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Category: NGOs

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: DRC: Victims still waiting for justice, truth and reparations 25 years on from Kisangani war 

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Twenty-five years since the six-day war in Kisangani in Democratic Republic of Congo in which hundreds of civilians were killed and thousands more injured, victims are still waiting for truth, justice and, for the most part, reparations, Amnesty International said in a new briefing today. 

    The briefing Is anyone moved by Congo’s pain? 25 years without justice for the six-day war in Kisangani, documents how there has not been a single criminal investigation or trial since the bloody conflict between Rwandan and Ugandan forces. During the fighting in the north-eastern city, which started on 5 June 2000, both armies engaged in intense and indiscriminate shelling of heavily populated civilian areas, intentionally killed civilians, raped women and pillaged houses.  

    It is utterly unacceptable that for 25 years, not a single person has been held to account for crimes perpetrated in Kisangani, not one.

    Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa

    With the DRC courts’ failure to pursue justice and the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) lack of jurisdiction over crimes committed in DRC before 2002, those suspected of criminal responsibility for these crimes have never been prosecuted and punished. 

    “It is utterly unacceptable that for 25 years, not a single person has been held to account for crimes perpetrated in Kisangani, not one,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa. “This lack of criminal accountability for past crimes has led to a cycle of violence in the DRC, with similar actors, similar weapons and similar suffering. Justice cannot wait another 25 years. It is the responsibility of Congolese judicial authorities to investigate and, if there is sufficient admissible evidence, prosecute those suspected of criminal responsibility for crimes committed on DRC territory.” 

    In 2022, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Uganda to pay reparations, following a case brought by the DRC against Uganda and Rwanda. The ICJ did not have jurisdiction over Rwanda. In 2024, some victims finally started to receive compensation, but the process by been wrought by complaints of mismanagement and embezzlement. 

    Amnesty International interviewed over 50 people, mostly survivors, as well as civil society organizations and justice sector officials. 

    The “Three-Day, One-Day and Six-Day wars” in Kisangani 

    The six-day war was one of a series of conflicts between the Ugandan and Rwandan armies in Kisangani between August 1999 and June 2000 that left behind a trail of death and destruction. 

    The first war – “the three-day war”, started on 14 June 1999, with the two armies exchanging indiscriminate fire and shelling, which killed more than 30 civilians  and wounded more than 100.  

    After close to a year of relative quiet, fighting started again on 5 May 2000 and lasted only one day. Exactly a month later, the “six-day war”, which was more intense, started. Without differentiating between civilians and combatants, the two armies indiscriminately shelled Kisangani, killing several hundred civilians and injuring thousands. 

    A civil society activist who survived and reported on the three wars in Kisangani recounted:  

    “For six days there were only bombs falling, we did not know if we were going to live. There were a lot of fatalities…” 

    A woman who was seven at the time of the war, recalled: 

    “I was walking with my grandmother when I was struck by a bomb in my leg. I didn’t know how to get to hospitals, it was dangerous, so we were dealing with the injury at home, but the foot was rotting. On the fifth day I went to the hospital, but it was too late, they cut off my leg.  

    For six days there were only bombs falling, we did not know if we were going to live. There were a lot of fatalities.

    Survivor, Kisangani

    “A gentleman who could not go home until the war ended, returned at the end of the six days and found his wife and three children dead, their corpses decomposing. The house had been hit by bombs. “He went mad and died shortly after.”  

    People want truth, justice and reparations 

    Despite the lack of judicial criminal proceedings either in the DRC or internationally, the people’s demands for justice and reparations remain strong decades later. 

    A man, who also survived the wars, said: “My dearest wish was the establishment of courts. This is the wish of the Congolese people. Now we have a sense of frustration in the population. Why were there blockages? It is unclear why crimes that have already been documented have not been tried. Is there nobody emotionally moved by the crimes committed in Congo?” 

    At least 40 people interviewed told Amnesty International that there was no political will to institute criminal proceedings or deliver justice. Lack of judicial independence has also meant that without the support of political leaders, some of whom are former belligerents, judicial officials could not open investigations. 

    The complete lack of prosecutions has led to a loss of trust in the country’s justice system and the government. 

    With regards to reparation programmes, the Special Fund for the Distribution of Compensation to Victims of Uganda’s Illicit Activities in the DRC (FRIVAO), tasked to manage the millions of dollars Uganda has been ordered to pay for reparations by the ICJ, has been criticised for lack of transparency and adequate consultations with victims of the Kisangani wars.  

    Justice cannot wait another 25 years. It is the responsibility of Congolese judicial authorities to investigate and, if there is sufficient admissible evidence, prosecute those suspected of criminal responsibility for crimes committed on DRC territory

    Tigere Chagutah

    One activist said: “People have no decency; there has been bloodshed… and they are embezzling funds that were intended for public interest work and victims! That is not what we fought for.”  

    Tigere Chagutah said: “Amnesty International reminds DRC of its obligations to investigate and, if enough admissible evidence is found, to prosecute in fair trials those suspected of criminal responsibility for the serious crimes committed in the territory of the DRC for over 30 years, including the Kisangani war.”  

    “The government must also offer adequate, effective and prompt reparations to victims following genuine consultations with survivors and civil society.” 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: USA: Veto of UN resolution on lifting Gaza aid restrictions and unconditional release of hostages is inhumane and shameful amid Israel’s ongoing genocide

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Responding to the US government’s decision to veto a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the occupied Gaza Strip, the release of hostages, and the “immediate and unconditional lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid”, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, said:  

    “This latest shameful US veto – one in a long list – gives Israel the green light to continue its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. It allows Israel to continue starving Palestinian civilians and creating conditions of life meant to bring about their destruction. 

    “The US has squandered yet another crucial opportunity to demand that Israel ends civilian bloodshed. What possible justification can there be for blocking action by the UN Security Council that could help to end the harrowing starvation and suffering, free hostages and lift Israel’s suffocating aid restrictions? 

    “The lives of more than 2 million Palestinians are at stake: babies and children hospitalized for malnutrition-related symptoms; tens of thousands of children sleeping on empty stomachs; families unable to access flour for weeks; mothers too malnourished to breastfeed their infants; injured civilians deprived of life-saving medical supplies; and starved and emaciated fathers walking for hours under inhumane conditions to collect a parcel of food, not knowing if they’d even return home to their children.  

    The US can and must do its part to put an end to this manmade catastrophe, which it has contributed to.

    Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General

    “As the occupying power, Israel has a clear obligation under international law to ensure the population in the territory it controls has adequate access to food, medicine and other supplies essential to their survival. It has repeatedly refused to do so. All states, including the United States, have an obligation to prevent genocide, cooperate to bring it to an end and punish perpetrators.

    “Israel’s newly established militarized humanitarian aid scheme, run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, is not the answer as it is at odds with humanitarian principles and international law. The danger, ineffectiveness and utter depravity of this scheme became painfully clear as dozens of Palestinians, many of whom are sole providers for their families, were killed or injured while trying to access food. Nothing short of lifting all restrictions on entry of humanitarian aid will do. 

    “The US can and must do its part to put an end to this manmade catastrophe, which it has contributed to. It must immediately halt arms transfers and military assistance, press Israel to lift all aid restrictions and push for an immediate ceasefire by all parties. The survival of 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza depends on it.” 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Honduras: Amnesty International urges authorities to guarantee justice for the murder of Juan López

    Source: Amnesty International –

    The preliminary hearing against three men accused of taking part in the murder of environmental defender Juan Antonio López, coordinator of the Municipal Committee for the Defence of Common and Public Goods of Tocoa (CMDBCPT), will be held at the court of San Pedro Sula in Honduras on 3 June. Amnesty International said that this trial may prove crucial in enabling the family of Juan López to obtain truth, justice and reparation for his murder, which was committed on 14 September 2024 in the municipality of Tocoa. The organization calls on the Honduran authorities to ensure that all those suspected of involvement in Juan López’s murder, whether as instigators or perpetrators, are brought to justice in fair trials.

    Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International, said: “The crime against Juan López is evidence that the situation of environmental defenders in Honduras has not improved. The organization welcomes the progress made by the Public Prosecutor’s Office in its investigations and hopes that all the authorities involved will effectively fulfil their duty to provide the family of Juan López with truth, justice and reparation”.

    The crime against Juan López is evidence that the situation of environmental defenders in Honduras has not improved. The organization welcomes the progress made by the Public Prosecutor’s Office in its investigations and hopes that all the authorities involved will effectively fulfil their duty to provide the family of Juan López with truth, justice and reparation

    Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International

    On 6 October 2024, the Honduran Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that three people had been arrested as alleged perpetrators of Juan López’s murder. Three days later, a local court formally charged the suspects for the killing of the environmental defender and ordered their arrest. The three men have since been held in pretrial detention.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Amnesty Media Awards 2025: Winners announced

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Winners across the 12 award categories include BBC Radio 4, Channel 4, The Guardian, Financial Times, ITV News and BBC Eye Investigations 

    Owen Jones took home The People’s Choice Award 

    Al-Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief Wael Al-Dahdouh was presented with an Outstanding Contribution to Human Rights Journalism accolade  

    ‘Journalists around the globe are facing increased attacks and being silenced – it is more important than ever that we champion their work and make a stand for press freedom’ – Sacha Deshmukh 

    Images from the ceremony can be downloaded here  

    Amnesty International UK has announced the winners of its prestigious Amnesty Media Awards 2025 in a ceremony at the BFI Southbank London this evening (4 June), hosted by actor, writer and director Jolyon Rubinstein. 

    The 12 categories commended the most outstanding human rights journalism of the last year, with winners including Channel 4 and BBC Eye Investigations. Financial Times won both the Written Feature and Written News awards, while ITV News took home the Broadcast News trophy.  

    The Guardian won the Written Investigations category for reporting on the violent truth behind Italy’s ‘migrant reduction’, whilst BBC Radio 4 won the Radio & Podcasts award for a programme spotlighting the diary of a woman from Afghanistan.  

    Most categories were judged by a panel of prestigious journalists and media workers, including Ayshah Tull, Lindsey Hilsum, and Alex Crawford, but a new award for 2025 – The People’s Choice Award – saw tens of thousands of people across the UK voting for the journalist who they felt has made the biggest contribution to human rights reporting over the past year. This award was handed to Owen Jones, for his tireless efforts highlighting injustices, especially around the ongoing devastating crisis in Gaza.  

    This year, the Amnesty Media Awards shone a spotlight on the dangers that journalists often face to expose the most pressing human rights issues. 2024 was the deadliest year on record for journalists and media workers – at least 124 journalists and media workers were killed. A staggering 70% of those were a result of Israeli military action in Gaza and Lebanon.  

    A special award for Outstanding Contribution to Human Rights Journalism was presented to Al-Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief, Wael Al-Dahdouh , who gave a speech during the ceremony about the decades he has spent reporting from the Occupied Palestinian Territory.  

    The ceremony, which also featured a performance by singer Emeli Sandé, was live-streamed and attended by hundreds of journalists, broadcasters, producers and presenters.  

    Sacha Deshmukh, Chief Executive of Amnesty International UK, said: 

    “We’ve seen and commended some truly breathtaking journalism this evening – proof that good human rights reporting is absolutely essential for exposing injustices and holding power to account. Journalism is far more than just reporting on the facts – it can instigate very real, concrete change that impacts peoples’ lives across the planet.  

    “At a time when journalists around the globe are under increased attack and at risk of being silenced, it is more important than ever to champion their work and make a stand for press freedom.   

