By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS / NEW YORK, Jun 5 2025 – On June 1, CIVICUS Global Alliance, announced the appointment of Mandeep Tiwana as its new Secretary-General. With his tenure underway, Tiwana sat down with an IPS correspondent to discuss CIVICUS’s work in promoting civic freedom and solidarity in an increasingly autonomy-restrictive world.

Throughout his career, Tiwana has been an advocate for human rights, civic and democratic freedoms, sustainability, and inclusivity. He previously oversaw CIVICUS’ policy and research department. When asked about what he would like to accomplish during his tenure as Secretary-General, Tiwana stated that he would like to focus on fostering a worldwide community of engaged, empowered citizens able to come together to confront the challenges facing humanity such as violent conflict, inequality, environmental degradation, discrimination and authoritarianism.

“On one hand, you have several conflicts happening around the world where opposing forces are committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and even genocide with impunity. I’d definitely like to reinforce the respect for international norms and the rule of law,” said Tiwana. “We are living in a time of searing inequality caused by flawed economic systems. It’s a travesty that there are individuals with immense wealth who can afford to send rockets up into space for entertainment while 750 million people go to bed hungry every night. We have global military spending topping 2.7 trillion dollars while tens of millions are struggling to afford the basic necessities of life.”

CIVICUS promotes civic space, in which people come together to shape the political, economic, and social structures around them. CIVICUS uses several approaches including participatory research, policy analysis, strategic convenings, targeted advocacy, coalition building and emergency resourcing to defend civic space from authoritarian actors around the world.

According to Tiwana, approximately 7 in 10 people worldwide live in severely repressed civic space conditions where uncovering corruption, exposing human rights violations or seeking transformational change in society can lead to serious forms of persecution.

With authoritarianism on the rise around the world, the need to defend civic freedoms is more crucial than ever before. Tiwana remarked that millions of people around the world are currently being denied the agency to shape the decisions that impact their lives. He noted that authoritarianism is rife in countries such as China, Russia, El Salvador, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Eritrea and Vietnam. Even countries with democratic traditions such as India and the United States are not immune from the march of authoritarianism. Moreover, authoritarianism and patriarchy go hand in hand which can also erode hard-won gains in gender justice.

Through CIVICUS’s work, Tiwana aims to bring together a diverse array of civil society actors to ensure that no one is left behind. “We work with multilateral institutions, grassroots activists, and organizations to highlight injustices and raise awareness of discrimination against excluded peoples,” he said. “We provide moral support and solidarity to those who are fighting for justice so they know that they are not alone.”

In March, CIVICUS added the United States to its list of countries experiencing serious declines in civic freedoms on the CIVICUS Monitor, a participatory platform that collects and analyzes data from multiple sources on civic freedoms around the globe. The United States was included in the Watchlist due to the Trump administration’s efforts to limit equity, diversity, democracy, global cooperation, and the rule of law.

This watchlist, which is published and updated every six months, features countries facing serious declines and is meant to serve as an “early warning to the international community”, Tiwana explained. He added, “the United States was included in our current watchlist due to rapid erosion of civic space conditions in the country. Senior government officials actively intimidate those who don’t agree with their worldview or their political agendas. History shows us that when international norms are not followed, it leads to impunity, criminality and mass persecution of people by autocrats with disastrous consequences.”

Tiwana went on to add that major points of concern in the United States include limitations on the freedom of speech, the right to peaceful protest, and the abrupt slashing of funding for NGOs and foreign aid, all of which have had severely detrimental consequences for people in vulnerable situations in the United States and abroad. “As the world’s largest economy the United States has historically been the one that benefits the most from international trade, as it is the major trading partner for most countries in the world. When the U.S. provides foreign aid to civil society, it helps promote stability, respect for fundamental freedoms, and social cohesion around the world which ultimately benefits its economy. With the US withdrawing from its established foreign policy priorities to promote human rights and democracy, solidarity around the world will suffer.”

On January 20, President Trump signed an executive order for the U.S.’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), which elicited concerns of reduced global health cooperation from a host of humanitarian organizations. Tiwana opined that the U.S.’s withdrawal poses significant risks for global health and security. “We urge countries that support international cooperation and the United States in particular not to arbitrarily withdraw from international institutions. The United States has a moral responsibility to ensure the health and wellbeing of the people around the world from whose markets the U.S. economy profits from. This will endanger the lives of vulnerable populations,” he said.

