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Washington is trying to build up Armenia and Azerbaijan as regional allies.

Zelenskyy has seen his call for a concrete deadline for entry rebuffed by EU politicians

With a generational shift in power possible, the old guard is fighting back.

Eine Reise durch Europa kann zu einem unvergesslichen Erlebnis werden, wenn Sie einige wichtige Aspekte im Auge behalten. Ob Sie die historischen Wunder von Rom entdecken oder den Charme von Paris erleben möchten – eine gut geplante Reise maximiert Ihr Vergnügen. Von der frühzeitigen Buchung bis hin zur Auswahl der richtigen Kleidung gibt es viele Details, die berücksichtigt werden sollten.

Um das Beste aus Ihrer Europa Reise herauszuholen, ist es wichtig, sich im Voraus über beliebte Sehenswürdigkeiten zu informieren und diese in Ihre Reiseplanung einzubeziehen. Flexible Reisedaten bieten Ihnen oft bessere Verfügbarkeit und preisliche Vorteile. Packen Sie wettergerechte Kleidung und machen Sie sich mit den öffentlichen Verkehrsmitteln vertraut. Es lohnt sich auch, lokale Spezialitäten zu probieren und künstlerische sowie kulturelle Highlights zu besuchen.

Geben Sie sich die Möglichkeit, vor Ort offen und effektiv zu kommunizieren, um das Erlebnis vollständig auszukosten. Ein wenig Planung im Voraus sorgt dafür, dass Ihre Europa Reise perfekt wird!

Das Wichtigste in Kürze

• Planen Sie Sehenswürdigkeiten vor der Reise und kaufen Sie Tickets im Voraus.
• Buchen Sie frühzeitig, um Verfügbarkeit und günstigere Preise zu sichern.
• Seien Sie flexibel bei Reisedaten für bessere Angebote und weniger Menschenmengen.
• Nutzen Sie öffentliche Verkehrsmittel für kostengünstige und effiziente Fortbewegung.
• Probieren Sie lokale Spezialitäten und besuchen kulturelle Highlights vor Ort.

Planen Sie Sehenswürdigkeiten vor Ihrer Reise

Wenn Sie eine Europa Reise planen, ist es ratsam, im Vorfeld Zeit in die Auswahl der Sehenswürdigkeiten zu investieren. Erstellen Sie eine Liste von wichtigen Orten und monumentalen Bauwerken, die Sie unbedingt sehen möchten. So stellen Sie sicher, dass Sie nichts verpassen. Dabei ist es hilfreich, sich an den Öffnungszeiten der Sehenswürdigkeiten zu orientieren und eventuell auch Eintrittskarten im Voraus zu kaufen. Dies spart Ihnen vor Ort Zeit und erlaubt Ihnen, Ihre Reiseroute entspannter angehen zu können.

Auch interessant: Azoren Karte Europa: Eine Inselwelt

Früh buchen für bessere Verfügbarkeit

Ihre Europa Reise: So wird Sie perfektUm eine erfolgreiche Europa Reise zu gewährleisten, ist es ratsam, frühzeitig zu buchen. Durch frühe Buchungen sichern Sie sich nicht nur bessere Verfügbarkeit, sondern oft auch günstigere Preise. Ob Unterkünfte, Flüge oder Eintrittskarten für Sehenswürdigkeiten – viele Anbietende belohnen frühzeitiges Planen mit attraktiven Rabatten. Vermeiden Sie also Stress und unnötige Mehrkosten, indem Sie rechtzeitig Ihre Reservierungen vornehmen.

Die Welt ist ein Buch. Wer nie reist, sieht nur eine Seite davon. – Augustinus von Hippo

Flexibilität bei Reisedaten hilft

Flexibilität bei den Reisedaten ist ein großer Vorteil. Wenn Sie Ihren Urlaub außerhalb der Hauptsaison planen, können Sie nicht nur Geld sparen, sondern auch überfüllte Sehenswürdigkeiten vermeiden. Flexible Reisedaten ermöglichen es Ihnen zudem, von Sonderangeboten und günstigeren Preisen zu profitieren. Seien Sie bereit, Ihre Pläne spontan anzupassen, und nutzen Sie die Gelegenheit, unterschiedliche Orte an verschiedenen Tagen zu erkunden. So wird Ihre Europa Reise garantiert unvergesslich!