    “While the footage, words and reports we’ve awarded this evening remind us of the horrors we are living through, they are also proof of the many people committed to highlighting, exposing and ending violence and abuse. That is what the Amnesty Media Awards are all about – recognising, celebrating and inspiring the human rights journalism that makes the world a fairer, more equitable and peaceful place.” 

    FULL LIST OF WINNERS  

    Broadcast Feature 

    Basement Films for Channel 4 

    Kill Zone: Inside Gaza 

    Broadcast Investigation 

    BBC Eye Investigations 

    Settlements Above the Law 

    Broadcast News 

    ITV News  

    The White Flag  

    The Gaby Rado Award for New Journalist 

    Sophie Neiman 

    New Internationalist  

    Nations and Regions supported by the Players of the People’s Postcode Lottery  

    BBC Northern Ireland 

    Spotlight: Katie – Coerced and Killed 

    Photojournalism 

    Kiana Hayeri 

    The Guardian 

    Radio & Podcasts 

    BBC Radio 4 

    Our Whole Life is a Secret 

    Written Feature 

    Financial Times 

    How extremist settlers in the West Bank became the law 

    Written Investigation 

    The Guardian 

    The brutal truth behind Italy’s migrant reduction: beatings and rape by EU-funded forces in Tunisia 

    Written News 

    Financial Times 

    FT investigation finds Ukrainian children on Russian adoption sites 

    People’s Choice  

    Owen Jones 

    Outstanding Contribution to Human Rights Journalism 

    Wael Al-Dahdouh 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Skipping straws, biking to work: do our small actions still matter for the planet?

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Soon after I first joined Greenpeace in the 2010s, I realized I had a steep learning curve ahead of me. I just didn’t expect that learning eco-conscious living (weighing the environmental impact of everyday choices such as what to eat, bring, do, or throw away) would feel like such a crash course. Back then it was about walking the talk, as is expected of everyone in environmental campaigning. It felt mandatory, and I often felt obliged to be performative.

    I still remember where the unease came from. I’d known quite a bit about how massive the climate crisis was and how deeply it’s tied to systems that were already failing us in the Global South. Basically, we’re just trying to survive the climate crisis and all other symptoms of unjust, oppressive systems, in an economy that limits our choices (do you know how insufferable it is to commute in Metro Manila, how dangerous it could be to bike, or how largely inaccessible and expensive plant-based meals are?) And yet somehow, we are the ones expected to go the extra mile to save the planet? That didn’t sit right with me. 

    This conflictedness only deepened as I learned more about the “grand narrative of guilt” pushed by corporations. These are tropes that are, when placed alongside reality, paradoxical at best (think recycling and carbon footprints — when only 9% of plastic waste has ever been recycled, and just 57 companies were responsible for 80% of global fossil fuel and cement-related CO₂ emissions from 2016 to 2022). 

    There should be no doubt that these narratives were designed to deflect responsibility for corporations’ massive environmental, social, cultural, and economic impacts and shift the attention onto us instead. After years of exposure, this messaging sticks in one’s head like the voice of a controlling, gaslighting ex: How much plastic packaging is in that bag of groceries? Was that vacation really worth the environmental cost of flying? You say you care about the planet, so why are you still eating meat?

    Surely we wouldn’t want to play into the corporate guilt-tripping narrative. At one point, I wondered if the best act of defiance might be to live our most convenient lives unapologetically and focus all our energy on actions that more directly contribute to driving system change. By this, I mean civic and public engagement efforts such as signing petitions, joining protests, or voting for environmentally conscious leaders.

    Yet one of our constant reminders at Greenpeace is this: every action counts. And each time I am reminded, I don’t doubt it. Perhaps because even though I know the narrative of individual responsibility is marred by greedy intentions, it still wouldn’t feel right to dismiss personal action completely. I’ve seen small actions spark change in people again and again, from a community leader forming a flood response group, to a youth activist organizing artivism workshops or meetups for exchanging climate stories. 

    Over time, I realized personal actions are not meant to carry the weight of the world, just as they’re not the end goal. Even so, when done consistently and taken as part of something larger, they are powerful and can push the needle toward systemic change, in more ways than one. Here are some little epiphanies on my end:

    Habits can start or hasten culture shifts. Everyday habits like refusing single-use plastic, choosing to bike to work, or eating less meat can shift culture. Culture shifts don’t always have to start in boardrooms or policy halls. In fact, they usually begin in communities, where an individual or a group quietly leads by example, and challenges what’s normal. 

    A gateway to deeper engagement. Lifestyle shifts can lead to deeper involvement in the advocacy, especially as people seek like-minded friends and learn more about the issues. And the more they know about the campaigns, the more confident they become and the more willing to share their time and energy to the cause.

    Walking the talk as a strategy. For many of us in environmental campaigning, walking the talk is not just a moral stance. It is a strategic choice that strengthens our credibility and demonstrates integrity. It shows that our demands for change are reflected in the way we live and act. This kind of alignment matters, and is also why we call on the national government to turn their climate pronouncements on the international stage into consistent and concrete action at home.

    Igniting creative resistance. The saying “necessity is the mother of invention” holds true in movement building as well. When faced with challenges, including environmental ones, people find ways to be resourceful. They collaborate, adapt, and respond. And whether intentionally or not, many end up contributing through the skills, talents, and tools they have in support of collective action.

    Reclaiming identity through agency. Realizing one’s agency often begins at a personal level. Along the way, individual actions can become a means to reconnect with culture and history, to affirm one’s values, and to commit to the kind of person one aspires to be. It also becomes a way of unlearning environmentally harmful practices promoted by corporations. For example, sari-sari store (small neighborhood store) owners who joined Greenpeace’s Kuha Sa Tingi project reconnected with the original Filipino “tingi” culture (the practice of buying goods in small, affordable, quantities) through reuse and refill systems.

    Making power listen. Collective personal actions can create pressure for decision-makers, institutions, and even corporations to act. They may not replace structural change, but they send clear signals, if not outright communicate, public demand for solutions which in due course can unlock systemic change. 

    You might want to check out Greenpeace Philippines’ petition called Courage for Climate, a drive in support of real policy and legal solutions in the pursuit of climate justice.

    Courage for Climate

    The climate crisis may seem hopeless, but now is the time for courage, not despair. Join Filipino communities taking bold action for our planet.

    Make an Act of Courage Today!

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: SAUDI ARABIA/UN: Labour agreement must lead to comprehensive reforms to be a game-changer for migrant workers

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Responding to the announcement of a third phase of cooperation between thepartnership agreement made earlier today between the Government of Saudi Arabia and the International Labour Organization (ILO) to advance decent work reforms, Iain Byrne, Amnesty International’s Head of Economic and Social Justice, said:

    “While today’s announcement recognizes the need for labour reforms for migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, it remains unclear how comprehensive this programme will be and what impact it will have on the rights, health and livelihoods of millions of workers who depend on this being much more than a façade.

    “Human rights groups and unions have long been demanding for a serious and far-reaching labour reform process that would put an end to the severe exploitation of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. The fact that global unions filed a formal complaint against the country at the ILO on the very same day as this agreement was signed, speaks volumes of just how far Saudi Arabia still has to go to protect the rights of migrant workers in the country.

    If this programme is to be truly transformative for migrant workers, it must among other things fully tackle the core features of the abusive kafala system that leave workers wholly dependent on
    their employers.

    Iain Byrne, Amnesty International’s Head of Economic and Social Justice

    “If this programme is to be truly transformative for migrant workers, it must among other things fully tackle the core features of the abusive kafala system that leave workers wholly dependent on their employers. It must also address the severe limits on the freedoms of expression and association in the country, together with the lack of access for NGOs and trade unions which make it impossible to independently monitor the implementation of any labour agreement, further undermining its credibility and effectiveness.

    “We urge the Saudi authorities and the ILO to make all aspects of this cooperation public and allow independent monitoring of its implementation. To sufficiently safeguard the rights of the country’s 13.4 million migrant workers, this agreement must lead to a complete overhaul of the current labour system and end the prevalent culture of impunity.”

    Background

    On 4 June 2025, the ITUC lodged a landmark complaint against Saudi Arabia at the ILO, alleging widespread violations of migrant workers’ rights in the country that’s set to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. The ILO governing body is already considering a complaint submitted a year prior by another global trade union, BWI, accusing Saudi Arabia of breaches of the ILO forced labour convention.

    In May, Amnesty International published a report documenting the experiences of more than 70 Kenyan women recruited to work in private homes in Saudi Arabia, only to find themselves trapped in conditions that often amounted to forced labour.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: MSF report reveals stark lack of protection and assistance in South Darfur

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    Violence, insecurity and hunger are devastating people’s lives in South Darfur, Sudan, according to a new report released today by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

    The report, Voices from South Darfur, illustrates in vivid testimony how the impact of pervasive violence, a healthcare system in ruins and an inadequate international response have all combined to push people’s coping strategies to their limits.

    “The voices and stories of people reflect the suffering, abuse and cruelty felt throughout communities in South Darfur, but also people’s endurance and compassion,” says Ozan Agbas, MSF emergency manager for Sudan.

    “With civilian protection collapsed and humanitarian aid still inadequate, people in South Darfur demand to be listened to, demand attention, and demand action,” says Agbas.

    Voices from South Darfur pdf — 31.43 MB Download

    South Darfur experienced intense urban warfare in 2023, which destroyed hospitals and critical infrastructure. The humanitarian presence, substantial before the outbreak of civil war in April that year, disintegrated as fighting took hold. Although ground fighting in South Darfur has ceased for now, insecurity remains, as people are subject to appalling violence on roads and farmland, and in markets and their own homes. Reports of arbitrary detention, theft and looting are also commonplace. Air strikes and drone strikes continue to hit South Darfur and other parts of the country.

    Sexual violence is widespread with MSF providing care to 659 survivors from January 2024 to March 2025. Fifty-six per cent of survivors were assaulted by non-civilians.

    One woman from South Darfur living in a displacement camp told MSF, “When the women try to go outside the camp to farm… they will beat me, they will torture me… There is no way to go out… My aunt’s daughter, she was raped by six men just six days ago… I feel insecure, because if I go out, I will be raped.”

    659

    659

    survivors of sexual violence

    10,000

    10,

    children younger than five years old with acute malnutrition

    People describe the fear and anxiety of their children, and their own feelings of helplessness, indignity and of being trapped.

    “Our farms are completely destroyed – we have nothing. My husband was killed four months ago. We have nothing now,” an internally displaced woman told MSF in Beleil locality. “For three days, I haven’t eaten anything… I don’t know what will happen to me on the way home. I am afraid, because those people who killed my husband, maybe they will do the same to me.”

    The violence has shattered the healthcare system, and adequate care is simply not available for people due to a range of compounding issues: facilities have been destroyed, damaged or abandoned; healthcare workers have fled or are no longer receiving salaries; supplies are absent or interrupted; and people struggle to afford transport to reach what remains of the healthcare system.

    Insecurity is intertwined with hunger, as the threat of violence has cut off access to farmland and incomes. Between January 2024 and March 2025 MSF supported programmes in South Darfur that treated over 10,000 children younger than five years old with acute malnutrition and provided nutrition treatment to thousands of malnourished pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls.

    The malnutrition crisis is expected to deteriorate even further with the imminent arrival of the rainy and lean seasons. Amid soaring costs of food, families are forced to subsist on one meal a day – sometimes not even that.