The United Nations is an integral force for protecting civic freedoms through its support to civil society, facilitating accountability-seeking measures, and maintaining international law. As it undergoes key structural reforms and restructuring under the UN80 initiative, it is worth considering what role NGOs can play in this process. Tiwana told IPS that CIVICUS has been focused on advocating for more inclusive and democratic changes. He reminded that civil society groups played key roles in shaping some of the UN’s signature achievements, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement and the Treaty of Enforced Disappearances. This can only be possible as long as civil society participation is protected in the UN and beyond.

“For all intents and purposes the United Nations is the secular conscience of the world. Hence, its leadership is expected at all times to act with good faith, professional integrity and principled courage…the UN’s top decision makers have impeded the institution from achieving its full potential, by resorting to bureaucratic ways of functioning, submission to perceived political realities and personal ambition,” Tiwana said.

“The current frustration expressed by UN staff about lack of consultation and transparency by the UN’s leadership is a symptom of a much larger problem that pervades the institution, including of not taking responsibility for one’s own failures and seeking to place the blame wholly on the belligerent actions of UN member states.”

Among the calls for reform, there are calls for leadership to protect gender equality, as evidenced in the campaign calling for the next UN secretary-general to be a woman. When asked, Tiwana said that CIVICUS would support the appointment of a female UN secretary-general. He further highlighted that appointing a woman would reflect increased inclusivity within the UN, feminist ideals, and diverse leadership for future generations.

“Having a woman Secretary-General is absolutely essential in exemplifying feminist values, empathy, and solidarity. We believe that the process should be fair and transparent. We urge member states that are putting forward candidates to put forward female ones, particularly a female candidate that is most aligned with UN values, especially the four principles articulated in the UN Charter,” said Tiwana.

The existence of civic freedoms is vital for active citizens and civil society organizations to build momentum for vital action to address the worsening climate crisis, which is known to detrimentally affect public health and impair development gains. Excessive reliance on fossil fuels, unsustainable mining practices, and overconsumption are creating a host of environmental and economic disparities that are negatively impacting impoverished communities and exacerbating inequality. This has a negative impact on civic spaces worldwide due to tight overlaps between political and economic elites.

“We continue to highlight the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which despite the fact that they were adopted by all UN member states in 2015 have experienced limited progress,” Tiwana said. “We believe that emphasis on realizing SDG 16, which is on peace, justice, and strong institutions, can catalyze action towards achievement of the SDGs. Policy makers have an important role to play in identifying the root causes of lack of progress on SDGs. That said, lasting change will only come through citizen mobilization that forces decision-makers to act.”

By IPS Correspondent
JOHANNESBURG, Jun 5 2025 – The South-West Pacific experienced unprecedented warming in 2024, according to a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report released today (June 5)—threatening islands in a region where half the population lives close to the coast.

The State of the Climate in the South-West Pacific 2024 Report said that sea-surface temperatures were the highest on record, and ocean heat content was at near-record levels in 2024. Nearly 40 million km² (15.4 million square miles), an area almost the size of the Asian continent, was affected by marine heatwaves.

On land, extreme heat and rainfall caused deadly and devastating impacts. A record-breaking streak of tropical cyclones hit the Philippines, while the last remaining tropical glacier in Indonesia’s New Guinea headed closer to extinction, the WMO said in a statement.

“2024 was the warmest year on record in the South-West Pacific region. Ocean heat and acidification combined to inflict long-lasting damage to marine ecosystems and economies. Sea-level rise is an existential threat to entire island nations. It is increasingly evident that we are fast running out of time to turn the tide,” said WMO Secretary-General Prof. Celeste Saulo.

The report was to coincide with the Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction 2025 in Geneva and ahead of the 2025 UN Ocean Conference.

However, the report also highlighted how strengthened early warning systems and Anticipatory Action in the Philippines enabled communities to prepare and respond to the back-to-back typhoons in 2024. This helped to protect lives and livelihoods and ensure dignified, timely support for vulnerable communities.

