News headlines for “Democracy”, page 4
How the Global Anti-Rights Movement Is Targeting Women’s Rights in Africa Through Family Laws
- Inter Press Service

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 25 (IPS) - The theme of Africa Day 2026, “63 years of unity, integration and development,” offers a stark reminder of the gap that often exists between rhetoric and reality. While commendable regional legal frameworks have advanced legal protections for millions of women and girls, injustice remains written into the fabric of national family laws in many African countries, entrenching gender inequality in the home.
The Search is On for the Next U.N. Secretary General in a Turbulent World
- Inter Press Service

NEW YORK, May 25 (IPS) - 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.
Iran War Deepens Activist Dangers
- Inter Press Service

LONDON, May 22 (IPS) - Narges Mohammadi, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her human rights activism in Iran, has been allowed to go home. After guards found her unconscious in her cell, the apparent victim of a heart attack, she was granted temporary release from prison and transferred to a hospital. However, she still faces the threat of being taken back to jail once her condition has improved.
Scarcity of Treatment Makes Syrians More Vulnerable to Mental Health Crisis
- Inter Press Service

IDLIB, Syria, May 22 (IPS) - The protracted years of conflict in Syria have inflicted profound scars that transcend physical destruction, permeating the psychological well-being of millions.
Brazil’s Indigenous Communities Receive $9M in GEF Funding to Protect Lands, Traditions Under Threat
- Inter Press Service

BELÉM, Brazil, May 21 (IPS) - On Brazil’s northeastern coast, the Indigenous community, Tremembé da Barra do Mundaú, lives on a preserved stretch of land shaped by mangroves, dunes, and deserted beaches. The group of around 160 families is led by women and depends on the 3,500-hectare territory for fishing and subsistence farming.
TRANSNATIONAL REPRESSION: ‘China Feels Emboldened to Globalise Its Political Red Lines’
- Inter Press Service

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.
The 3Ds for a Credible Post-2030 Development Agenda
- Inter Press Service

HELSINKI, Finland / SANTIAGO, Chile / SUVA, Fiji / TOKYO, Japan, May 20 (IPS) - 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
- Inter Press Service

BAGAMOYO, Tanzania / BEIRUT, Lebanon / WASHINGTON D.C., May 18 (IPS) - In an era when civil society funding is in decline, it’s time to rebel against a broken system.
Civilian Casualties Grow Amid Russian and Ukrainian Drone Strikes
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, May 18 (IPS) - Four years after the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War, 2026 has marked a significant escalation in hostilities, with intensified bombardments from both sides causing immense destruction across the region, complicating humanitarian operations, and deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis. As exchanges of attacks have intensified in recent days, the United Nations (UN) warns that women and girls will be disproportionately impacted as violence disrupts access to basic, lifesaving services.
Breaking Cultural Barriers to Equip Marginalised Kenyan Girls With Entrepreneurial Skills
- Inter Press Service

MORPUS, Kenya, May 18 (IPS) - For generations, communities in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) have viewed girls through the lens of marriage, with some being married at 11 in exchange for livestock or soon after secondary school, denying them opportunity for further education and skills training.