    “I just depend on what I can find, day to day,” says a woman in Al-Salam displacement camp. “If I get something, we will eat. If I don’t get something, we won’t. This is my life.”

    Since the war started, the response from international organisations and UN agencies has been sparse, inconsistent and slow to arrive in South Darfur, as a woman in Nyala explained in November 2024: “We heard that international organisations help people, but they never bring anything for us.”

    There have been some recent signs of improvement, with UN agencies increasingly finding ways to bring humanitarian supplies to South Darfur. NGOs are gradually scaling up their presence and activities. However, due to severe access constraints, UN agencies are still not on the ground in South Darfur to lead and coordinate the response, more than two years into the conflict, and NGOs are moving slowly and with caution.

    Communities are working in solidarity to overcome the effects of violence. Neighbours support one another, sharing their food. Groups of young people clear away rubble and unexploded ordnance, and purchase medicines for displaced people living in their neighbourhood. Teachers work for free in looted buildings. MSF has supported local initiatives to help run community kitchens, provide meals for school children and support health posts run by volunteers. Health facilities and water systems have been rehabilitated, and MSF ran a programme that provided food to 6,000 families in multiple locations across the state.

    In the maternity ward at the Nyala Teaching hospital, South Darfur, Sudan, September 2024.
    Abdoalsalam Abdallah/MSF

    These programmes demonstrate it is possible to support local initiatives and improve services when determination, creativity and a willingness to take risks combine.

    “Local organisations in Darfur have the knowledge and expertise to provide essential services. Giving these frontline responders supplies, funding and decision-making power will make a substantial contribution to saving lives,” says Agbas.

    The testimonies and medical data in Voices from South Darfur were generated through our activities between January 2024 and March 2025. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: African values under threat: African Commission must defend them

    Source: Amnesty International –

    By Khanyo Farise

    A poster featuring an all-white male panel of speakers from Europe, the US and other regions circulated online, promoting a pan-African conference on African Family Values. 

    The line-up was a tell-tale sign of yet another event underwritten by Global North actors with a clear anti-rights agenda. The organisers were forced to add African panellists after a backlash but, despite outrage from women’s groups and human rights organisations about its harmful content, the conference went ahead.   

    The main speakers were from organisations such as CitizenGo, Family Watch International, Family Policy Institute and Christian Council International, as well as churches and parliamentarians. These were also among the supporters and sponsors for the event. These organisations are known for conservative family and societal values advocating for what they call “traditional family values”. 

    The event organisers, African Christian Professionals Forum, has deep ties with these organisations including some of its board members associated with various US-based anti-rights groups. 

    At its core the conference promoted opposition to abortion, LGBTI rights, reproductive healthcare and comprehensive sexuality education. Among the organisers’ key issues of concern is that “African nations face pressure to enact policies, sign agreements and treaties that contradict their cultural and religious beliefs”.  The conference was aimed to “promote and protect sanctity of life, family values, religious freedoms and values-based education and good governance”. These aims are similar to US-based anti-rights groups. 

    Event participants not only advocate in their countries on these topics but also at regional forums, including the African Union, and at the international level. Civil society has warned of the potential for increasingly coordinated attacks against the AU by these groups. 

    This conference comes at a time of increasing authoritarianism where opportunistic populists, seeking to score cheap political points, often tout the idea that LGBTI identities are “un-African” and against “African values”. 

    Khanyo Farise

    The 2025 Convention on Eliminating Violence against Women and Girls is thought to be their next advocacy target. They will probably argue that this treaty promotes gender ideology, a similar strategy adopted by anti-rights groups in Europe against the Istanbul Convention, which is also aimed at preventing and combatting violence against women.  

    This conference comes at a time of increasing authoritarianism where opportunistic populists, seeking to score cheap political points, often tout the idea that LGBTI identities are “un-African” and against “African values”. 

    The conference was attended by MPs from Uganda and Malawi and Kenyan lawyers. This is unsurprising since there have long been reports that US groups have financed propaganda about sexual and gender diversity, and have helped shape some of the harshest anti-LGBTI laws in Africa.  

    The language of ‘African values’ emerged at the regional level in 2018 when the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), the continent’s highest human rights body, at the instruction of the African Union, stripped the Coalition of African Lesbians’ observer status.

    In 2022 the ACHPR, this time on its own accord, then denied observer status to three human rights groups, claiming that LGBTI identities are “contrary to the virtues of African values”. These decisions ran counter to the historic Resolution passed by the ACHPR in 2014 which was clear that LGBTI identities enjoy full protection under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.  

    But what does it mean to be African? What are African values? 

    The African Charter empowers the ACHPR to undertake studies and research to address such questions. The ACHPR then uses these studies as a basis for principles and rules to guide African governments. In this vein, in 2023 the African Commission considered and adopted “a paper on African Values”. This paper is not public, so its contents are unknown, but it is probably aimed at explaining what the ACHPR means by “African values”,  to guide African governments in their human rights legislation. 

    In answering this question, there are three key areas the ACHPR should consider. 

    First is a recognition that African families are incredibly diverse. The drafters of the African Charter acknowledged that African society is far too complex to be neatly compartmentalised. It was for this reason that the charter deliberately fails to define the notion of “peoples”, in clear recognition of the diversity of African families, societies and communities. The ACHPR must likewise not confine African identities to cis-gender and heterosexual, nor restrict the concept of the African family to a nuclear model.

    Second is that the principle of non-discrimination permeates the charter and provides the touchstone of the African concept of human rights. The charter affirms that “every individual shall respect and consider his fellow beings without discrimination and to maintain relations aimed at promoting, safeguarding and reinforcing mutual respect and tolerance”. 

    The charter’s drafters entrenched the idea of non-discrimination because, at the time, African leaders were focused on liberation from colonialism and racism. Indeed, the document broke new ground by prohibiting ethnic discrimination, a prohibition not found in other international agreements at the time. Non-discrimination against LGBTI people is firmly within both the letter and spirit of the African Charter’s values. 

    And finally that LGBTI identities are firmly ensconced in African values historically. Same-sex sexualities and gender diversity were present in pre-colonial Africa. It was not until colonisation that Africa’s European subjugators imposed anti-LGBTI laws as part of their “civilising mission”. After independence, many African countries — Angola, Botswana, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, to name a few — dismissed those colonial-era laws and now recognise LGBTI people’s rights. Simply put, LGBTI people are as African as anyone else, and deserve the same protection by the African Charter.

    With anti-rights actors co-opting African values using neo-colonial tactics, there is greater urgency for the ACHPR to reclaim African values and redefine them in accordance with the African Charter. Drawing on the wisdom of our forebears, the ACHPR must affirm that discrimination has no place in African societies. It should root its approach in both our pre-colonial histories and the present reality of millions of LGBTI Africans who are entitled to the same human rights as anyone else, no matter what opportunistic western anti-rights actors might say. African values must be used to advance inclusion, non-discrimination and equality, not exclusion and discrimination.  

    Khanyo Farise is a senior researcher on civic space at Amnesty International, East and Southern Africa.

    This oped first ran in South Africa’s Mail and Guardian

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  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Voices from South Darfur

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    Violence, insecurity and hunger are devastating people’s lives in South Darfur, Sudan, according to a new report released today by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

    The report, Voices from South Darfur, illustrates in vivid testimony how the impact of pervasive violence, a healthcare system in ruins and an inadequate international response have all combined to push people’s coping strategies to their limits. 

    Voices from South Darfur pdf — 31.43 MB Download

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  • MIL-OSI NGOs: MSF hands over activities in Marib and Taiz city to local authorities

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    Sana’a/Amsterdam- After years of providing critical medical care in conflict-affected Marib and Taiz city, Yemen, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), has completed the handover of medical activities to the local authorities.

    Since 2019, MSF has worked in Marib with local and health authorities to provide free and high-quality healthcare, and to deliver essential care to displaced and migrant communities in the hygiene fund clinic and supported the Governorate Health Office at Al-Ramsa clinic. Throughout 2024, MSF provided 32,000 outpatient and 2,640 antenatal consultations, admitted 420 children to the outpatient therapeutic feeding centre, and provided 6,000 vaccines. 

    Taiz city went through a dire health crisis, with conflict and economic collapse leaving people with limited access to care. Since 2021, MSF in collaboration with the Ministry of Health has supported the mother and child healthcare ward at Al-Jomhouri hospital, and helped respond to widespread healthcare needs. During 2024, MSF provided 22,580 antenatal and 5,835 postnatal consultations, admitted 4,214 patients to the maternity ward, 1,558 babies to the neonatal department, and assisted 8,879 deliveries.  

    In both projects, MSF also responded to cholera and measles outbreaks, as well as delivered essential items to the people who had been displaced by floods.

    “I deeply respect and admire the resilience of the Yemeni people during these tough and challenging times. Supporting people in need, especially women and children, was a profound responsibility. We are grateful to have served these communities and remain committed to supporting the access to healthcare across our remaining projects in the country,” says Tila Muhammad, MSF head of mission based in Sana’a.

    MSF remains actively present in ten governorates across Yemen, continuing to provide trauma care, maternal and paediatric services, and emergency medical support in regions facing acute humanitarian and health crises.

    “In a time when humanitarian access is more precarious than ever, MSF urges all stakeholders to protect medical infrastructure and ensure safe, unhindered access to healthcare for those in need.” says Muhammad.  

    Years of conflict have decimated public infrastructure, with millions of people lacking access to clean water, food, and medical care. The recent destruction of Sana’a airport and the Hodeidah port, which are critical entry points for humanitarian supplies and staff traveling in and out of Yemen, will be devastating to Yemeni people, who are already suffering from a massive humanitarian crisis.

    MSF has been working in Yemen since 1986 and has maintained a continuous presence in the country since 2007. Our work is guided solely by medical needs and carried out independently of political, economic, or religious agendas. This independence is made possible by our funding— of which 98 per cent comes from private donors, allowing us to assess needs freely, access communities, and directly deliver the aid we provide.

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  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Historic Forest Congress ends with pressing demands from Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Brazzaville, Republic of Congo – In a show of unity, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) from the world’s largest tropical forest basins, the Amazon, Congo, Borneo-Mekong-Papua and Mesoamerica, have concluded their first-ever global congress with an urgent call for protection, recognition and respect for the forests as well as the provision of direct access funds for the communities.

    These four regions, often described as the lungs of the planet, are home to over two-thirds of the Earth’s remaining tropical forests and serve as critical carbon sinks in the fight against climate change. They also  host immense biodiversity and provide life-sustaining ecosystems for hundreds of millions of people. At the heart of these forests are Indigenous Peoples and local communities who are the custodians of these forests having protected and lived in harmony with these ecosystems for generations.

    Over five days in Brazzaville, the forest custodians from across South America, Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and Mesoamerica came together to share experience and knowledge, place the spotlight on their struggles, and unite their voices. The congress culminated in a joint declaration demanding urgent global actions  to protect their land  rights and traditional knowledge, and their informed consent in decision-making, and  ensure direct access to finance.  .

    Greenpeace proudly stood in solidarity with these communities, calling for concrete measures  to recognize and support  Indigenous people’s leadership in forest protection, biodiversity restoration and the fight against climate change

    “What we witnessed in Brazzaville was more than a gathering, it was a unified awakening,” said Dr. Lamfu Yengong, Forest Campaign Lead at Greenpeace Africa. “This congress laid the ground for an emerging global alliance rooted in ancestral wisdom, justice, and the urgency of climate action. The road to COP30 must now consider those voices that have long been ignored”.