Packen Sie passende Kleidung

Beim Packen Ihrer Koffer ist es wichtig, passende Kleidung für die verschiedenen Klimazonen in Europa auszuwählen. Vergessen Sie nicht, dass das Wetter je nach Region stark variieren kann. Deswegen ist Schichtenprinzip eine gute Wahl: Tragen Sie mehrere dünne Schichten übereinander, die sich leicht an- und ausziehen lassen, um auf Temperaturunterschiede reagieren zu können. Auch bequeme Schuhe sind ein Muss, da Sie wahrscheinlich viel zu Fuß unterwegs sein werden.

Dazu mehr: Europa Park Colosseo: Italienisches Flair

.table-responsiv {width: 100%;padding: 0px;margin-bottom: 0px;overflow-y: hidden;border: 1px solid #DDD;overflow-x: auto;min-height: 0.01%;} Reiseziel Sehenswürdigkeit Beste Reisezeit Rom Kolosseum April – Juni Paris Eiffelturm Mai – Oktober Berlin Brandenburger Tor Mai – September London British Museum März – Mai Barcelona Sagrada Família Mai – Juni Nutzen Sie öffentliche Verkehrsmittel

Nutzen Sie öffentliche Verkehrsmittel – Ihre Europa Reise: So wird Sie perfektEuropa Reise: So wird Sie perfekt

Nutzen Sie öffentliche Verkehrsmittel. In vielen europäischen Städten sind die öffentlichen Verkehrssysteme hervorragend ausgebaut und bieten eine bequeme, kostengünstige Möglichkeit, sich fortzubewegen. Mit einer Tages- oder Wochenkarte können Sie oft unbegrenzt fahren und dabei wertvolle Zeit sparen. Die Nutzung von Bussen, Zügen und Straßenbahnen ermöglicht es Ihnen, schnell und einfach alle Sehenswürdigkeiten zu erreichen, ohne ständig auf ein Taxi angewiesen zu sein.

Empfehlung: ESIM Europa: Mobilität für alle

Probieren Sie lokale Spezialitäten

Ein zentraler Aspekt jeder Europa Reise ist es, die kulinarische Vielfalt zu entdecken. Genießen Sie regionale Spezialitäten wie italienische Pasta, spanische Tapas oder französischen Käse. Stellen Sie sicher, dass Sie authentische Gerichte probieren, um das volle Geschmackserlebnis zu bekommen. Oft sind die besten Restaurants nicht immer in touristischen Gebieten zu finden; fragen Sie Einheimische nach ihren Geheimtipps, um den vollen Genuss lokaler Küche zu erleben.

Künstlerische und kulturelle Highlights besuchen

Entdecken Sie die vielfältigen künstlerischen und kulturellen Highlights, die Europa zu bieten hat. Eine Reise durch die Museen und historischen Stätten jeder Stadt kann Ihnen ein tieferes Verständnis für Ihre Geschichte und Kultur vermitteln. Oftmals sind es die weniger bekannten Galerien und Veranstaltungen, die die authentischsten Eindrücke liefern. Vergessen Sie nicht, Tickets im Voraus zu buchen, um lange Warteschlangen zu vermeiden. Lassen Sie sich von der Magie eines Theaterstücks, einer Oper oder eines Konzerts verzaubern und erleben Sie so die Kunstszene hautnah.

Offene Kommunikationsmöglichkeiten haben

Damit Ihre Europa Reise reibungslos verläuft, ist es wichtig, auch auf mögliche Kommunikationsbarrieren vorbereitet zu sein. Lernen Sie einige grundlegende Wörter und Redewendungen in der Landessprache Ihrer jeweiligen Destination kennen. Das kann sehr hilfreich sein, um sich zurechtzufinden und mit den Einheimischen in Kontakt zu treten.

