By Committee to Protect Journalists
NEW YORK, May 1 2025 – Press freedom is no longer a given in the United States 100 days into President Donald Trump’s second term as journalists and newsrooms face mounting pressures that threaten their ability to report freely and the public’s right to know.

A new report released April 30 by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)– “Alarm bells: Trump’s first 100 days ramp up fear for the press, democracy,” noted that the administration has scaled up its rhetorical attacks and launched a startling number of actions using regulatory bodies and powerful allies that, taken together, may cause irreparable harm to press freedom in the U.S. and will likely take decades to repair.

The level of trepidation among U.S. journalists is such that CPJ has provided more security training since the November election than at any other period.

“This is a definitive moment for U.S. media and the public’s right to be informed. CPJ is providing journalists with resources at record rates so they can report safely and without fear or favor, but we need everyone to understand that protecting the First Amendment is not a choice, it’s a necessity. All our freedoms depend on it,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg.

Emerging challenges to a free press in the United States fall under three main categories:
1) The restriction of access for some news organizations; 2) The increasing use of government and regulatory bodies against news organizations; and 3) Targeted attacks against journalists and newsrooms.

While The Associated Press (AP), a global newswire agency serving thousands of newsrooms in the U.S. and across the world, has faced retaliation for not adhering to state-mandated language, the Federal Communications Commission is mounting investigations against three major broadcasters – CBS, ABC, and NBC – along with the country’s two public broadcasters – NPR and PBS – in moves widely viewed as politically motivated.

“The rising tide of threats facing U.S. journalists and newsrooms are a direct threat to the American public,” said Ginsberg. “Whether at the federal or state level, the investigations, hearings, and verbal attacks amount to an environment where the media’s ability to bear witness to government action is already curtailed.”

Journalists who reached out to CPJ in recent months are worried about online harassment and digital and physical safety. Newsrooms have also shared with us worries about the possibility of punitive regulatory actions.

Since the presidential election last November until March 7 of this year, CPJ has provided safety consultations to more than 530 journalists working in the country. This figure was only 20 in all of 2022, marking an exponential increase in the need for safety information.

Globally, the gutting of the U.S. Agency for Global Media resulted in the effective termination of thousands of journalist positions, and the elimination of USAID independent media support impoverished the news landscape in many regions across the globe where the news ecosystem is underdeveloped or information is severely restricted.

As the executive branch of the U.S. government is taking unprecedented steps to permanently undermine press freedom, CPJ is calling on the public, news organizations, civil society, and all branches, levels, and institutions of government – from municipalities to the U.S. Supreme Court – to safeguard press freedom to help secure the future of American democracy.

In particular, Congress must prioritize passage of the PRESS Act and The Free Speech Protection Act, both bipartisan bills that can strengthen and protect press freedom throughout the United States.

The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan organization that promotes press freedom worldwide. We defend the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal.

IPS UN Bureau

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Excerpt:

World Press Freedom Day 2025

By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, May 1 2025 – The Trump administration’s on-again-off-again threats against the United Nations, and US withdrawals from several UN agencies aggravated further by financial cutbacks, have left most staffers with growing apprehension and uncertainty about their future— and their mental health.

Will the UN’s liquidity crisis result in downsizing of staff or trigger a round of salary cuts? Will there be a freeze on promotions and on salary increases? And will non-American staffers be deprived of permanent residencies in the US—and forced to return, along with their families, to their home countries, on retirement?

Meanwhile, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UN’s humanitarian agency, is facing significant budget cuts due to a funding gap, primarily stemming from a reduction in US funding. This has led to plans for a 20% reduction in staff and a scaled-back presence in several countries, according to OCHA.

Besides OCHA, the budget cuts have also impacted on the World Food Program (WFP), UNICEF and the UN High Commission for Refugees, who are either closing offices, reducing staff or ending programs due to a sharp decrease in US funding.

In a memo to staffers last week, the UN Staff Union (UNSU) in New York acknowledged “the significant concern and potential uncertainty caused by the current financial situation of the Organization.”