    “This Congress was a historic moment for Indigenous Peoples and local communities from the  major forest basins to unite and shape a common vision  for transformative change in national and international policies on forest protection, land rights, and direct access to  finance. We echo their call: Respect, recognize, and protect their rights—not only as a call for justice, but as a condition for the planet’s survival.” said Bonaventure Bondo, Forest Campaigner at Greenpeace Africa. 

    “Our knowledge and stewardship are central to the health of the planet,” added Valentine Engobo, an Indigenous leader from Lokolama in the Congo Basin. “We look forward to seeing these commitments translate into tangible actions, especially at COP30, where our voices must  be heard and our rights recognized.”

    From the Amazon to the Papua, Indigenous leaders echoed a resounding message: protecting forests means respecting the people who protect them.

    “Indigenous peoples are the true custodians of the Amazon rainforest,” said Romulo Batista, Senior Campaigner at Greenpeace Brazil. “We call on world leaders to honour their role in combating climate change and protecting our territories.”

    “This first congress leaves a great legacy, which is the dialogue and articulation at a global level of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities,” said Mario Nicacio, Member of the supervisory board of the Podaali Indigenous Fund. “While discussing common problems, we discussed solutions, access to natural resources, our territories and access to direct funding for our funds and organisations.”

    “The Borneo-Mekong and Papua’s forests are vital to climate stability,” said Amos Sumbung, Forest Campaigner at Greenpeace Southeast Asia. “But our communities can’t do it alone, We need genuine international backing.”

    “This is just the beginning,” said Troyanus Kalami, an Indigenous leader from Moi, in the Papua region. “Our territories must be respected, and our wisdom must help shape the future of global climate solutions.”

    The Congress culminated in  a historic Declaration, a collective document outlining the priorities, demands, and commitments of these communities in response to the escalating climate and biodiversity crises. The Declaration urgently calls for the legal recognition and protection of Indigenous territories, direct financing for local communities, and full participation in environmental and climate governance. Here are the key outcomes of the final Declaration:

    • Territorial Recognition and Protection – A global call for governments to legally recognise and uphold Indigenous land rights, including for peoples in voluntary isolation;
    • End to Criminalisation and Violence – A strong appeal for an international convention to protect environmental human rights defenders and to stop persecution of Indigenous leaders;
    • Full and Effective Participation – A demand for the inclusion of women, youth, and community representatives in climate and environmental decision-making processes ;
    • Direct and Transparent Financing – A request for at least 40% of climate and biodiversity finance to go directly to Indigenous and local community organisations, without intermediaries. 
    • Moratorium on Destructive Activities – A demand to halt fossil fuel extraction, large-scale agribusiness, and mining projects on Indigenous lands.;
    • Call to Global Action Towards COP30 – A formal request for the President of the Republic of Congo to host a high-level dialogue among forest basin countries during COP30.

    Greenpeace Africa affirms that this congress marks a watershed moment, serving as a turning point in the struggles of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities  not to be any longer sidelined in decision-making but recognised as custodians and leaders of global forest protection and climate action.

    END

    Contacts

    Raphael Mavambu, Media and Communications, [email protected], Greenpeace Africa

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  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Greenpeace USA’s “Dirty Dems” called out in Capitol Rotunda 

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    SACRAMENTO, CA (June 3, 2025)—Today, as legislators are in session moving bills toward key legislative deadlines, Greenpeace USA activists deployed banners in the Capitol Rotunda naming nine Democrats who take large sums of money from the oil and gas industry and receive failing grades on progressive issues. Activists also took to the Legislative Swing Space, hand-delivering letters, posting flyers, and handing out postcards – reminding all legislators that their corporate donors and voting records are matters of public interest. 

    These activities in the Capitol come as a continuation of Greenpeace USA’s ongoing “Dirty Dems” campaign, a collaboration with California Working Families Party and Courage California that holds California State legislators accountable for their damaging connections to the oil and gas industry and their failure to support critical climate, economic justice, and progressive priorities.

    Photos from today’s event will be available at this link [later this evening]. 

    Amy Moas, Ph.D., Greenpeace USA Senior Climate Campaigner, said: “Today, we’re in Sacramento putting legislators on notice – the Assembly Members and Senators who take the most money from the oil and gas industry and have a poor voting record on progressive issues will be exposed. Real leadership is about accountability to California’s communities who are suffering in the face of the mounting climate crisis – not to the corporate donors writing checks. 

    “The Dirty Dems we’ve named have turned their backs on the people who elected them. But by no means are they the only culprits in California’s Legislature selling out their communities to corporate donors instead of protecting them. There are elected officials on both sides of the aisle who must do better – everyone in Sacramento needs to put communities first.  

    “The toxic oil and gas industry continues to make record profits while we suffer the costs. Every dollar these legislators take from corporate cronies contributes to bigger wildfires, hotter heatwaves, more climate devastation, and more harm to our most vulnerable communities. We need brave bold action from our legislators to address the climate crisis. It is time the polluters who created this mess pay to clean it up.”   

    “Dirty Dems” Class of 2025

    Nine legislators have been named in the “Dirty Dems” Class of 2025: Jasmeet Bains, Mike Gipson, Melissa Hurtado, Stephanie Nguyen, Blanca Pacheco, James Ramos, Blanca Rubio, Susan Rubio, and Esmeralda Soria. You can read more about each of their campaign donations and voting records here. 

    Holding the Legislators Accountable

    Thousands of candidates and elected officials have already signed what’s known as the “No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge,” showing that people who refuse to take corporate donations can – and will – win. Find out more about the pledge and those who have already signed here. 

    ###

    Contact: Greenpeace USA, [email protected]

    Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.

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  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Air pollution kills 42,000 South Africans in one year. Big polluters must be held accountable

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    SOUTH AFRICA, 3 June 2025 – A new report released today by Greenpeace Africa and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) reveals a devastating and avoidable public health crisis. In 2023 alone, 42,000 South Africans lost their lives due to exposure to fine particle pollution (PM2.5), including over 1,300 children under the age of five.

    Behind these deaths lies a simple truth: polluters are poisoning our air and putting profits above people. Industrial giants, especially in the coal and energy sectors, continue to emit dangerous levels of toxic pollutants into the air we breathe, fully aware of the devastating health consequences.

    The report shows that fine particle pollution (PM2.5 — a dangerous pollutant formed by burning coal and fuel and so small that it can enter the bloodstream through the lungs) cost South Africa over  R960 billion in 2023, the equivalent of 14% of the GDP. These costs come in the form of premature deaths, respiratory illness, lost workplace productivity, and overburdened health systems.

    Communities in the Highveld region and Gauteng and Mpumalanga provinces, which are home to the country’s largest coal-fired power plants and industrial zones, are hardest hit. The data makes it clear: coal is killing us.

    ‘Science is unequivocal. The air South Africans breathe is toxic, and the corporations driving this crisis must no longer be protected by silence or inaction,’ said Cynthia Moyo, Climate and Energy Campaigner at Greenpeace Africa.

    Despite mounting evidence and repeated warnings from health experts, polluting industries continue to operate without accountability. Eskom’s coal fleet, for example, remains one of the world’s largest contributors to deadly air pollution, with some facilities continuing to apply for exemptions from pollution limits meant to protect public health.

    The report also shows that aligning South Africa’s air quality standards with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines could prevent up to 33,000 deaths per year. Even meeting existing national standards could save more than 9,000 lives annually.

    “South Africa’s Constitution guarantees the right to a healthy environment but that right is being violated every day by polluters. Communities deserve clean air, not corporate impunity,” added Dr Jamie Kelly, Health Impact Assessment Team Lead  at CREA.

    Greenpeace Africa calls for:

    • an immediate end to exemptions from air pollution limits for major emitters;
    • the full enforcement of national air quality standards;
    • a bold, just transition away from coal to renewable energy that centers communities;
    • stronger transparency and access to real-time pollution data for the public.

    This report, Unmasking the Toll of Fine Particle Pollution in South Africa, is not just a call to awareness, it’s a call to action. South Africans deserve clean air and a livable future. The time to hold polluters accountable is now.

    -End- 

    Contacts

    Ibrahima Ka Ndoye, International Communications Coordinator, Greenpeace Africa, +221 77 843 71 72, [email protected]

    Ferdinand Omondi, Communications and Storytelling Manager, Greenpeace Africa, +254 722 505233, [email protected] 

    Notes to editors

    Greanpeace Africa SA Air Pollution Report

    Greenpeace Africa has published the report here.

    CREA has published the report here.

    Greenpeace Africa media assets are available here.

    About Greenpeace Africa

    Greenpeace Africa is a growing movement of people acting in protection of the environment. Our campaigns use peaceful, creative confrontation to expose environmental injustices around the world and develop solutions for a green and peaceful future.

    About CREA

    The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) is an independent research organisation focused on revealing the trends, causes, and health impacts, as well as the solutions, to air pollution. The organisation’s work is funded through philanthropic grants and revenue from commissioned research.

    About the methodology

    PM2.5 exposure 

    Human exposure to PM2.5 is estimated using the dataset of van Donkelaar et al. (2021) and Hammer et al. (2023), version V5.GL.05.02. The dataset provides estimates of annual ground-level PM2.5 by combining Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) retrievals, the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model (http://geos-chem.org), and global ground-based observations.

    Health impact assessment

    Based on the spatial distributions of the PM2.5 simulated exposure map, we then calculated the corresponding public health impacts between 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023. CREA’s health impact assessment (HIA) framework builds on earlier work (Myllyvirta, 2020) but incorporates important methodological updates. Compared to the original approach, we now use integrated exposure response (IER) functions from the upcoming GBD 2023 study (IHME, 2025) instead of the Global Exposure Mortality Model (GEMM), and we have added dementia as a new health endpoint. The framework continues to include a comprehensive set of health outcomes, selected to avoid overlap and to enable robust economic valuation.

    The full methodology is available in the report.

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  • MIL-OSI NGOs: UK: Northern Ireland journalists working in ‘climate of fear’ amid paramilitary threats

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Journalists tell of rape and death threats 

    Paramilitary groups are responsible for most threats – yet no prosecutions  

    Official state failure to provide protection 

    ‘Journalists in Northern Ireland are facing a sustained campaign of threats and violence’ – Patrick Corrigan 

    Journalists in Northern Ireland face regular deaths threats and attacks while living and working in the most dangerous place in the UK to do their job. 

    A new 106-page report by Amnesty International features interviews with reporters who have been told they will be shot or stabbed, threatened with bombs under their car and given 48-hour ultimatums to leave the country – all because of their journalism. 

    Some journalists have been physically attacked. Equipment has been damaged. Their cars have been battered with poles laced with nails. Two journalists have been killed. 

    For those most at risk, their homes are protected by bulletproof windows and doors with alarms linked up to police stations. 

    Amnesty’s research for the report – Occupational Hazard? Threats and violence against journalists in Northern Ireland – uncovered more than 70 incidents of threats or attacks on journalists in Northern Ireland since the start of 2019.  

    Most threats come from a range of proscribed paramilitary groups, loyalist and republican, as well as from armed organised crime groups, some with links to paramilitaries.  

    Most threats against journalists go unpunished. There have been no prosecutions for any threats from paramilitary groups.  

    For decades, some have felt that dealing with threats was just part of their job; an ‘occupational hazard’ they have been forced to accept.  

    But now, by coming together and sharing their stories, journalists in Northern Ireland are saying ‘enough is enough’.   