Achten Sie darauf, dass Ihr Mobiltelefon für das jeweilige Land freigeschaltet ist oder nutzen Sie eine lokale SIM-Karte. Dies kann Ihnen nicht nur den Zugang zu wichtigen Informationen erleichtern, sondern auch bei Notfällen wertvolle Zeit sparen. Nutzen Sie außerdem Übersetzungs-Apps oder ein kleines Sprachführer-Buch, um im Ernstfall schnell reagieren zu können.

FAQ: Antworten auf häufig gestellte Fragen Wie kann ich mein Reisebudget planen? Erstellen Sie eine Liste der wichtigsten Ausgaben wie Unterkünfte, Transport, Essen und Eintrittsgelder. Setzen Sie sich ein tägliches Ausgabenlimit und halten Sie dieses ein. Nutzen Sie Budget-Apps, um Ihre Ausgaben im Blick zu behalten. Welche Zahlungsmethoden sind in Europa am gängigsten? Kreditkarten und Debitkarten sind weit verbreitet, aber es ist auch empfehlenswert, etwas Bargeld in der lokalen Währung mitzuführen. In ländlichen Gebieten und kleineren Geschäften kann Bargeld oft bevorzugt werden. Sind medizinische Vorsichtsmaßnahmen erforderlich? Es ist ratsam, eine Reisekrankenversicherung abzuschließen. Informieren Sie sich im Voraus über notwendige Impfungen und nehmen Sie eine kleine Reiseapotheke mit den wichtigsten Medikamenten mit. Überprüfen Sie die örtlichen Gesundheitsanforderungen und -empfehlungen. Wie sicher ist es, in Europa zu reisen? Europa ist im Allgemeinen sicher für Reisende. Achten Sie dennoch darauf, Ihre Wertsachen sicher zu verstauen und wachsam zu bleiben, besonders in touristischen Gebieten, da Taschendiebstahl vorkommen kann. Nutzen Sie Hotel-Safes und vermeiden Sie isolierte Gegenden bei Nacht. Wo finde ich Informationen zu lokalen Veranstaltungen? Informationen zu lokalen Veranstaltungen finden Sie in Tourismusbüros, auf städtischen Websites, in lokalen Zeitungen oder durch spezielle Reise-Apps. Fragen Sie auch Einheimische oder Ihre Gastgeber nach Empfehlungen.

Der Beitrag Ihre Europa Reise: So wird sie perfekt erschien zuerst auf Neurope.eu - News aus Europa.

La commission mixte paritaire réunissant des membres des deux chambres du Parlement a tranché les points de désaccord relatifs au projet de loi sur la […]

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Rubio is wrong to cite it as the basis for the U.S. alliance with Europe.

Un accident de tramway a fait un mort et quatre blessés graves à Sarajevo le 12 février. Depuis, des milliers de personnes manifestent chaque jour, dénonçant la vétusté des infrastructures et réclamant des comptes aux autorités. Le Premier ministre du canton de Sarajevo a démissionné.

- Le fil de l'Info / Courrier des Balkans, Bosnie-Herzégovine, Société

Un accident de tramway a fait un mort et quatre blessés graves à Sarajevo le 12 février. Depuis, des milliers de personnes manifestent chaque jour, dénonçant la vétusté des infrastructures et réclamant des comptes aux autorités. Le Premier ministre du canton de Sarajevo a démissionné.

- Le fil de l'Info / Courrier des Balkans, Bosnie-Herzégovine, Société

Le centre de collecte des visas BLS International à Oran a annoncé de nouvelles dispositions concernant le dépôt des dossiers de visa de résidence. À […]

L’article Visa pour l’Espagne : BLS annonce de nouvelles règles dès le 15 mars 2026 est apparu en premier sur .

If weaning India away from Russia is a European dream, it is perhaps being led by France.

