CIVICUS 2025 Report reveals widespread attacks on civic freedoms
11/12/2025: According to the People Power Under Attack report published by Civicus, most countries are experiencing some degree of obstructed civil liberties. As authoritarian governments strengthen their hold, civilians face limitations to freedom of association, peaceful assembly, as well as notable crackdowns on press freedoms.
Source: Inter Press Service
Can the US-Africa trade program AGOA be resurrected?
11/12/2025:The African Growth and Opportunity Act, the 25-year-old trade program between the US and sub-Saharan African nations, expired on September 30, but the House Ways and Means Committee has now approved a three-year extension. The bill still faces some hurdles, but the trade program that has garnered bipartisan support.
Source: Devex
Historic return of displaced Syrians presents opportunity and urgent challenges
8/12/2025: According to the UN Refugee Agency, more than 1.2 million Syrians have voluntarily returned from neighbouring countries in the year since the fall of the Assad regime. Approximately 4.5 million Syrian refugees remain in neighbouring countries, most living below the poverty line.
Source: UN Refugee Agency
The Hong Kong fire and the human cost of China’s repression
6/12/2025: Could the fire that claimed at least 159 lives in seven high-rise residential buildings have been prevented if Hong Kong still had a free media and a democratic legislature? Since 2020, when the Chinese government imposed a draconian National Security Law on Hong Kong, these safeguards have been gutted.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Most countries make progress towards universal health coverage
6/12/2025: The UHC Global Monitoring Report 2025 reveals that an estimated 4.6 billion people worldwide still lack access to essential health services and 2.1 billion people experience financial hardship to access health care. This annual report monitors the Sustainable Development Goal that everyone, everywhere can access the care they need without financial hardship by 2030. Despite positive direction, the global progress rate has slowed since 2015 and persistent gaps and inequalities are on the rise.
Source: World Health Organization
Kenya lands $1 billion debt-for-food swap
5/12/2025: Kenya and the US International Development Finance Corporation have agreed to an innovative $1 billion debt-for-food swap. This allows the country to reduce part of its external debt in exchange for redirecting the savings into food security projects.
Source: Devex
UN hails DR Congo-Rwanda peace deal
5/12/2025: The Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity have been signed by Presidents Félix Tshisekedi of DR Congo and Paul Kagame of Rwanda, facilitated by US President Trump. The UN has welcomed the signing as a “critical step” toward restoring trust, while warning that active fighting near border areas has continued.
Source: UN News
Malaria progress under threat as drug resistance rises
4/12/2025: The World Health Organization's annual World Malaria Report reveals that, despite progress in the use of vaccines, there were an estimated 282 million malaria cases and 610 000 deaths in 2024 – roughly 9 million more cases than in 2023. An estimated 95% of these deaths were in the WHO African Region, with most occurring among children under 5.
Source: World Health Organization
Uganda stops granting refugee status for Eritreans, Somalis and Ethiopians
4/12/2025: Citing severe funding shortfalls, Uganda has announced that it will no longer grant refugee status to new arrivals from countries “not experiencing war”. This will impact on Uganda's progressive migration policies which have taken account of forced conscription, political and religious persecution.
Source: The Guardian
Child deaths projected to rise for the first time this century
4/12/2025: The number of children dying before their 5th birthday is projected to rise, reversing decades of global progress, according to new data published in the Gates Foundation’s 2025 Goalkeepers Report. At the same time, global development assistance for health fell sharply this year—26.9% below 2024 levels.
Source: Gates Foundation