During a press briefing on the report, Catherine Jones, Disaster Resilience Officer from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), gave some detail of how “anticipatory action protocols” assisted a community in the Bicol Region on an island called Catanduanes. On November 13, 2024, the fifth cyclone in the region intensified into a super typhoon (category 5), and a warning was issued that it would make landfall on the 16th. The organization supported 2,800 households with multi-purpose cash to protect their livelihoods, and the early warning system also enabled these households to evacuate and secure their boats.

“When we went back to speak with various fisherfolk who received the support, they said to us, because they received the warnings before the event, they were able to get back onto the water one week after the sediment and all the ocean had settled; they were able to jump straight back into their livelihood and provide for their families.”

The WMO says that this example exemplifies the value of the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative, which is one of WMO’s top strategic priorities, even though the report says 50,000 Pacific Islanders face the risk of displacement due to climate change.

2024 was the warmest year on record in the South-West Pacific region, at approximately 0.48 °C above the 1991–2020 average. Credit: WMO

Key highlights of the report include:

• 2024 was the warmest year on record in the South-West Pacific region, at approximately 0.48 °C above the 1991–2020 average. This was associated with the continued influence from the 2023/2024 El Niño event.
• The southern coast of Australia, northern New Zealand, and many Pacific Islands all suffered precipitation deficits.
• Parts of Malaysia, Indonesia, the northern Philippines, northern Australia, eastern Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and southern New Zealand saw above-average rainfall.
• Extreme rainfall and flooding caused deadly and destructive impacts across the region, with major events in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines disrupting communities, infrastructure, and economies.
• The late 2024 tropical cyclone season in the Philippines was unprecedented, with 12 storms from September to November — more than double the average. Across the entire sequence, over 13 million people were impacted in 17 of the country’s 18 regions, with more than 1.4 million displaced.
• In Indonesia, glacier ice loss continued rapidly in 2024, with the total ice area in the western part of New Guinea declining by 30-50% since 2022, according to satellite estimates. If this rate persists, total ice loss is expected in 2026 or very soon thereafter.
• Most of the ocean area of the South-West Pacific region was affected by marine heatwaves of strong, severe, or extreme intensity during 2024. During the months of January, April, May, and June 2024, nearly 40 million km² of the region’s ocean was impacted, marking a record high since records began in 1993.

Sea Level Rise in the Pacific Islands

Communities on the Pacific Islands face difficult decisions about staying in high-risk areas or relocating to secure their futures.

“Villagers are running out of adaptation options, with the building of seawalls, plantation of mangroves, and improvement of drainage systems no longer being viable,” the report says, giving an example from the Government of Fiji, which has offered support for the islanders to relocate. However, many choose to stay because of the concept of “vanua,” which translates literally to “land,” embodying the profound connection between the Indigenous communities and their ancestral lands.

Delegates address a press conference at the launch of the WMO State of the Climate in South-West Pacific 2024 Report.

During a press briefing on the report, UNFCCC’s  Juhi Bansal described the daily life of people living on Sarawak Island.

“Since 2000, rising sea levels have caused severe coastal erosion, flooding, and seawater intrusion-crops have failed. Homes have been submerged and sea walls have been repeatedly destroyed in two extreme flooding events,” she said. “Boats have been used to traverse the island. Villagers now build planks between homes and they dock boats at their doors during high tide. The villages have tried every adaptation measure available. They’ve built sea walls, tried mangrove restoration, and even crop relocation to the mainland, but these are all temporary solutions. With each king tide, Sira Island inches closer to being uninhabitable.”

Bansal said the report comes at a pivotal moment when the world prepares for the next generation of Nationally Determined Contributions, known as NCD 3.0 and countries have been asked to put in place National Adaptation Plans (NAPs).

“The dual task of deepening ambition while also ensuring development priorities are met is complex, but it is possible, especially with strong partnerships, shared commitment, and sustained political will. The case studies today demonstrate that we must scale up finance support for locally led mitigation and adaptation and ensure that relocation, when necessary, is done with dignity, cultural sensitivity, and the buy-in of local communities.”

IPS UN Bureau Report

By Inés M. Pousadela
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Jun 5 2025 – For decades, Portugal stood as a beacon of democratic stability in an increasingly unsettled Europe. While neighbours grappled with political fragmentation and the rise of far-right movements, Portugal maintained its two-party system, a testament to the enduring legacy of the 1974 Carnation Revolution that peacefully transitioned the country from dictatorship to democracy. It was long believed that Portugal’s extensive pre-revolution experience of repressive right-wing rule had effectively inoculated it against far-right politics, but that assumption is now demonstrable outdated. An era of exceptionalism ended on 18 May, when the far-right Chega party secured 22.8 per cent of the vote and 60 parliamentary seats, becoming the country’s main opposition force.