Participants observe a visual montage linking Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Award ceremony, the Sant’Egidio interfaith forum in Rome and the Astana Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions — symbolizing the emerging “rehearsal space” where religion, civil society and state diplomacy converge. (Credit: INPS / Illustrative image)

By Katsuhiro Asagiri
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Feb 24 2026 (IPS)

As wars drag on and the international order grows increasingly unstable, Abu Dhabi has been offering a different kind of narrative. It sought to recognize early efforts at reconciliation, bring religious leaders into the same space, and place former adversaries under the same spotlight. At the heart of the February 4, 2026 Zayed Award for Human Fraternity ceremony was an attempt to make visible, in a public setting, the choice of moving in the direction of easing conflict.

Pope Francis and Ahmed el-Tayeb sign the Document on Human Fraternity。Credit: Vatican News

Timed to coincide with the United Nations–designated International Day of Human Fraternity, the ceremony drew heads of state, religious leaders and civil-society representatives. The award traces its origins to the 2019 Document on Human Fraternity, signed in Abu Dhabi by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Al-Tayeb. The document is widely regarded as a historic declaration that set out a global call for interreligious dialogue and peaceful coexistence.

Seven years on, the international landscape has become even more fragmented. Even so, the organizers have framed the ceremony not merely as an awards event, but as a symbolic platform intended to encourage a minimum measure of restraint when politics turns turbulent.

Shoring Up a Fragile Peace

The moment that drew the most attention this year was the recognition of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for their peace agreement. After decades of confrontation, the award functioned as a form of international endorsement for a still-fragile peace process in the South Caucasus.

Zayed Prize 2026 to Armenia and Azerbaijan Credit: Vatican News

Peace agreements are often most vulnerable immediately after they are reached. Domestic political backlash and deep-seated mistrust can easily undermine implementation. In that sense, bringing the two leaders onto the same stage was not a declaration that the journey was complete; it was an attempt to “reinforce” diplomatic progress. By recognizing leaders who chose dialogue at an early stage, the award appears aimed at widening the political space for compromise—and at making it harder for opponents to overturn the agreement.

The award, however, extended beyond state leadership. The 2026 laureates also included Afghan girls’ education advocate Zarqa Yaftali and the Palestinian nonprofit Taawon, honoring efforts to continue humanitarian and development work under conditions of conflict and political instability. It also underscores the award’s intention to bridge “top-down politics,” such as peace agreements, with “bottom-up peacebuilding” that supports communities on the ground. The underlying message is clear: even with treaties and agreements in place, peace cannot take root if the schools, healthcare, and local support systems needed to sustain society remain fragile.

A Dialogue Circuit Linking Rome and Astana

The closing ceremony held against the backdrop of the ancient Roman ruins, the Colosseum. Credit: Community of Sant’Egidio

Abu Dhabi’s ceremony is not an isolated event. In October 2025, Rome hosted the annual forum “Religions and Cultures in Dialogue for Peace,” organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio. Inheriting the spirit of the 1986 Assisi gathering, the forum serves as a continuing platform that brings together religious leaders, political figures, and representatives of civil society. The Holy See (the Vatican) is a central participant, exercising its moral authority to connect ethical appeals with debates in international politics.

Further east, Kazakhstan has institutionalized interfaith engagement through the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Astana. Both the Holy See and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar have consistently participated, helping to sustain the congress as a venue for structured interreligious dialogue.

Seen in this light, Rome, Astana, and Abu Dhabi are not merely separate events; they emerge as nodal points in a broader space of dialogue that links religion and diplomacy. Put differently, they function like a regular service designed to keep the lines of communication open—ensuring that the ability to meet and talk does not fall silent.

Religious Actors Across Borders

On Feb. 4, a Soka Gakkai delegation led by Vice President Hirotsugu Terasaki attended the 2026 Zayed Award for Human Fraternity ceremony in Abu Dhabi, UAE. At the invitation of @ZayedAward, the delegation joined global religious leaders. On Feb. 3, the delegation met with Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, Secretary-General of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity and they delivered a letter from Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada to the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar His Eminence Ahmed Al-Tayeb. Credit: SGI

Not only states sustain this network. Like the Holy See and religious leaders from around the world, Hirotsugu Terasaki, Director-General for Peace Affairs of Soka Gakkai International (SGI) — an organization with some 13 million members worldwide — has taken part in dialogue venues in Abu Dhabi, Rome and Astana.