    Lack of police protection  

    Journalists report having little expectation of people being held account for making threats. Many reporters interviewed by Amnesty said that they feel the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has failed to effectively investigate attacks and threats against them. Since June 2022, there have been only two successful prosecutions for threats against journalists. There have been no prosecutions for threats from paramilitary groups, the single most significant source of such threats. 

    With journalists excluded from the government’s home protection scheme, which funds the installation of security measures, many have been left feeling at risk. 

    Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International UK’s Northern Ireland Director, said:  

    “Journalists in Northern Ireland are facing a sustained campaign of threats, intimidation and violence from armed groups, which makes it the most dangerous place in the UK to be a reporter.  

    “They are being threatened, attacked and even killed for shining a light on paramilitary groups and others who seek to exert control through violence. This creates a climate of fear that many assumed was consigned to history when the Good Friday Agreement was signed. 

    “Yet there has not been a single prosecution for threats against journalists from paramilitary groups. This sense of impunity only emboldens those behind the threats.   

    “When journalists are under attack, press freedom is under attack. The state must create a safe environment where journalists can work freely and report without fear of reprisals. It is currently failing to do so.” 

    Living in fear 

    The police visited Belfast Telegraph crime correspondent Allison Morris’ house nine times between December 2023 and October 2024 to deliver threats from paramilitary or criminal groups. On one occasion, she received a threat and 24 hours later a pipe bomb was found near her home. 

    She said: “I’m convinced someone’s going to kill me at some point. I always think I’ll never die of natural causes. Most of the time, I pretend that the threats don’t annoy me, but clearly, they do. This is not a normal way to live.” 

    Sunday World northern editor Richard Sullivan said: “I’ve had threats to kill me, to use a bomb on my car and on my house. I’ve been given 24 hours to leave the country.” 

    Sunday Life journalist Ciaran Barnes said: “I’ve got bulletproof windows front and back. I’ve got a bulletproof door. I’ve got cameras all around the house. I’ve got sensor activated lights and panic alarms.”  

    The home security measures are paid for by his employer, as journalists are ineligible for access to the government’s Home Protection Scheme.  

    National Union of Journalists assistant general secretary Séamus Dooley said: “In what is supposed to be normalised society, post the peace process, journalists are living in fear and behind high security measures. That really is not the sign of a normal functioning democracy.” 

    Amnesty has made a series of recommendations for the police and various government departments, including: 

    • Justice Minister Naomi Long MLA should establish and chair a new Media Safety Group, with representatives from the PSNI, Public Prosecution Service (PPS), media organisations and the NUJ, to deliver a new journalist safety strategy 

    Note: The report is based on research carried out by Amnesty between November 2024 and May 2025, including 26 interviews conducted by Patrick Corrigan and Kathryn Torney with 22 journalists about their experiences living with the threat of armed violence, NUJ representatives, the PSNI and a relative and lawyer of Martin O’Hagan.

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  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Niger: Six month-long arbitrary detention of human rights defender Moussa Tchangari must end

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Niger’s authorities should immediately release civil society activist and human rights defender Moussa Tchangari and stop using terrorism-related charges to silence dissent, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), in the framework of the Observatory for the protection of human rights defenders, said today.

    On 3 December 2024, men claiming to be policemen arrested Moussa Tchangari at his home in Niamey, Niger’s capital. On 3 January 2025, the Niamey High Court charged him with several serious offences, including “criminal conspiracy in connection with a terrorist enterprise,” “undermining national defence,” and “plotting against the authority of the state through intelligence with enemy powers.” If convicted of plotting with enemy powers, he could face the death penalty.

    We urge the authorities to immediately release Moussa Tchangari and drop all charges.

    Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International’s Interim Regional Director for West and Central Africa

    On the same day, Tchangari was remanded to Filingué prison, 170 kilometres from Niamey, where he remains arbitrarily held in pre-trial detention. Since then, he has not been interviewed on the merits of the charges against him before a judge.

    “Moussa Tchangari is being detained solely for the exercise of his human rights. We urge the authorities to immediately release him and drop all charges. We are deeply concerned about the use of charges like these to silence critics of the government,” said Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International’s Interim Regional Director for West and Central Africa.

    Three weeks before his arrest, on 12 November 2024, Tchangari criticized on social media the decision of Niger’s interior minister to revoke the licenses of two humanitarian nongovernmental organizations. He also criticized the establishment of a terrorism database, a move that further undermines the human rights of the people of Niger. Moussa Tchangari risks being stripped of his Nigerien nationality on terrorism charges, based on an August 2024 ordinance establishing a database for individuals and groups associated with terrorism and national defence offences.

    Under Niger’s penal code, terrorism-related charges can result in up to four years’ non-renewable preventive detention. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, FIDH and OMCT have examined the charges and can confirm that none of them relate to internationally recognisable offences as each relates to the legitimate exercise of the right to freedom of expression.

    “Tchangari’s arrest is part of a wider trend of repression by the Nigerien authorities, who target and subject to constant judicial harassment all those who publicly criticize them, with the aim of silencing them,” said Drissa Traoré, Secretary general of FIDH.

    “His arrest and subsequent detention send a chilling message to anyone who may dare to criticize Niger’s regime slide towards autocracy,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch.

    “Tchangari’s arrest is a grave mistake and counterproductive. For decades, he has embodied the Nigerien people’s call for democracy, security, resource sovereignty, and independence. Any government that respects the peoples’ will must release him”, said Isidore Ngueuleu, Head of the Africa Regional Desk at OMCT.

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  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Maasai community and civil society rally behind global call for fossil fuel treaty

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Nairobi, Kenya —

    In a historic moment ahead of World Environment Day, Greenpeace Africa, civil society groups, interfaith leaders, youth movements, and the Maasai community from Kajiado County have joined forces to urge the government of Kenya to support the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty — a bold, justice-centered global mechanism aimed at phasing out fossil fuels and accelerating a fair, financed transition to renewable energy.

    At a press conference held today in Nairobi, stakeholders rallied behind the call for Kenya to join the bloc of 16 nations currently participating in discussions for the Treaty. The event follows the release of a joint press statement which highlights growing multi sectoral support within Kenya for a global commitment to phase out coal, oil and gas.

    “Our African nations are bearing the brunt of a climate crisis they didn’t cause,” said Fred Njehu, Pan African Political Strategist at Greenpeace Africa. “Kenya has already shown climate leadership through its renewable energy goals — now is the time to go further. We need global mechanisms like the Fossil Fuel Treaty that support African nations with the finance, technology, and justice they deserve.”

    In a landmark move, the Maasai community of Kajiado became the first Indigenous Peoples outside of Latin America to publicly back the Fossil Fuel Treaty, joining 11 Amazonian Indigenous nations. Their support underscores the growing momentum for a legally binding mechanism to end fossil fuel expansion and deliver a just energy transition.

    “As the Maasai community, we have lived in harmony with nature for generations,” said Moses Ole Kipaliash, Maasai community leader and environmentalist. “But now, the rains are unpredictable, the land is drying up, and our livestock are perishing. We support the call for a Fossil Fuel Treaty because we want to protect our land and our future from further damage.”

    The proposal for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty is built on three pillars:

    • End new fossil fuel expansion everywhere,
    • Phase out existing fossil fuel production in a fair and equitable manner,
    • Enable a just transition that is financed and prioritizes vulnerable communities.

    Support for the Treaty is growing globally, with 16 nation states, over 130 cities and local governments, including Lilongwe, Freetown, Dar es Salaam, and Lusaka, backing the initiative. It is also endorsed by over 600 parliamentarians, 4,000 organizations, including the World Health Organization, the European Parliament, and trade unions representing over 30 million workers.

    “With its track record of climate leadership and a bold target of 100% renewable energy, Kenya is uniquely positioned to lead the continent,” said Prince Papa, Africa Campaigner for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative. “Backing the Treaty would align with Kenya’s national ambitions, help unlock international finance and technology, and ensure Africa’s needs are prioritized in shaping this global solution.”

    As the global movement builds momentum, Greenpeace Africa and its partners call on the Kenyan government to:

    1. Publicly support and engage in Fossil Fuel Treaty discussions;
    2. Halt new fossil fuel licenses and expansion projects;
    3. Develop a national just transition plan with clear timelines, community protections, and investment in clean energy.

    “This is not just about emissions; it’s about equity,” concluded Njehu. “We have a responsibility to ensure a liveable future, not just for Kenya, but for the whole world. The Fossil Fuel Treaty offers us a seat at the table to do exactly that.”

    For media inquiries, please contact:

    Sherie Gakii, Communications and Storytelling Manager, Greenpeace Africa, [email protected], +254702776749

    Greenpeace Africa Press Desk, [email protected]

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  • MIL-OSI NGOs: MSF calls for urgent aid to support Sudanese refugees fleeing to Chad

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    N’Djamena – In the Tine transit camp and the nearby refugee camps in eastern Chad, close to the border with Sudan, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is scaling up our assistance to the newly arrived Sudanese refugees. They are fleeing escalating attacks and violence in North Darfur. Since the end of April an estimated 40,000 refugees, the vast majority coming from El Fasher and its surrounding camps for displaced people, have arrived in Tine, in Wadi Fira province. They now face harsh, overcrowded conditions and limited access to basic services.

    On arrival in Tine, some people are malnourished and experiencing profound psychological distress due to the horrific violence in North Darfur and on the roads leading to Chad. The overwhelming majority are women and children coming from El Fasher and Zamzam camp for internally displaced people. They have already endured starvation as the Rapid Support Forces laid siege to these areas and famine conditions have been prevalent for months in Zamzam camp according to the Famine Review Committee.

    “We’ve walked a long way to get here. We passed through several villages to get to Tine to take refuge from the violence and bombings. We’ve been here for several days but we’re struggling to find food and water. We’ve been wearing the same clothes for days,” says one woman.  

    The Tine transit camp is currently hosting over 18,000 people, many of whom are sleeping on the bare ground in 40°C heat, with no shelter and severely limited access to water and food despite support from the host communities.

    MSF has scaled up our medical and humanitarian activities in the transit camp and at the Tine border to increase availability of healthcare services. Apart from nutrition screenings and vaccination at the border point, over the past weeks, MSF has carried out over 900 consultations per week in the health post at the transit camp. At the health post, the global rate of malnutrition among children under five is as high as 29% with 9% being severely malnourished.

    Routine vaccination efforts remain a priority in the camp as cases of measles have been detected. A mass vaccination campaign is ongoing. Finally, care for pregnant women and for survivors of sexual violence is also being provided at the health post. Our teams set up referrals of critical patients to hospitals and will build an additional 50 emergency latrines. We are also preparing further distribution of therapeutic food and essential items. We are distributing 60,000 litres of water per day, but this is only half of what is currently needed.

    “Sudanese refugees arrive exhausted, many malnourished and require immediate assistance,” says Claire San Filippo, MSF’s emergency coordinator for Sudan. “We ask donors, the UN and other humanitarian organisations to increase the mobilisation to provide or scale up support in terms of food, shelter, sanitation and medical care, including mental health services. The current humanitarian response is insufficient, and the upcoming rainy season is likely to worsen living conditions, spread disease and exacerbate food insecurity and lack of sanitation.”

    Despite the immense needs in Tine transit camp and other refugee camps in Wadi Fira, MSF is witnessing very limited aid distribution despite solidarity from the host community and grassroot organisations. The financial crisis affecting the entire humanitarian sector is clearly being felt in eastern Chad. The war continues unabated in Sudan and more people are hoping to reach Chad.

