Statement on recent restrictions to civil society in Germany
Ongoing developments in Germany with regards to civic space have deeply concerned us at the Civil Society Forum. We have become aware of the situation of Radikale Töchter, a civil society organisation whose public funding has been halted by the Ministry of the Interior.
Die Menschen in und aus der Ukraine brauchen unsere Unterstützung jetzt!
Am 24.02.2026 jährt sich zum vierten Mal Russlands umfassender Angriff auf das gesamte Territorium der Ukraine. Vier Jahre später wird der Krieg gegen die Ukraine vor allem aus militärpolitischer Sicht diskutiert, es finden auf hoher politischer Ebene Verhandlungen über Grenzverschiebungen, Waffenstillstand und NATO-Mitgliedschaft statt.
Environmental organisations under authoritarianism
Despite the growing repressions on opposition, civil society and media representatives in Russia since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, not all civil society structures, including environmental protests, have disappeared. Across many regions in the country environmental groups are protesting against local problems, such as air and water pollution, mismanagement of waste or demolition of green zones. Some of the activists are being prosecuted, but a number of campaigns have also led to positive results.
Pride as Democratic Practice: What Movements Can Learn from Budapest Pride 2025 Resisting Orbán
Facing declining popularity, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán introduced a ban on pride marches and LGBTQ demonstrations in early 2025. Instead of deterring resistance, the ban was met with unprecedented solidarity
Journalism Under Authoritarianism in Serbia: A System Designed to Intimidate
Authoritarian systems rely on the normalisation of violence. Threats against journalists are very rarely investigated, creating an atmosphere of impunity. As for physical attacks, they are fairly rare, but they happen – and there is also little interest in fully investigating them. The message is clear: you are on your own.
Joint appeal for a Council of Europe Convention on Transnational Repression
We, the undersigned civil society organisations, call upon the Member States of the Council of Europe
to take urgent and collective action to address the growing phenomenon of transnational repression
(TNR) through the adoption of a Council of Europe Convention dedicated to preventing and combating this serious and evolving threat to human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe.
Кризис многостороннего сотрудничества: какова роль гражданского общества и что ждет ООН
Из моего опыта участия в международных процессах ООН по вопросам устойчивого развития могу с уверенностью сказать: ситуация критическая. Даже за относительно короткий период работы в системе ООН я стала свидетелем очевидного упадка во многих сферах — многостороннее сотрудничество действительно переживает серьёзный кризис.
Multilateralism Under Pressure: Civil Society’s Response and the Future of the UN
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the situation in the UN got very difficult. Governments can barely agree on anything. The culture of consensus, when governments could just come together and decide something, is not happening anymore.