“We believe that prioritizing mental health and well-being is essential during these uncertain times. As such, the Union is preparing a series of Mental Health Sessions to offer practical tips and techniques for managing what may lie ahead.”

“Be assured that your Union remains steadfast in defending your rights to fair and equitable treatment and stands ready to navigate the anticipated challenges ahead together,” says the memo from Narda Cupidore, President of UNSU.

Meanwhile, the Staff Management Committee (SMC), which was convened in Vienna, April 7-12, addressed critical issues impacting staff welfare and conditions of service.

The agenda was dominated by three topics: I) UN80 Initiative; ii) the financial crisis; and iii) the downsizing policy. These deeply interconnected topics and their combined impact on staff were the central focus over several days of deliberations.

The Secretary-General has requested “the UN80 Initiative Task Force and Working Groups to develop proposals to i) rapidly identify efficiencies and improvements in the way we work; ii) review the implementation of the mandates received from Member States; and iii) conduct a programmatic realignment within the UN system, while rationalizing resources.”

Dr Purnima Mane, former President and CEO of Pathfinder International and one-time Deputy Executive Director (Programme) and UN Assistant-Secretary-General (ASG) at the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), told IPS the US government’s threats of financial cutbacks and withdrawals from many UN agencies is a matter of special concern not only for Member States but also the UN staff themselves, affecting their mental health and ability to bring their best to their already challenging work.

“With multiple global upheavals all over the world, the UN clearly is an institution from which much is expected at this time. But financial cutbacks seriously threaten the UN’s ability to deliver and its staff members’ ability to do their job”.

It is therefore reassuring, she said, that the concerned bodies affiliated to the UN, which focus on staff welfare, are honing in on the mental health of the staff who are working in this current environment of extreme uncertainty. .

It is encouraging to note that the UN Staff Union is preparing a series of mental health sessions for staff to have access to practical tips for managing what may lie ahead.

The Staff Management Committee XIII which met early April in Vienna also focused on critical issues impacting staff welfare and conditions of service, and not surprisingly, the financial crises that the UN is threatened with and the downsizing policy were two of the major topics that the SMC focused on.

“Uncertainty of course makes matters even tougher since the US administration has announced cutbacks to institutions where the US is a sole or major contributor and then reversed its decision in the case of some,” she pointed out.

If the UN is not seen as a sound investment by the US, and its position on cutbacks and withdrawals remain without any alteration, the paralysis, in terms of action, will be severe and will take a high toll in terms of staff mental health and subsequently, their ability to perform already formidable tasks, declared Dr Mane.

The World Food Program, UNICEF and the UN High Commission for Refugees are among UN agencies that are cutting jobs, closing offices, ending programs and taking other cost-cutting measures due to a sharp decrease in US funding.

In 2024, the UN Secretariat employed over 35,000 staff members across 467 duty stations worldwide. This includes staff from over 190 nationalities, as part of the wider UN family with over 100 bodies and organizations, including some 30 agencies, funds and programmes.

The cash crisis has been aggravated by non-payment or late payment of dues by member states. As of April 30, only 101 out of 193 member states, have paid their assessed contributions in full.

Asked about the budgetary cuts by UN agencies, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters April 28, there are different kinds of cuts.

“The most violent that we have seen really hit our humanitarian and development partners because the cuts are immediate. The way they’re funded are through voluntary contribution. The money is allotted for specific programmes, so the money is not there. The work’s not getting done”.

“So, I think the Secretary-General has said that we are, right now facing a liquidity crisis. We’re managing that. We’re obviously, and he always has been looking to be the most possibly responsible caretaker of the money that is entrusted to us”.

Dujarric said the strategy is also to ensure that Member States understand the quick and real impact of these cuts.

Currently, the biggest single defaulter is the US, which, as the largest contributor, pays 22% of the UN’s regular budget and 27% of the peacekeeping budget.

The US owes $1.5 billion to the UN’s regular budget. And, between the regular budget, the peacekeeping budget, and international tribunals, the total amount the US owes is a hefty $2.8 billion.