    MSF is also present in refugee camps in Wadi Fira, such as Iridimi camp, where refugees from the Tine transit camp are being relocated. To help improve the dire situation in Iridimi camp which has reached its maximum capacity, we recently started supporting the Iridimi health centre. The activities focus on the continuity of basic healthcare, vaccination, strengthening epidemiological surveillance, improving patient flow, reinforcing the referral system, and improving hygiene conditions at the health centre. We also run mobile clinics in Chad, along the Sudanese borders including in Kulbus and Birak.

    The humanitarian situation at the border between Chad and Sudan has again reached a tipping point, with over 70,000 new refugees arriving in Chad since April 2025. Chad is already hosting over one million refugees, including more than 800,000 Sudanese who have arrived since the conflict began over two years ago.

    • Since the end of April, an estimated 40,000 refugees have arrived in Tine, Chad, fleeing the violence in Sudan.
    • People at the transit camp are struggling to access the food, water, and other basic necessities.
    • MSF teams are scaling up their support for new arrivals, and we urge others to increase their mobilisation.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Dozens of Palestinians killed at US-Israel backed food distribution sites News Jun 01, 2025

    Source: Doctors Without Borders –

    Dozens of Palestinians were killed and hundreds more injured today as they waited for food at the newly created Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution centers in Rafah and close to the Netzarim Corridor, according to the Ministry of Health.

    Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams joined the mass casualty response in Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Patients told MSF they were shot at from all sides by drones, helicopters, boats, tanks, and Israeli soldiers on the ground.

    “Today’s events have shown once again that this new system of aid delivery is dehumanizing, dangerous, and severely ineffective,” said Claire Manera, MSF emergency coordinator. “It has resulted in preventable deaths and injuries of civilians. Humanitarian aid must be provided only by humanitarian organizations who have the competence and determination to do it safely and effectively.”

    The hospital corridors were filled with patients, but unlike what I have witnessed before, where most of the patients were women and children, today it was mainly men … They looked shattered and distraught after trying to secure food for their children, returning instead injured and empty handed.

    Nour Alsaqqa, MSF communications officer

    MSF teams at Nasser Hospital treated patients with serious injuries today. Some patients in critical condition are still undergoing surgery. With the blood banks almost empty, medical staff themselves have had to donate blood.

    “The hospital corridors were filled with patients, but unlike what I have witnessed before, where most of the patients were women and children, today it was mainly men,” said Nour Alsaqqa, MSF communications officer. “They lay in their beds in the hallways because the rooms are already packed with injured people. They had visible gunshot wounds in their limbs, and their clothes were soaked with blood. They looked shattered and distraught after trying to secure food for their children, returning instead injured and empty handed. Outside, there was shouting, sirens, a constant rush of new arrivals to the emergency room.”

    “Amid the chaos, we received confirmation that a colleague’s brother had been killed while attempting to collect aid from the distribution centre,” she said.

    The plan to militarize aid in Gaza is dehumanizing and ineffective

    Read more

    Mansour Sami Abdi, a father of four, described the chaos: “People fought over five pallets. They told us to take food—then they fired from every direction. I ran 200 meters before realizing I’d been shot. This isn’t aid. It’s a lie. Are we supposed to go get food for our kids and die?”

    “I was shot at 3:10 a.m.,”  says Mohammad Daghmeh, 24, a displaced person in Al-Qarara, Khan Younis. “As we were trapped, I bled constantly until 5:00 a.m. There were many other men with me. One of them tried to get me out. He was shot in the head and died on my chest. We had gone there for nothing but food—just to survive, like everyone else.”

    This is the second time this new system of aid distribution has led to bloodshed. On May 27, during the first afternoon of distribution in Rafah, Israeli forces shot dozens of people as wholly insufficient amounts of basic lifesaving supplies were distributed amid chaos.

    People fought over five pallets. They told us to take food—then they fired from every direction. I ran 200 meters before realizing I’d been shot. This isn’t aid. It’s a lie. Are we supposed to go get food for our kids and die?

    Mansour Sami Abdi, father of four

    As a result of the total siege that was imposed by the Israeli authorities on March 2, 100 percent of Gaza is now at risk of famine, according to the United Nations. Since May 19, the few hundred food trucks brought in—an insufficient fraction of what is needed—have spread despair among the 2 million plus people who have been largely deprived of food, water, and medication for three months now. Totally or partially blocking humanitarian aid from entering Gaza has aggravated the situation of all Gazans.

    MSF reinforces that, along with displacement orders and bombing campaigns that kill civilians, weaponizing aid in this manner may constitute crimes against humanity. Only a lasting ceasefire and the immediate opening of Gaza’s borders for humanitarian aid—including food, medical supplies, fuel and equipment—can ease this man-made catastrophe.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Dozens of Palestinians massacred at US-Israel backed food distribution sites

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    Jerusalem – Dozens of Palestinians were killed and hundreds more injured today, 1 June, as they waited for food at the newly created Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution centres in Rafah and close to the Netzarim Corridor, according to the Ministry of Health. Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) teams joined the mass casualty response in Nasser hospital, Khan Younis. Patients told MSF they were shot from all sides by drones, helicopters, boats, tanks and Israeli soldiers on the ground. 

    “Today’s events have shown once again that this new system of aid delivery is dehumanising, dangerous and severely ineffective. It has resulted in deaths and injuries of civilians that could have been prevented. Humanitarian aid must be provided only by humanitarian organisations who have the competence and determination to do it safely and effectively,” states Claire Manera, MSF emergency coordinator.

    MSF teams at Nasser hospital treated patients with serious injuries today. Some patients in critical condition are still undergoing surgery. But with the blood banks almost empty, medical staff themselves have had to donate blood.

    “The hospital corridors were filled with patients, but unlike what I have witnessed before, where most of the patients were women and children, today it was mainly men. They lay in their beds in the hallways because the rooms are already packed with injured people. They had visible gunshot wounds in their limbs, and their clothes were soaked with blood,” says Nour Alsaqa, MSF communications officer. “They looked shattered and distraught after trying to secure food for their children, returning instead injured and empty handed. Outside, there was shouting, sirens, a constant rush of new arrivals to the emergency room. Amid the chaos, we received confirmation that a colleague’s brother had been killed while attempting to collect aid from the distribution centre,” she adds. 

    Mansour Sami Abdi, a father of four, described the chaos: “People fought over five pallets. They told us to take food—then they fired from every direction. I ran 200 metres before realising I’d been shot. This isn’t aid. It’s a lie. Are we supposed to go get food for our kids and die?”

    This is the second time this new system of aid distribution has led to bloodshed. On 27 May, the first afternoon of distribution in Rafah, Israeli forces shot dozens of people as wholly insufficient amounts of basic lifesaving supplies were distributed amid chaos.

    As a result of the total siege that was imposed by the Israeli authorities on 2 March, 100 per cent of Gaza is now at risk of famine, according to the United Nations. Since 19 May, the few hundred food trucks brought in – an insufficient fraction of what is needed – have spread despair among the 2 million plus people who have been largely deprived of food, water, and medication for three months now. Totally or partially blocking humanitarian aid to enter Gaza has aggravated the situation of all Gazans. 

    MSF reinforces that, along with displacement orders and bombing campaigns that kill civilians, weaponising aid in this manner may constitute crimes against humanity. Only a lasting ceasefire and the immediate opening of Gaza’s borders for humanitarian aid – including food, medical supplies, fuel and equipment – can ease this man-made catastrophe.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: South Sudan: Renewal of UN arms embargo a welcome move to protect civilians

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Following the United Nations Security Council’s decision to renew the arms embargo on South Sudan for another year, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah said:

    “We welcome the renewal of the arms embargo as it has been crucial to curtailing the flow of weapons that have been used to violate international humanitarian law (IHL) and call on the Security Council and urge UN members to diligently enforce it, especially amid recent violations.

    “We are, however, shocked that several Security Council members as well as the African Union Peace and Security Council called for the lifting of the arms embargo at a time when the human rights situation in South Sudan is deteriorating rapidly. Placing more guns in the hands of warring parties involved in serious human rights violations and crimes under international law would have been dangerous to civilians.”

    We welcome the renewal of the arms embargo as it has been crucial to curtailing the flow of weapons that have been used to violate international humanitarian law (IHL) and call on the Security Council and urge UN members to diligently enforce it, especially amid recent violations.

    Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa

    Background

    Earlier this month, Amnesty International found that theMarch deployment of armed Ugandan soldiers and military equipment to South Sudan since 11 March 2025, in absence of a notification or exemption request to the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee, flagrantly violates the arms embargo. Amnesty International also documented evidence of the ongoing use of attack helicopters by the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), strongly suggesting that the supply of spare parts – an arms embargo violation previously documented by Amnesty International – continues. 

    In 2020, Amnesty International documented evidence newly imported small arms and ammunition, illicit concealment of weapons and diversion of armoured vehicles for unauthorized military purposes, pointing to the failure of the parties to the 2018 peace agreement, including the South Sudanese government, to adhere to the UN embargo, and to implement relevant provisions of the 2018 peace agreement under which they also committed to protect human rights.

    The human rights situation in South Sudan remains dire as government forces, fighters of armed opposition groups as well as armed youth continue to violate human rights.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Dehumanising and ineffective militarisation of aid in Gaza

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    The following statement from Christopher Lockyear, MSF Secretary General, outlines why the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s approach to distributing aid in Gaza, Palestine, is dangerous and reckless.

    “The disastrous start of the food distribution coordinated by the newly created Gaza Humanitarian Foundation confirmed that the US-Israel plan to instrumentalise aid is ineffective. On 27 May, the first afternoon of distribution in Rafah, south Gaza, dozens of people were shot and injured as wholly insufficient amounts of basic lifesaving supplies were distributed amid chaos.

    “Palestinians – deprived of food, water and medical aid for nearly three months – were penned in by fences as they waited to receive basic necessities for survival. This is a stark reminder of the dehumanising treatment imposed by Israeli authorities for more than 19 months.

    “Through this dangerous and reckless approach, food is not being distributed where it’s needed most but is instead directed only to areas where Israeli forces choose to amass civilians. This means the most vulnerable – especially the elderly and people with disabilities – have virtually no chance of accessing the food they desperately need.

    “The claim that this unprincipled, failing mechanism is necessary to prevent the diversion of aid is false. Since the start of the war, MSF has directly treated patients when we have been able to bring supplies into Gaza. This initiative seems to be a cynical ploy to feign compliance with International Humanitarian Law. In practice, it uses aid as a tool to forcibly displace people as part of what appears to be a broader strategy to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip – and to justify the continuation of a war waged without limits.

    “Meanwhile, the humanitarian system is being strangled by the restrictions imposed upon it. Israeli authorities have allowed a trickle of aid trucks into Gaza, only to obstruct them immediately after they cross the border, preventing life-saving assistance from reaching the people who need it most, including children and pregnant and lactating women.

    “Forcing humanitarian organisations to move such inadequate amounts of aid, when the Israeli siege has created a situation of unbearable need and despair, is leading to lootings.  This is the consequence of a society being pushed to the brink, its very fabric torn apart by relentless violence and deprivation. The outcome is more preventable deaths and injuries, and the impossibility of delivering aid in a way that respects people’s dignity. This is part of a broader tactic to reinforce a one-sided narrative: the only way to deliver aid is to militarise it.

