chega (Enough) party with Jonni Lopes, Executive Director of Academia Cidadã (Citizen Academy) and a Steering Committee member of the European Civic Forum, an organisation working on civic engagement, democratic participation and the protection of civic space at national, regional and international levels.
CIVICUS discusses the forthcoming constitutional referendum in Kazakhstan with Yevgeniy Zhovtis, Chief Expert Consultant at the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law.