Ahead of the Abu Dhabi ceremony, Terasaki met with Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, Secretary-General of the award, and delivered a letter from Minoru Harada, President of Soka Gakkai, addressed to Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb. The two exchanged views on the need to further strengthen “heart-to-heart dialogue” that transcends religious differences.

The stages created by the United Arab Emirates and Kazakhstan—both of which place emphasis on “spiritual diplomacy”—are more than mere events. What gives these settings moral authority and lends them ethical weight as arenas for peacebuilding is a sustained architecture of dialogue, underpinned by relationships that religious and civil-society leaders have cultivated over many years. Put differently, it is a system for meeting regularly and ensuring that lines of communication do not fall silent. Even when interstate relations grow tense, religious and civil-society networks can keep channels of dialogue open, serving as a buffer against rupture.

The fact that Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev engaged with this year’s award ceremony through a video address, and that Director-General Terasaki has moved across dialogue venues such as Abu Dhabi, Rome, and Astana, quietly suggests the presence of such networks where religion and diplomacy intersect. Likewise, the Holy See has also been one of the actors continuously involved in all three of these settings.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev extended his congratulations to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on being given the Sheikh Zayed Award for Human Fraternity in a video address. Credit: Akorda

Shared Words, Different Realities

The vocabulary repeatedly invoked in these forums is strikingly consistent: fraternity, coexistence, dialogue, and human dignity. At a time when multilateralism is faltering and traditional channels of mediation are weakening, this language also serves a political purpose—allowing states to signal, at home and abroad, a preference for dialogue over force and to project the image that they are not stoking confrontation, but providing a venue in which tensions can be managed.

Yet the distance between ceremony and reality does not disappear. Celebrating a peace agreement does not necessarily guarantee its implementation. Honoring efforts in girls’ education does not automatically reopen classrooms. Proclaiming coexistence does not stop violence overnight. Awards can encourage compromise and bless dialogue, but they are not mechanisms that can compel outcomes.

Even so, governments and religious and civil-society networks continue to engage in these venues—through attendance, public statements, and sustained involvement—because they remain among the few public settings where opposing parties can appear side by side. There are not many spaces where actors in tense relationships can stand in the same room, where restraint is openly affirmed, and where interfaith ties can function as informal diplomatic channels.

A Place to “Rehearse” Peace

A woman crafts a mosaic depicting a peace dove in the Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan. Credit: UN Women/Christopher Herwig

The Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, the peace commemorations in Rome, and the interfaith congress in Astana—taken together—reveal the growing reach of a diplomatic approach that advances not through force or pressure, but through convening, dialogue, and the steady maintenance of relationships. It is a framework that can be symbolic at times, yet capable of exerting a quiet influence.

They also point toward the emergence of a new diplomatic domain where religion, civil society and state interests converge.

In today’s international environment, it is precisely these small points of contact that can carry real significance. Before peace is institutionalized as policy, there are only limited spaces where its shape can be publicly “rehearsed.”

The Abu Dhabi ceremony is one of those rare stages. It did not resolve a conflict, nor did it erase suspicion. Even so, choosing dialogue—and continuing to make that choice visible in the open—constitutes an act in itself: a clear signal, in an age of polarization, of a commitment to restraint over enmity.

This article is brought to you by INPS Japan in collaboration with Soka Gakkai International, in consultative status with the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

INPS Japan

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Senegal's prime minister says it is "regrettable" that 18 of its football fans have been handed prison sentences related to disturbances at the 2025 Afcon final.

The hasty transition from a crypto ban to its sweeping adoption is naturally generating skepticism.

Plusieurs villages du territoire de Masisi (Nord-Kivu) sont, depuis lundi 23 février, sous occupation des combattants Wazalendo.

Selon des sources locales, des combats ont été signalés notamment sur l’axe Kazinga, dans le groupement Nyamaboko, ainsi qu’autour de Rubaya, dans le groupement Kibabi.