    “Along with displacement orders and bombing campaigns that kill civilians, weaponising aid in this manner may constitute crimes against humanity. Only a lasting ceasefire and the immediate opening of Gaza’s borders for humanitarian aid – including food, medical supplies, fuel and equipment – can ease this man-made catastrophe.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Briefing notes on MSF project in the West Bank

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    We periodically publish briefing notes on our work in Hebron, the West Bank, Palestine. These briefing notes cover topics related to movement restrictions, obstacles people face in accessing medical care, and increased violence.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: MSF closes day care centre in Athens after nine years of providing care

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    After nearly a decade of offering vital medical, psychosocial, and social-legal support to migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees in Greece, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) closed our day care centre in Athens on 30 May 2025.

    The centre was opened in 2015 to respond to people’s urgent humanitarian needs during the peak of the EU migration crisis, as over one million people arrived in Greece seeking refuge from conflict, persecution, and instability. Since its inception, MSF’s multidisciplinary team —including medical staff, legal experts, and social workers —have provided free, comprehensive, and inclusive care regardless of patients’ legal status. We offered services ranging from essential healthcare and sexual and reproductive health services to mental health support, chronic disease management, and legal and social assistance.

    Over nine years, the day centre provided more than 14,900 consultations, including for non-communicable diseases, 51,859 sexual and reproductive health services consultations, and 24,475 mental health sessions. We also supported 1,289 survivors of sexual violence and provided 3,026 social work consultations that addressed people’s immediate medical needs and long-term wellbeing.

    14,900

    14,9

    consultations

    51,859

    51,859

    sexual and reproductive health services consultations

    24,475

    24,475

    mental health sessions

    At the peak in 2016, Athens received thousands of new arrivals fleeing conflict. While annual arrivals remain significant, at around 50,000 to 60,000, they no longer reflect the crisis levels of that year.

    Over the years, the centre evolved to meet the changing realities of migration in Greece, expanding services and intensifying advocacy efforts as access to healthcare became increasingly restricted by policy changes. During moments of crisis—from the 2016 EU-Türkiye deal to the COVID-19 pandemic—MSF adapted to protect and treat the most vulnerable, including people excluded from the health system, survivors of sexual violence, and undocumented individuals.

    Having fulfilled our emergency response in Athens and extending beyond what was planned, MSF has now closed the day care centre in line with our medical-humanitarian role, guided by needs assessments and focused on urgent, time-bound interventions. We now encourage civil society and national actors to take over and continue this vital work, even as global challenges—including reduced humanitarian funding—continue to affect people on the move.

    MSF urges the Greek government and the EU to respect their legal and humanitarian obligations for the protection of asylum seekers, recognised refugees and migrants, especially regarding the right to asylum, access to healthcare, decent reception and living conditions and fair administrative procedures.

    While we have transitioned medical services to some local actors, donated stocks of essential medicines to social pharmacies, and nonprofits, and handed over responsibilities to partners in Athens, we remain active in Greece with medical projects in Samos, Lesbos, and Leros. As a medical emergency organisation, MSF stands ready to respond to future crises and continuously assesses services to better support people.

    “Over nine years, MSF built more than a healthcare unit to provide free comprehensive medical services — we built a response that adapted to real human needs. When people couldn’t access care due to legal or social barriers, we expanded our services, advocated for their rights, and stood by them through every crisis,” says Christina Psarra, General Director of MSF in Greece.

    “When doors to the health system were closed, we worked to open others. This was never just a healthcare centre, it was a lifeline,” says Psarra.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Global: US foreign aid cuts creating ‘a life threatening vacuum’ for millions of people – new briefing

    Source: Amnesty International –

    The US government has been a major global health funder, supporting HIV prevention, vaccines, maternal care, and humanitarian aid

    Amnesty highlights how the cuts have stopped vital programmes delivering health care, food, shelter, and aid to vulnerable groups, including women, survivors of sexual violence, and refugees

    ‘This abrupt decision and chaotic implementation by the Trump administration is reckless and profoundly damaging’ – Amanda Klasing

    The Trump administration’s abrupt, chaotic and sweeping suspension of US foreign aid is placing millions of lives and human rights at risk across the globe, said Amnesty International.

    In its 34-page briefing, Lives at Risk, Amnesty examines how the cuts have halted critical programmes across the globe, many of which provided essential health care, food security, shelter, medical services, and humanitarian support for people in extremely vulnerable situations, including women, girls, survivors of sexual violence, and other marginalised groups, as well as refugees and those seeking safety.

    The cuts follow President Trump’s executive order, ‘Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid,’ and other orders targeting specific groups and programmes. In his congressional testimony, Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave weak or misleading responses about the cuts human rights impact, even falsely claiming no deaths have resulted. This contradicts evidence from Amnesty and others, including documented deaths and strong projections of increased mortality due to the cuts.

    Amanda Klasing, Amnesty International USA’s Director of Government Relations, said:

    “This abrupt decision and chaotic implementation by the Trump administration is reckless and profoundly damaging.

    “The decision to cut these programmes so abruptly and in this untransparent manner violates international human rights law, which the US is bound by and undermines decades of US leadership in global humanitarian and development efforts.

    “While US funding over the decades has had a complex relationship with human rights, the scale and suddenness of these current cuts have created a life-threatening vacuum that other governments and aid organisations are not realistically able to fill in the immediate term, violating the rights to life and health, and dignity for millions.”

    Two areas in which the cuts have caused significant harm globally are the forced cutbacks to – or complete closing of – programmes that ensured health care and treatment to marginalised people and those supporting migrants and people seeking safety in countries around the world.

    The rights to life and to health under grave threat

    The US government has long been a key funder of global health, investing in HIV prevention, vaccine programmes, maternal health, humanitarian relief and more. Since President Trump’s abrupt suspension of aid across multiple countries, many vital health services have been suspended or shut down. For example:

    • In Guatemala, funding cuts disrupted programmes supporting survivors of sexual violence, including nutritional support for pregnant girls who had been raped and medical, psychological, and legal support to help survivors of violence rebuild their lives after abuse. Other cuts were to key HIV services, including prevention and treatment.
    • In Haiti, health and post-rape services have lost funding including for child survivors of sexual violence. Cuts to HIV funding has left women and girls, and LGBTI people, with reduced access to prevention and treatment.
    • In South Africa, home to the world’s largest HIV epidemic, funding for HIV prevention and community outreach for orphans and vulnerable children, including for young survivors of rape, was terminated, leaving people without care.
    • In Syria, some essential services in Al-Hol – a detention camp where 36,000 people, mostly children, are indefinitely and arbitrarily detained for their perceived affiliation with the Islamic State armed group – were suspended. Some ambulance services and health clinics were among the first services cut.
    • In Yemen, some lifesaving assistance and protection services, including malnutrition treatment to children, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, safe shelters to survivors of gender-based violence, and healthcare to children suffering from cholera and other illnesses have been shut down.
    • In South Sudan, projects providing a range of health services including rehabilitation services for victims of armed conflict, clinical services for victims of gender-based violence, psychological support for rape survivors, and emergency nutritional support for children, have been stopped.

    People seeking safety left without support around the world

    Funding cuts to shelters and groups that provide essential services for migrants, particularly those in dangerous or difficult situations, including refugees, people seeking asylum and internally displaced people, have been widespread and devastating.

    • In Afghanistan, 12 out of 23 community resources centres, which provided approximately 120,000 returning and internally displaced Afghans with housing, food assistance, legal assistance and referrals to healthcare providers, have been shut down. Key aid organisations have suspended health and water programmes, with disproportionate impacts on women and girls.
    • In Costa Rica, local organisations helping asylum seekers and migrants, many from neighbouring Nicaragua, are forced to scale back or close food, shelter, and psychosocial programmes. The funding cuts come as Costa Rica is receiving increased numbers of people seeking safety after being pushed back from the US-Mexico border.
    • Along the Haiti-Dominican Republic border, service providers assisting deported individuals have been forced to cut back on aid including food, shelter, and transportation. With Temporary Protected Status for Haitians in the US set to expire, a likely spike in deportations will overwhelm an already diminished support infrastructure.
    • In Mexico, funding cuts have led to the suspension of food programmes, shelter, and legal support for people seeking safety who are now stranded following the end of asylum at the US-Mexico border. Some shelters and organisations fear they will be shut down completely.
    • In Myanmar and Thailand, US-funded health and humanitarian programmes supporting displaced people and refugees have been suspended or drastically reduced. Clinics in Thai border camps closed abruptly after the stop-work orders, reportedly resulting in preventable deaths.

    Amanda Klasing added:

    “The right to seek safety is protected under international law which the United States is bound by.

    “These abrupt cuts in funding put that right at risk by undermining the humanitarian support and infrastructure that enable people around the world who have been forcibly displaced to access protection, placing already marginalised people in acute danger. We call on the US government to restore funding immediately.”

    The unilateral action to stop funding existing programmes and refrain from spending appropriated funds made by the Trump administration bypassed congressional oversight contrary to US law, and came alongside a broader rollback of US participation in multilateral institutions, including announcements to defund or withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, the World Health Organization, and the UN Human Rights Council, and reassess membership in UNESCO, and UNRWA.

    Recommendations

    Amnesty urges the Trump administration to restore foreign assistance, through the waiver process or otherwise, to programmes where the chaotic and abrupt cut in funding has harmed human rights and ensure that future aid is administered consistent with human rights law and standards.

    Amnesty calls on Congress to continue robust funding of foreign assistance and reject any requests by the administration to codify foreign assistance cuts through rescission by repealing these measures and ensure that all US foreign assistance remains consistent with human rights and humanitarian principles and is allocated according to need.

    Further, the Trump administration and Congress should work together to ensure that any changes to foreign assistance must be carried out transparently, in consultation with affected communities, civil society, and international partners, and must comply with international human rights law and standards, including the principles of legality, necessity, and non-discrimination.

    All states in a position to do so should fulfil their obligations under UN General Assembly Resolution 2626 and subsequent high-level fora by committing at least 0.7% of gross national income to overseas aid without discrimination. As part of aiming to meet this target, donor states should increase support where possible to help fill critical funding gaps left by the abrupt US aid suspensions and ensure continued progress in realising economic, social, and cultural rights and effective humanitarian response around the world.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Argentina: Two years after brutal repression in Jujuy, Amnesty International report exposes impunity

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Two years after the constitutional debate and waves of social protests that gripped the province of Jujuy, there have been almost no concrete steps toward accountability for the repression and criminalization that characterized the state response to the massive grassroots mobilization in Jujuy in 2023, as Amnesty International describes in the report Silence is not an option: repression and impunity in Jujuy.

    “Sadly, the two-year anniversary of the constitutional reform process has been marked by impunity, reflecting the state’s strategy of silencing those who dare to stand up for their rights. In all these months, the Province of Jujuy has given no answers about the tactics it used with the clear aim of violating the right to freedom of peaceful assembly in the province. These methods included excessive use of force, arbitrary detentions, or investigations to criminalize protesters”, said Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International.

    Sadly, the two-year anniversary of the constitutional reform process has been marked by impunity, reflecting the state’s strategy of silencing those who dare to stand up for their rights. In all these months, the Province of Jujuy has given no answers about the tactics it used with the clear aim of violating the right to freedom of peaceful assembly in the province. These methods included excessive use of force, arbitrary detentions, or investigations to criminalize protesters 

    Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International

    In the span of less than a month in May and June 2023, the province debated and approved a constitutional reform that set back human rights, especially for Indigenous peoples. This process unfolded hastily, behind closed doors, in the Jujuy Legislature, leading thousands of people to take to the streets to reject the proposed text and decry the lack of participation and consultation. Amnesty International’s report exposes how the State of Jujuy not only persistently turned its back on legitimate demands for participation, but also perpetrated violence and sowed fear and intimidation among those who spoke out.

