News headlines for “Democracy”, page 73
Royalties, a New Indigenous Right for Hydroelectric Damages in Brazil
- Inter Press Service

RIO DE JANEIRO, Mar 25 (IPS) - Indigenous peoples in Brazil have won a new right: a share in the profits of hydroelectric plants that cause them harm when built on or near their lands.
A Path Towards Ending Child Marriage
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 25 (IPS) - As the sun rises over coastal Gopalpur, Odisha, in eastern India, dozens of children prepare for school. Unfortunately, for many girls in the state, the arrival of their first period can mean the end of their school years as they face societal pressures to become brides.
A Test of Humanity: Migrants’ Rights in a World Turning Inward
- Inter Press Service

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Mar 24 (IPS) - The United Nations Refugee Agency faces devastating cuts that may eliminate 5,000 to 6,000 jobs, with potentially catastrophic consequences for millions of people fleeing war, repression, hunger and climate disasters. This 75-year-old institution, established to help Europeans displaced by the Second World War, now confronts an unprecedented financial crisis, primarily due to the US foreign aid freeze – and the timing couldn’t be worse.
‘What’s Next?’ Women-led Movements Fear for the Future
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 24 (IPS) - Women rights advocates who gathered at UN Headquarters for the world’s biggest meeting (10 -21 March) on gender equality have been sharing their concerns about the growing backlash against feminism, and how major funding cuts from donor countries could threaten programmes aimed at improving the lives of women and girls.
Funding Crunch Puts Years of Progress at Risk in Fight Against Tuberculosis
- Inter Press Service

BRATISLAVA, Mar 24 (IPS) - Governments and donors must ensure funding is sustained to fight tuberculosis (TB), organizations working to stop the disease have said, as they warn the recent US pullback on foreign aid is already having a devastating effect on their operations.
The Toll of Mental Health in Conflict Areas
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 21 (IPS) - Over the past two decades, conversations surrounding mental wellness have entered the cultural consciousness in the western world. Despite this, these topics receive far less media exposure in the Global South, particularly in areas that have been entrenched in warfare, where the onset of harmful mental health conditions are prevalent.
How Rare Rhino, Tiger Conservation Has Locked Out Indigenous Communities
- Inter Press Service

NEW DELHI, Mar 21 (IPS) - While a local community prides itself on caring for a sensitive biodiverse region, and despite centuries-long stewardship of the Kaziranga, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the authorities rebuff—sometimes aggressively—their attempts to remain involved.
How Aid Cuts Will Shatter Global Water and Sanitation Progress
- Inter Press Service

BRIGHTON, UK, Mar 21 (IPS) - The principle of leaving no one behind is central to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The progress toward achieving SDG 6, which aims to ensure universal access to water, sanitation, and hygiene by 2030 is increasingly under threat with recent development funding cuts posing a significant barrier.
Civil Society: The Last Line of Defence in a World of Cascading Crises
- Inter Press Service

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay / LONDON, Mar 20 (IPS) - In a world of overlapping crises, from brutal conflicts and democratic regression to climate breakdown and astronomic levels of economic inequality, one vital force stands as a shield and solution: civil society. This is the sobering but ultimately hopeful message of CIVICUS’s 14th annual State of Civil Society Report, which provides a wide-ranging civil society perspective on the state of the world as it stands in early 2025.
Israel Ends Ceasefire in Gaza as Strikes Resume
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 20 (IPS) - On March 18, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched an attack on the Gaza Strip, effectively terminating the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement. This comes after a pause in ceasefire operations when Israel continued its blockade on humanitarian aid in the enclave and demanded the release of additional hostages.