Credit: Georgios Kostomitsopoulos/NurPhoto via Getty Images

By Inés M. Pousadela
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Feb 24 2026 (IPS)

The Islamic Republic of Iran has put down another uprising, with a ferocity that makes previous crackdowns seem restrained. The theocratic regime has survived, but it has done so by substituting violence for the economic security it cannot provide and the political legitimacy it no longer has. Its show of force is also an admission of weakness.

The protests that began on 28 December were triggered by a specific event — the collapse of the rial to a record low — but rooted in years of accumulated grievances. The second half of 2025 alone saw at least 471 labour protests across 69 Iranian cities. Inflation stood at 49.4 per cent. The 12-day war with Israel in June sent the Tehran Stock Exchange down around 40 per cent and cost many people their jobs. The United Nations Security Council reimposed sanctions in September. The government cut fuel subsidies in November and slashed exchange-rate subsidies in December. Over 40 per cent of Iranian households now live below the poverty line and around half the population consume fewer than the recommended 2,100 calories per day.

It was this collapse that brought typically conservative bazaar merchants onto the streets. Within two weeks, the protests had spread to all of Iran’s 31 provinces, drawing in the urban middle class, working-class communities and people from rural provinces who had historically been among the regime’s most reliable supporters. What began as an economic stoppage rapidly became political defiance. For the millions who joined the striking merchants, the plummeting currency and rising cost of food were not market failures; they were proof of the regime’s corruption and ineptitude. Generation Z played a central role, demanding not reform but profound change. Lethal repression provided further confirmation the system was beyond reform.

The state’s response evolved. Initially it offered token economic concessions alongside its usual crowd control violence such as batons and teargas. When it became clear that a widespread movement with political demands had taken hold, it shifted to total attrition. On 8 January, authorities imposed a near-total internet shutdown and authorised security forces to use military-grade weapons against crowds. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – a parallel military structure, major political force and economic empire with a direct stake in the regime’s survival – spearheaded the crackdown, with its affiliated Basij paramilitary networks playing a central role in street-level violence.

The casualty figures were deliberately obscured by the internet blackout, but all evidence points in the same direction. Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights reported that at least 3,000 civilians — including 44 children — were killed in the first 17 days. Iran Human Rights, citing Ministry of Health sources, documented a minimum of 3,379 deaths across 15 provinces. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported around 7,000 verified fatalities by mid-February, with 12,000 further cases under review. Time magazine cited hospital records suggesting the toll may have reached 30,000. Even the lowest of these figures vastly eclipses the 537 deaths recorded during the 2022-2023 Woman, Life, Freedom protests. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s concession that ‘several thousand’ had been killed confirmed the order of magnitude.

By 16 January the streets had been cleared, but a quieter repressive campaign continued, with nighttime raids, enforced disappearances and mass detentions in unofficial holding sites outside the legal system, targeting not only protesters but also doctors who treated the wounded, lawyers who provided legal assistance, bystanders who helped and people who posted supportive statements online. Authorities have detained over 50,000 people. Revolutionary Courts have fast-tracked mass indictments through summary trials, often conducted online and lasting mere minutes, with defendants denied independent legal counsel and confessions extracted under torture. Eighteen-year-old Saleh Mohammadi, whose retracted confession was obtained after interrogators broke bones in his hand, has been sentenced to be publicly hanged at the site of his alleged crime. Dozens more face imminent execution.

The regime has, for now, held: its security forces have not fractured, there have been no significant elite defections, and the IRGC has maintained its capacity for suppression. But it rules over a country with a wrecked economy, a battered nuclear programme, weakened regional proxies and a population that has run out of reasons to comply. Each protest cycle has required a higher threshold of state violence to suppress, a sign the regime has no other tool left.

What prevents weakness from becoming collapse is the absence of any alternative. The international response briefly suggested external pressure might tell – but did not. Donald Trump told Iranian protesters that ‘help is on its way’. The European Union listed the IRGC as a terrorist organisation. The UK imposed fresh sanctions. The Iranian diaspora held at least 168 protests across 30 countries. But the international noise simply enabled the regime to spread the narrative that the uprising was foreign-directed.