This represents more than an electoral upset; it marks the collapse of five decades of democratic consensus and Portugal’s reluctant entry into the European mainstream of political polarisation. Chega could hold the balance of power. The centre-right Democratic Alliance, led by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, won the most parliamentary seats, but fell far short of the 116 needed for a majority. Meanwhile, the Socialist Party, which governed from 2015 to 2024, suffered its worst defeat since the 1980s, relegated to third place by a party that’s only six years old.

Chega’s meteoric rise from just 1.3 per cent of the vote and one seat in 2019 to its role as today’s main opposition demonstrates how quickly political landscapes can shift when mainstream parties fail to address people’s fundamental concerns. The roots of the transformation lie in a toxic combination of economic pressure and political failure that has systematically eroded public confidence in the political establishment.

Portugal has endured three elections in under four years, a sign of its novel state of chronic instability. The immediate trigger for the latest election was the collapse of Montenegro’s government following a confidence vote, with opposition parties citing concerns over potential conflicts of interest involving his family business. This followed the previous Socialist government’s fall in November 2023 amid corruption investigations, creating a recurring cycle of scandal, government crisis and electoral upheaval.

The political turmoil unfolds against a backdrop of mounting social challenges that mainstream parties have failed to adequately address. Despite its economy growing by 1.9 per cent in 2024, well above the European Union average, Portugal faces a severe housing crisis that has become the defining issue for many voters, particularly those from younger generations. Portugal now has the worst housing access rates of all 38 OECD countries, with house prices more than doubling over the past decade.

In Lisbon, rents have jumped by 65 per cent since 2015, making the capital the world’s third least financially viable city due to its punishing combination of soaring housing costs and traditionally low wages. This crisis, driven by tourism, foreign investment and short-term rentals, has pushed property ownership beyond most people’s reach, creating widespread frustration with governments perceived as ineffective or indifferent to everyday struggles.

Immigration has provided another flashpoint. The number of legal migrants tripled from under half a million in 2018 to over 1.5 million in 2025. This rapid demographic change has fuelled populist narratives about uncontrolled migration and its alleged impact on housing and employment markets. It was precisely these grievances that Chega, led by former TV commentator André Ventura, expertly exploited.

As an outsider party untainted by association with the cycle of scandals and governmental collapses, Chega positioned itself as the defender of ‘western civilisation’ and channelled anti-establishment anger into electoral success. It combines promises to combat corruption and limit immigration with a defence of what it characterises as traditional Portuguese values, including through extreme criminal justice policies such as chemical castration for repeat sexual offenders.

Despite Ventura’s insistence that Chega simply advocates equal treatment without ‘special privileges’, the party’s ranks include white supremacists and admirers of former dictator António Salazar. Its openly racist approach to immigration and hostility towards women, LGBTQI+ people, Muslims and Roma people reflects a familiar far-right playbook that has proven successful across Europe. Chega has cultivated significant connections with Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in France, Germany’s Alternative for Germany, and Spain’s Vox party, and Ventura was among the European far-right leaders invited to Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Montenegro has so far refused to work with Chega, which he has publicly characterised as demagogic, racist and xenophobic – a rejection that may have inadvertently strengthened Chega’s anti-establishment credentials. However, the arithmetic of Portugal’s fractured parliament suggests that any significant policy initiatives will require either Socialist abstention or, more controversially, Chega support, creating new opportunities for far-right influence, particularly on criminal justice and immigration policies.

Portugal’s experience offers sobering evidence that far-right influence should no longer be viewed as a passing fad but rather as an established feature of contemporary European politics. The speed of the shift offers a stark reminder that no democracy is immune to the populist pressures reshaping the continent.

The question now is whether Portugal’s institutions can adapt to govern effectively in this new fractured landscape while preserving democratic values. Portugal’s civil society has an increasingly vital part to play in holding newly influential far-right politicians to account and offering collective responses to populist challenges.

Inés M. Pousadela is CIVICUS Senior Research Specialist, co-director and writer for CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report.

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