The top 10 contributors to the UN’s regular budget, based on assessed contributions, are the United States, China, Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, Brazil, and Russia.

The regular budget for 2025 is $3.72 billion—around $120 million more than the $3.6 billion figure unveiled by Secretary-General António Guterres in October 2024—and $130 million greater than the Organisation’s 2024 budget.

The total budget appropriation for 2025 amounts to $3,717,379,600. After the US, China is the second-largest contributor, assessed at 18.7% of the regular budget.

In its appeal to staffers, the Staff Union says the Secretary-General’s UN80 Initiative “may bring substantial changes to our organization and have significant impact on our conditions of service”.

“While the full extent of these changes is still unknown, we recognize the underlying stress and anxiety it might cause, especially against the backdrop of constant media coverage of similar challenges occurring across the Common System.”

Towards this effort, the UN80 Initiative has created a suggestion box to submit support and ideas.

“As we believe the most effective solution sets can come from those directly involved in the day-to-day work of the organization and with an upcoming deadline of 1 May 2025, we encourage you to share your innovative and creative proposals not only with the UN80 Initiative but with your Union as well”.

By sending your suggestions to [email protected], says the memo, “ we shall be able to record the dynamic contributions of Staff Members and re-emphasize the critical importance of an inclusive, Secretariat wide decision-making process within the three pillars of efficiencies and improvements, mandate implementation, and programme realignment.”

IPS UN Bureau Report

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By CIVICUS
May 1 2025 – CIVICUS speaks with Ukrainian gender rights activist Maryna Rudenko about the gendered impacts of the war in Ukraine and the importance of including women in peacebuilding efforts.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has profoundly impacted on women and girls. Many have been displaced and are struggling with poverty and unemployment. Those who’ve stayed endure daily missile attacks, damaged infrastructure, lack of basic services and sexual violence from Russian forces if they live in occupied territories. Women activists, caregivers and journalists are particularly vulnerable. The international community must increase support to ensure justice for victims and women’s inclusion in peace efforts.

Maryna Rudenko

What have been the impacts of the war in Ukraine, particularly on women and girls?

The war began in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea, with Indigenous women, particularly Crimean Tatars, immediately and severely affected. They risked losing their property and livelihoods, and to continue working they were forced to change their citizenship. Pro-Ukraine activists had to flee and those who stayed faced arrest. This placed a heavier burden on many women who were left in charge of their families.

At the same time in 2014, Russia began supporting separatist movements in eastern Ukraine, leading to the occupation of territories such as Donetsk and Luhansk and the displacement of over a million people. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, many lost their homes again. Nearly seven million fled to European countries. This population loss poses a significant demographic challenge to Ukraine’s post-war development.

Since 2015, conflict-related sexual violence has been a major issue. Around 342 cases have been documented. The International Criminal Court recognised that conflict-related sexual violence has been committed in the temporarily occupied territories since 2014.

Ukraine also experienced the largest campaign of child abduction in recent history: Russia took close to 20,000 Ukrainian children from occupied territories and sent then to ‘camps’ in Crimea or Russia, where the authorities changed their names and nationalities and gave them to Russian families. Ukrainian children were forced to change their national identity. This is evidence of genocidal approach in Russia’s war activities.

The war has also devastated infrastructure and the economy. In my town, 30 km from Kyiv, the heating station was hit by 11 ballistic missiles, leaving us without electricity or water for a long time. It was very scary to stay at the apartment with my daughter and know that Russian ballistic missiles were flying over our house. Roughly 40 per cent of the economy was destroyed in 2022 alone, causing job losses at a time when the government spends over half its budget on the military. Civilians, including a record 70,000 women, have taken up arms.

Beyond the immediate human cost, the war is causing serious environmental damage, with weapons and missile debris polluting soil and water beyond national borders. Russia’s occupation of Zaporizhzhia, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, poses a very real risk of a nuclear disaster for Ukraine and Europe as a whole.

How have Ukrainian women’s organisations responded?

