Africa

Lawmakers unanimously approve a law, which demands an apology and reparations from the former colonial power.

Dans son bilan 2026, la revue Prescrire passe au crible le marché du médicament. Comme chaque année, elle met en garde contre une liste croissante […]

L’article Smecta, Voltarène, Maxilase… Ces médicaments que nous prenons tous et que Prescrire déconseille en 2026 est apparu en premier sur .

Aishatou a secrètement lutté contre une addiction au ''taba''. Elle pense que cela a causé la perte de son enfant et partage désormais son histoire pour avertir les autres femmes.

For Dona Nena, a chocolatier who is central to culinary tourism in Belém, the success of her operations is dependent on the cocoa trees grown organically in Amazonia. But, she says, they are already bearing smaller fruit.

A drought has led to water being rationed in Dar es Salaam, with taps sometimes dry for weeks.

People take part in an anti-corruption protest in Kathmandu, Nepal on 8 September 2025. Credit: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters via Gallo Images

By Mandeep S.Tiwana
NEW YORK, Dec 24 2025 (IPS)

2025 has been a terrible year for democracy. Just over 7 per cent of the world’s population now live in places where the rights to organise, protest and speak out are generally respected, according to the CIVICUS Monitor, a civil society research partnership that measures civic freedoms around the world. This is a sharp drop from over 14 per cent this time last year.

Civic freedoms underpin healthy democracies, and the consequences of this stifling of civil society are apparent. At the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, the world is experiencing 19th century levels of economic inequality. The wealth of the richest 1 per cent is surging while some 8 per cent of the world’s population – over 670 million people – suffer from chronic hunger. Weapons-producing firms, closely intertwined with political elites, are reaping windfall profits as death and destruction rains down in Gaza, Myanmar, Sudan, Ukraine and many other places. It should surprise no one that the political leaders fomenting these conflicts are also squashing civic freedoms to avert questions about their motivations.

From Lima to Los Angeles, Belgrade to Dar es Salaam and Jenin to Jakarta, far too many people are being denied the agency to shape the decisions that impact their lives. Yet these places have also been the site of significant protests against governments this year. Even as authoritarianism appears to be on the march, people are continuing to pour onto the streets to insist on their freedoms. As we speak people in Sofia in Bulgaria are demonstrating in large numbers against endemic corruption which recently forced the government to resign.

History shows that mass demonstrations can lead to major advances. In the 20th century, people’s mobilisations helped achieve women’s right to vote, liberation of colonised peoples and adoption of civil rights legislation to address race-based discrimination. In the 21st century, advances have been made in marriage equality and other LGBTQI+ rights, and in highlighting the climate crisis and economic inequality through protests. But in 2025, the right to protest, precisely because it can be effective, is under assault by authoritarian leaders. Around the world, the detention of protesters is the number one recorded violation of civic freedoms, closely followed by arbitrary detentions of journalists and human rights defenders who expose corruption and rights violations.

This backsliding is now happening in major established democracies. This year, the CIVICUS Monitor downgraded Argentina, France, Germany, Italy and the USA to an ‘obstructed’ civic space rating, meaning the authorities impose significant constraints on the full enjoyment of fundamental rights. This regression is being driven by anti-rights nationalist and populist forces determined to degrade constitutional checks and balances and advance ballot box majoritarianism that denies minorities a fair say in economic, political and social life.

The push to degrade democracy by anti-rights forces now coming to fruition has been many years in the making. It accelerated this year with the return of Donald Trump. His administration immediately withdrew support to international democracy support programmes and instead built links to politicians responsible for crushing civic freedoms and committing grotesque human rights violations. Trump has laid out of the red carpet to El-Salvador’s Nayib Bukele, Hungary’s Victor Orbán, Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman, ushering in a new era of values-free might-is-right diplomacy that threatens to undermine decades of painstaking progress achieved by civil society.

The fallout is clear. Many wealthy democratic governments that traditionally fund civil society activities have significantly reduced their contributions. At the same time, they have linked their remaining support for civil society to narrowly defined strategic military and economic interests. In doing so, they have played directly into the hands of powerful authoritarian states such as China, Egypt, Iran, Nicaragua and Venezuela that seek to discredit domestic calls for accountability. Countries including Ecuador and Zimbabwe have introduced laws to limit the ability of civil society organisations to receive international funding.

All these developments are negatively impacting on civil society efforts for equality, peace and social justice. Yet the story of 2025 is also one of persistent resistance, and some successes. The courage demonstrated by Generation Z protesters has inspired people around the world. In Nepal, protests triggered by a social media ban led to the fall of the government, offering hope for a much-needed political reset. In Kenya, young protesters continued to take to the streets to demand political reform despite state violence. In Moldova, a cash-rich disinformation campaign run by a fugitive oligarch failed to sway the course of the national election away from human rights values. In the USA, the number of people joining the No-Kings protests just keeps on growing.

With over 90 per cent of the world’s population living with the institutional denial of full civic freedoms, anti-rights forces must be feeling pretty smug right now. But democratic dissent is brewing, particularly among Generation Z, denied political and economic opportunities but understanding that another world – one more equal, just, peaceful and environmentally sustainable – is possible. It’s far from game over yet, and even in difficult times, people will demand freedoms – and breakthroughs may be just around the corner.

Mandeep S Tiwana is Secretary General of CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance.

 

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');  

Alors qu'il participe à la Coupe d'Afrique des nations 2025 avec le Burkina Faso, Dango Ouattara affirme que Bryan Mbeumo et Yoane Wissa l'ont inspiré à devenir le dernier Africain à jouer pour Brentford.

Sudan's participation in the Africa Cup of Nations is "bringing hope" to the country amid its civil war, forward Abobaker Eisa says.

Sudan's participation in the Africa Cup of Nations is "bringing hope" to the country amid its civil war, forward Abobaker Eisa says.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine would hold presidential elections only after an agreement is signed

For the past two years, Samuel Ndungu, a smallholder farmer, has been growing organic food and supplying it to the local market in Githunguri, just outside Nairobi. On his 1.5-hectare farm, Ndungu practices organic farming, which promotes soil fertility through composting and crop rotation and controls pests with natural or biological methods. He has refused […]

Des accusations de corruption contre la vice-Première ministre Belinda Balluku causent le chaos au parlement et dans la rue. L'opposition réclame la démission du Premier ministre Edi Rama.

- Le fil de l'Info / Une - Diaporama - En premier, Albanie, Défense, police et justice, 100 ans Albanie, Une - Diaporama, Courrier des Balkans

La création d'une banque confédérale constitue un objectif majeur pour le Mali, le Niger et le Burkina Faso qui ont définitivement quitté la CEDEAO (Communauté économique des Etats d'Afrique de l'Ouest).

Mozambique believe they can reach the knockout stage at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, according to former international Manuel Bucuane.

Allegations of graft and political interference in the police have been aired at public hearings.

Allegations of graft and political interference in the police have been aired at public hearings.

Antoine Semenyo is set to make a final decision on his future with Manchester City in advanced talks over a January move for the Bournemouth forward.

As he competes at Afcon 2025 with Burkina Faso, Dango Ouattara says Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa inspired him to become the latest African to star for Brentford.

As he competes at Afcon 2025 with Burkina Faso, Dango Ouattara says Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa inspired him to become the latest African to star for Brentford.

Signal was earlier lost with a jet that took off from Ankara with Gen Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad and four others on board.