The exiled opposition is fragmented along ethnic, ideological and generational lines, seemingly more consumed by internal rivalries than the task of converting widespread discontent into sustained political pressure. Inside Iran, the most credible opposition voices — Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi, reformist politician Mostafa Tajzadeh and veteran leader Mir Hossein Mousavi — are imprisoned or cut off from public life.

A weakened regime facing a leaderless opposition can endure, but what it cannot do is reverse its decay. Violence may clear the streets, but it cannot rebuild the economy, restore trust or give Iran’s young people a reason to stay. The regime has bought time, at an ever-rising price, but the crisis it’s suppressed isn’t going away.

Inés M. Pousadela is CIVICUS Head of Research and Analysis, co-director and writer for CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report. She is also a Professor of Comparative Politics at Universidad ORT Uruguay.

For interviews or more information, please contact research@civicus.org

 

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Les Léopards U17 de la République démocratique du Congo se sont qualifiés pour la finale du tournoi de l’UNIFFAC après leur victoire (2–1) face aux Basoubangi de la République centrafricaine (RCA).

Cette rencontre disputée ce mardi 24 février au stade Tata Raphaël de Kinshasa comptait pour la deuxième sortie du tournoi qualificatif de l’UNIFFAC.

Today is yet another test, and one in which we will likely be found wanting. But hearing the lived experience is the very least we can do

UN Secretary-General António Guterres speaks at the opening of the 61st session of the Human Rights Council at the Palais des Nations, in Geneva. Meanwhile, Volker Turk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, addresses (below) at the opening of the High-level segment of the Human Rights Council. Credit: UN Photo/Violaine Martin

By Volker Turk
GENEVA, Feb 24 2026 (IPS)

A fierce competition for power, control and resources is playing out on the world stage at a rate and intensity unseen for the past 80 years.

People are feeling unmoored, anxious and insecure. The gears of global power are shifting; the consequences are not clear. Some are signalling the end of the world order as we know it.

But today, I want to talk about another world order. One that is organised from the ground up, and that is unshakeable. A foundational system of how people relate to each other, based on our inherent worth, our hopes, and our common values.

I am referring to people’s pursuit of dignity, equality, and justice. This quest is innate to what makes us human: to be free, to be heard, and to have our basic needs met.

And it is a strong counterbalance to the top-down, autocratic trends we see today. The use of force to resolve disputes between and within countries is becoming normalized.

Inflammatory threats against sovereign nations are thrown about, with no regard to the fire they could ignite. The laws of war are being brutally violated.

Mass civilian suffering – from Sudan, to Gaza, to Ukraine, to Myanmar – is unfolding before our eyes. In Sudan, there needs to be accountability for all violations by all parties – notably, the war crimes and possible crimes against humanity committed by the Rapid Support Forces in El Fasher. Such atrocities must not be repeated in Kordofan or elsewhere. All those with influence need to act urgently to put an end to this senseless war.

The situation in Gaza remains catastrophic. Palestinians are still dying from Israeli fire, cold, hunger, and treatable diseases. The aid allowed in is not enough to meet the massive needs. There are concerns over ethnic cleansing in both Gaza and the West Bank, where Israel is accelerating efforts to consolidate unlawful annexation. Any sustainable solution must be based on two states living side by side in equal dignity and rights, in line with UN resolutions and international law.

Tomorrow marks four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Four interminable and agonizing years. Civilian casualties have soared, and Russia’s systematic attacks on Ukraine’s energy and water infrastructure could amount to international crimes. The fighting needs to end, and I urge a focus on human rights and justice in any ceasefire or peace agreement.

In Myanmar, five years after the military coup, the awful conflict is claiming even more civilian lives, and the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. The recent elections staged by the military have only deepened people’s despair.

Across most violent conflicts today, journalists, health and aid workers are targeted, in blatant violation of international law. These actions must not be allowed to harden into the new normal.

States need to be persistent objectors to violations of the law – by pursuing accountability, and by clearly denouncing these egregious crimes with consistency, and without exception.

Meanwhile, violence and tensions are resurging in some countries, including South Sudan and Ethiopia. And authorities in Iran have violently repressed mass protests with lethal force, killing thousands.