Starting in 2014, we focused on advocacy, championing United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 1,325, which reaffirms the role of women in conflict prevention and resolution. The government adopted its National Action Plan on the implementation of the resolution in 2016. We formed local coalitions to implement this agenda, leading to reforms such as opening military roles to women, establishing policies to prevent sexual harassment, integrating gender equality in the training curriculum and gender mainstreaming as part of police reform.

Following the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian women’s civil society organisations (CSOs) shifted to providing immediate humanitarian relief, as survival became the top priority. Women’s CSOs began helping people, particularly those with disabilities, relocate to western Ukraine and providing direct aid to those who remained. As schools, hospitals and shelters for survivors of domestic violence were destroyed, women’s CSOs tried to fill the gap, providing food, hygiene packages and cash and improvising school lessons in metro tunnels.

People stood up and helped. In Kharkiv, which is located 30 km from the boarder with Russia, the local government created underground schools. It’s unbelievable that this happened in the 21st century and because of the aggression of a permanent member of the UN Security Council. Our children, women and men can’t sleep normally because every night there are missile and drone attacks.

In the second half of 2022, women’s CSOs and the government tried to refocus on long-term development. One of the first initiatives was to amend the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security to better address conflict-related sexual violence in both occupied and liberated areas. This was a much-needed response given the many reported cases of killing, rape and torture. This involved training law enforcement officers, prosecutors and other officials on how to document these crimes and properly communicate with survivors, who often blame themselves due to stigma surrounding the violence.

We have also reported Russia’s violations of the Geneva Conventions, particularly those concerning women, to UN human rights bodies.

Women’s groups are pushing for more donor support for psychological services to address trauma and helping plan for long-term recovery, aiming to rebuild damaged infrastructure and improve services to meet the needs of excluded groups. Some donors, like the Ukrainian Women’s Fund, have agreed to support the costs of mental recovery for women activists to help them restore their strength and support others.

How should women’s voices be integrated into recovery and peacebuilding efforts?

Women must have a real seat at the negotiation table. Genuine participation means not just counting the number of women involved but ensuring their voices are heard and their needs addressed. Unfortunately, the gender impacts of the war remain a secondary concern.

We have outlined at least 10 key areas where the gender impacts of the war should be discussed and prioritised in negotiations. However, it looks like these are being largely ignored in the current high-level negotiations between Russia and the USA. We heard that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighted the importance of returning Ukrainian children when he met with Donald Trump. It’s highly important for the mothers and fathers of these children and for all Ukrainians.

Women’s CSOs are working to ensure all survivors can access justice and fair reparations, and that nobody forgets and excuses the war crimes committed. We urgently need accountability; peace cannot be achieved at the expense of truth. This is particularly important because the Council of Europe’s Register of Damage for Ukraine only accepts testimonies of war crimes that happened after the 2022 invasion, leaving out many survivors from crimes committed since 2014. We are working to amend this rule.

The international response should follow the principle of ‘nothing about us, without us’. International partners should collaborate directly with women-led CSOs, using trauma-informed approaches. For women affected by combat, loss or abduction, recovery must start with psychological support, and civil society can play a vital role in this process.

The effective implementation of Resolution 1,325 also requires reconstruction funds that incorporate a gender perspective throughout. Ukrainian women’s CSOs prepared a statement to highlight the importance of analysing the war’s impact on the implementation of the UN’s Beijing Platform for Action on gender equality and we used this as common message during the recent meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

Additionally, we believe it’s time to consider the successes and failures in implementation of Resolution 1,325 and its sister resolutions, because it’s 25 years since its adoption and the world is not safer.

We appreciate any platforms where we can speak about the experience of Ukraine and call for action to support Ukraine to help make a just and sustain peace in Europe and the world.

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SEE ALSO
Ukraine: ‘Civil society remains resilient and responsive, but financial constraints now hamper its efforts’ CIVICUS Lens | Interview with Mykhailo Savva 25.Feb.2025
Russia: Further tightening of restrictions on ‘undesirable’ organisations CIVICUS Monitor 30.Jul.2024
Russia and Ukraine: a tale of two civil societies CIVICUS Lens 24.Feb.2024

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