News headlines for “Democracy”
Sindh People’s Housing Redefines Post-Disaster Adaptation Success
- Inter Press Service

BELÉM, Brazil, December 12 (IPS) - By any comparison, the statistics for Sindh People’s Housing for Flood Affectees (SPHF) are phenomenal.
From Law to Lives Saved: How the Maternal Newborn and Child Health Bill Can Deliver Universal Health Coverage
- Inter Press Service

NAIROBI, Kenya, December 12 (IPS) - For women in labour across Kenya, reaching a health facility, finding skilled health workers, and affording care can be a matter of life and death. These challenges are not rare, but daily realities for many families.
In Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan, a Young Woman Works in Disguise to Feed Her Family
- Inter Press Service

KABUL, December 11 (IPS) - Shabnam, a 26-year-old law graduate, manages her life and work by disguising herself as a boy. In the middle of a crowded market with the clatter of street sellers and the smell of nearby restaurants, a small, nondescript shop blends into the chaos. Inside, rusty shelves line the walls, empty soda cans hanging on the wall add a touch of color, and an old table covered with a worn-out cloth sits in the corner. To most passersby, the shopkeeper looks like a young man.
‘Once Conversations about Democracy and Equality Begin, They Are Very Hard to Silence’
- Inter Press Service

CIVICUS discusses restrictions on civic space in Thailand and the detention of activist and human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa with Akarachai Chaimaneekarakate, Advocacy Lead at Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).
CIVICUS 2025 Report Reveals Widespread Attacks on Civic Freedoms Worldwide
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, December 11 (IPS) - Over the course of 2025, global civic space conditions have deteriorated sharply, with most countries experiencing some degree of obstructed civil liberties. As authoritarian governments strengthen their hold and have even escalated the use of military force to suppress public dissent, civilians report facing increasing limitations of freedoms of association, peaceful assembly, petition and religion, as well as notable crackdowns on press freedoms.
Funding for Human Rights Organizations – including at the Grassroots Level – have Been Slashed Worldwide
- Inter Press Service

GENEVA, December 11 (IPS) - Human rights are underfunded, undermined and under attack. And yet. Powerful. Undeterred. Mobilizing.This year no doubt has been a difficult one. And one full of dangerous contradictions. Funding for human rights has been slashed, while anti-rights movements are increasingly well-funded.
A New UN Secretary-General Needs the Blessings of the US – or Get Vetoed
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, December 11 (IPS) - When there was widespread speculation that a UN Under-Secretary-General (USG), a product of two prestigious universities– Oxford and Cambridge– was planning to run for the post of Secretary-General back in the 1980s, I pointedly asked him to confirm or deny the rumor during an interview in the UN delegate’s lounge.
Human Right Day 2025
- Inter Press Service

In a world of turbulence and doubt, one promise remains. In 1948, nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Daunting Tasks Ahead for the New UN Secretary-General
- Inter Press Service

KATHMANDU, Nepal, December 10 (IPS) - The election of the next Secretary-General of the United Nations comes at a highly inopportune moment in 2026, when the UN is being bypassed, and multilateralism—with the UN at its core—is under increasing challenge from some of the world’s most powerful states and leaders.
UN Pact for the Future Requires Global Solidarity and Localized Solutions
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, December 9 (IPS) - More than one year since its adoption, the UN Pact for the Future is held up as a critical framework for countries to address today’s issues through global cooperation. Its agenda for global governance and sustainable development is ambitious, and it is for this reason the Pact poses implementation challenges when it comes to the direct impact on local communities. It will require the joint efforts of governments, civil society and international organizations to achieve the goals laid out in the Pact.
Global Issues