I will provide more detail on these and other country situations in my global update later this week. Developments around the world point to a deeply worrying trend: domination and supremacy are making a comeback.

If we listen to the rhetoric of some leaders, what lurks behind it is a belief that they are above the law, and above the UN Charter. They claim exceptional status, exceptional danger or exceptional moral judgement to pursue their own agenda at any cost. And why wouldn’t they try, when they are unlikely to face consequences?

They build and sustain systems that perpetuate inequalities within and between countries. Some weaponise their economic leverage. They spread disinformation to distract, silence and marginalize.

A tight clique of tech tycoons controls an outsize proportion of global information flows, distorting public debate, markets, and even governance systems. Corporate and state interests ravage our environment, robbing the riches of the earth for their own gain.

But at the same time, people are not watching all this from the sidelines. They are activating their power, from the ground up. Women and young people especially are leading these movements.

They are claiming their right to basic living conditions, to fair pay, to bodily autonomy, to self-determination, to be heard, to vote freely, and many other rights. From Nepal to Madagascar, from Serbia to Peru and beyond, people are demanding equality and denouncing corruption.

Neighbours and communities are standing up for each other – sometimes even risking their lives. People are protesting war and injustice in places far from home, expressing solidarity and pressuring their governments to act.

They see human rights as a practical force for good – and they are right. Human rights are anathema to supremacy: they are a direct challenge to those who seek and cling to power. That is what makes human rights radical, and that is what gives them force.

They are universal, timeless, and indestructible.

Human rights didn’t magically appear with the Universal Declaration on 10 December 1948.
People have been seeking freedom and equality long before these principles were codified in national or international agreements.

In the late 1700s, enslaved people in modern-day Haiti rose up against colonial rule, in the name of racial equality. The American and French revolutions challenged unaccountable authority. The Abolitionist movement was a rejection of the Transatlantic slave trade – the most brutal system of subjugation.

In the early 1900s, women joined together to demand the right to vote. The fight for gender equality continues. After the bloodshed of two World Wars and the Holocaust, the UN Charter reasserted faith in fundamental human rights, and in the dignity and worth of the human person.

The 20th century then ushered in a period of decolonization, which reaffirmed the right to self-determination. People mobilized to end racial segregation, for labour rights, and to protect the rights of LGBT people.

Mothers marched together to seek justice for their disappeared children, from Argentina to Sri Lanka to Syria. And young people raised their voices for climate justice.

Human rights are the thread that runs through all these movements. And we do not take their achievements for granted. Tyranny will seize any chance and exploit any opening. We must keep standing up for human rights, in solidarity with each other.

When we come together, we wield more power than any autocrat or tech billionaire. The struggle for human rights can never be derailed by the whims of a handful of leaders with reactionary, supremacist agendas.

While some States are weakening the multilateral system, we need bolder and more joined-up responses.

First, this means calling out violations of international law, regardless of the perpetrators. Too often, denouncing violations by one party is labelled as siding with the enemy. In reality, it is upholding universality, and the pursuit of justice for all.

The alternative – selective, fragmented responses – weakens international law and hurts us all.
The entire human rights ecosystem is designed to promote universality and ensure consistency. This includes the tools mandated by this Council. I condemn all attacks against them.

Second, we need stronger commitment to accountability. This includes strengthening the International Criminal Court and encouraging national prosecutions under the principle of universal jurisdiction. We need to increase the cost of breaking international law.

Third, let’s forge coalitions to champion what unites us, and uphold equality, dignity, and justice for all. We must protect the diversity of the human family and demonstrate what we gain by standing together.

In the coming weeks, we will set in motion a Global Alliance for Human Rights to capture the energy and commitment that is palpable everywhere.

This will be a cross-regional, multi-stakeholder coalition of States, businesses, cities, philanthropists, scientists, artists, philosophers, young people and civil society.

It will confront top-down domination with grassroots solidarity and support. It will represent the quiet majority, who want a different world. Human rights are not political currency, and they are not up for grabs.

Our future depends on our joint commitment to defend every person’s rights, every time, everywhere.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/02/1167015

IPS UN Bureau

 

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