    “The Amnesty International report also reveals how Indigenous peoples were completely excluded from the reform debate, against a backdrop of land dispossessions and structural discrimination in the province with the highest proportion of Indigenous people in the country. They were marginalized first through the approval of the new constitution without their free, prior and informed consent – a requirement under international human rights law – and then through the banning and violent dispersal of road blockades, which disproportionately restricted their legitimate exercise of the right to protest”, said Mariela Belski, executive director of Amnesty International Argentina.

    The Amnesty International report also reveals how Indigenous peoples were completely excluded from the reform debate, against a backdrop of land dispossessions and structural discrimination in the province with the highest proportion of Indigenous people in the country. They were marginalized first through the approval of the new constitution without their free, prior and informed consent – a requirement under international human rights law – and then through the banning and violent dispersal of road blockades, which disproportionately restricted their legitimate exercise of the right to protest 

    Mariela Belski, executive director of Amnesty International Argentina

    In researching the report, the organization interviewed 111 people, 90% of whom are Indigenous and at least 91 of whom participated directly in the protests. The delegation also met with authorities and submitted multiple requests for access to public information to entities in the province. Additionally, the organization’s digital verification team compiled over 50 video and photographic records to analyse the events and police officers’ use of force.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Yemen: A year on, Huthis must free UN, civil society staff 

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Huthi de facto authorities should immediately and unconditionally release dozens of staff from the UN, and Yemeni and international civil society organizations who were arbitrarily detained over the course of the past year, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today.  

    The Huthis’ arbitrary arrests of humanitarian workers have a direct impact on the delivery of lifesaving assistance to people in critical need of aid. 

    Starting on 31 May 2024, the Huthis carried out a series of raids in areas under their control, arbitrarily detaining 13 UN staff and at least 50 staff from Yemeni and international civil society organizations. Between 23 and 25 January 2025, the Huthis caried out another wave of arrests, arbitrarily detaining another eight UN staff. The arrests prompted the UN to announce in January that it would suspend all official movements into and within areas under Huthi control.  

    It is shocking that most of these UN and civil society staff have now spent almost a year in arbitrary detention, for simply doing their work in providing medical and food assistance or promoting human rights, peace and dialogue.

    Diala Haidar, Yemen researcher at Amnesty International.

    “It is shocking that most of these UN and civil society staff have now spent almost a year in arbitrary detention, for simply doing their work in providing medical and food assistance or promoting human rights, peace and dialogue,” said Diala Haidar, Yemen researcher at Amnesty International. “They should have never been arrested in the first place.”  

    Governments with influence on the Huthis and the UN leadership should step up efforts to secure the release of the nongovernmental organization and UN staff. 

    The Huthis have released only seven people – one UN staff member, five staff of nongovernmental groups, and one staff member of a diplomatic mission. At least 50 others rounded up by the Huthis over the past year remain detained without adequate access to lawyers or to their families, and without charge. 

    On 11 February, an aid worker from the World Food Programme, died in Huthi custody. His death heightens fears for the safety and well-being of others who remain arbitrarily detained in Huthi-run detention centres, given the Huthis’ track record of torture and other ill-treatment against detainees. 

    These brutal waves of arrests have also exacerbated an already desperate humanitarian situation in Yemen because many of those arrested were working to provide assistance or protection to those most in need in northern Yemen, the organizations said. The Huthis need to immediately free everyone arbitrarily detained. 

    On 10 February, the UN announced that it had suspended all its activities in Sa’ada in response to the Huthis’ detention of six of its humanitarian workers there in January.  

    The Huthis’ arrests are part of a wider ongoing attack on civic space in areas they control.  These arrests were also accompanied by a Huthi-led media campaign accusing humanitarian organizations and their staff of “conspiring” against the country’s interests through their projects and warning them of the dangers of “espionage.” 

    Since 2015, Amnesty International has documented scores of cases in which Huthi authorities appeared to have brought the spying charges as a means to persecute political opponents and silence peaceful dissent. 

    Local and international civil society organizations play a critical role in alleviating Yemen’s humanitarian crisis. Despite drastic funding cuts from donor states, particularly the US, that are putting the health and human rights of millions of people in Yemen at risk, aid workers on the ground are delivering lifesaving assistance and protection services, including in Huthi-controlled territories of Yemen.  

    Huthi authorities have targeted human rights and humanitarian workers before. Four Yemeni staff members from OHCHR and UNESCO arrested in 2021 and 2023 remain arbitrarily detained and have been held incommunicado since their arrest. In September 2023, Huthis arrested Hisham Al-Hakimi, the safety and security director at Save the Children, and held him incommunicado.  He died on 25 October 2023 while arbitrarily detained.  

    All countries with influence, as well as the United Nations and civil society organizations, should use all the tools at their disposal to urge the release of those arbitrarily detained and to provide support to their family members.

    Niku Jafarnia, Yemen and Bahrain researcher at Human Rights Watch.

    “The Huthis need to facilitate the work of humanitarian workers and the movement of aid,” said Niku Jafarnia, Yemen and Bahrain researcher at Human Rights Watch. “All countries with influence, as well as the United Nations and civil society organizations, should use all the tools at their disposal to urge the release of those arbitrarily detained and to provide support to their family members.”  

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  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Kyrgyzstan: Detention of Kloop media staff intensifies crackdown on independent journalism

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Reacting to the security service raids on Kloop Media and the detention and interrogation of its current and former staff members, including cameraman Aleksandr Aleksandrov, journalist Abdil Aitbay Tegin and former employee Zhoomart Duulatov, by the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) in Bishkek, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said:

    “The detention of Kloop journalists is yet another stark example of how Kyrgyzstan’s security apparatus is being used to crush dissent and dismantle independent journalism. These actions are clearly intended to intimidate critical voices.”

    “Detaining journalists for their work, denying access to legal counsel and carrying out warrantless searches of homes violates both Kyrgyzstan’s own legal obligations and international human rights standards. These arrests are part of a broader, intensifying campaign of harassment against media outlets that dare to report on corruption and abuse of power.

    Detaining journalists for their work, denying access to legal counsel and carrying out warrantless searches of homes violates both Kyrgyzstan’s own legal obligations and international human rights standards

    Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia

    “The Kyrgyzstani authorities must immediately release Aleksandr Aleksandrov, Zhoomart Duulatov and Abdil Aitbay Tegin, and end the persecution of Kloop Media and other independent media outlets and professionals.”

    Background

    On 28-29 May, GKNB officers conducted coordinated raids in Bishkek and Osh, targeting current and former staff of the independent outlet Kloop Media, known for its investigative journalism and anti-corruption reporting. At least eight individuals were taken for questioning, among them journalists Aiday Erkebaeva, Zyyagul Bolot-kyzy, Aleksandr Aleksandrov and Abdil Aitbay Tegin, and former editorial staff Zara Sydygalieva and Zhoomart Duulatov.

    According to their lawyer, authorities denied the detainees access to legal counsel for more than six hours. Aleksandrov and Duulatov remained in custody for 48 hours, reportedly facing accusations of “inciting mass unrest” and alleged links to “anti-state activities,” though no formal charges have been disclosed.

    In February 2024, a Bishkek court ordered the liquidation of the Kloop Media Foundation, citing claims that its reporting “undermines trust in government institutions.” The outlet has since been blocked in Kyrgyzstan but continues publishing. In January that year, 11 journalists associated with the Temirov Live media project, another independent media outlet, were arrested, with two receiving prison sentences of up to six years for their reporting.

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  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Amnesty International warns of devastating consequences as abrupt U.S. Foreign Aid cuts threaten human rights globally

    Source: Amnesty International –

    The Trump administration’s abrupt, chaotic and sweeping suspension of U.S. foreign aid is placing millions of lives and human rights at risk across the globe. In its research briefing Lives at Risk, released today, Amnesty International examines how the cuts have halted critical programs across the globe, many of which provided essential health care, food security, shelter, medical services, and humanitarian support for people in extremely vulnerable situations, including women, girls, survivors of sexual violence, and other marginalized groups, as well as  refugees and those seeking safety.

    The cuts have come in response to the executive order ‘Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid’ issued by President Donald Trump on January 20, 2025, as well as other executive orders that targeted specific groups and programs for cuts. In his testimony on May 21 and 22 in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, Secretary of State Marco Rubio provided weak or incomplete answers about the grave human rights impact of the implementation of this order contrary to the evidence gathered by Amnesty and other organizations. He even erroneously asserted there have been no deaths associated with these cuts. Given the scale of the cuts, the number and extent of robust modeling predicting substantial mortality, and the fact that deaths have been documented already, the assertion that there has not been any death stemming from these cuts defies logic.

    “This abrupt decision and chaotic implementation by the Trump administration is reckless and profoundly damaging,” said Amanda Klasing, national director of government relations and advocacy with Amnesty International USA. “The decision to cut these programs so abruptly and in this untransparent manner violates international human rights law which the U.S. is bound by and undermines decades of U.S. leadership in global humanitarian and development efforts. While U.S. funding over the decades has had a complex relationship with human rights, the scale and suddenness of these current cuts have created a life-threatening vacuum that other governments and aid organizations are not realistically able to fill in the immediate term, violating the rights to life and health, and dignity for millions.”

    This abrupt decision and chaotic implementation by the Trump administration is reckless and profoundly damaging (…) the scale and suddenness of these current cuts have created a life-threatening vacuum that other governments and aid organizations are not realistically able to fill in the immediate term, violating the rights to life and health, and dignity for millions

    Amanda Klasing, National Director of Government Relations and Advocacy with Amnesty International USA

    Two areas in which the cuts have caused significant harm globally are the forced cutbacks to – or complete closing of – programs that ensured health care and treatment to marginalized people and those supporting migrants and people seeking safety in countries around the world.

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  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Nigeria: Mounting death toll and looming humanitarian crisis amid unchecked attacks by armed groups

    Source: Amnesty International –

    • At least 10,217 people killed in two years since government took power
    • Over 6,896 killed in Benue, at least 2,630 killed in Plateau
    • 638 villages sacked by bandits in Zamfara state
    • Looming humanitarian crisis being ignored

    The Nigerian authorities’ shocking failure to protect lives and property from daily attacks by armed groups and bandits has cost thousands of lives and created a potential humanitarian crisis across many northern states, said Amnesty International.

    A new investigation shows that, in the two years since the current government has been in power, at least 10,217 people have been killed in attacks by gunmen in Benue, Edo, Katsina, Kebbi, Plateau Sokoto and Zamfara state. Benue state accounts for the highest death toll of 6,896, followed by Plateau state, where 2,630 people were killed.

    “Today marks exactly two years since President Bola Tinubu assumed office with a promise to enhance security. Instead, things have only gotten worse, as the authorities continue to fail to protect the rights to life, physical integrity, liberty and the security of tens of thousands of people across the country,” said Isa Sanusi, Director Amnesty International Nigeria.

    “President Tinubu must fulfill his promises to Nigerians and urgently address the resurgence of the nation’s endemic security crisis. The recent escalation of attacks by Boko Haram and other armed groups shows that the security measures implemented by President Tinubu’s government are simply not working.”

    In the two years since President Bola Tinubu’s government assumed power, new armed groups have emerged including Lakurawa in Sokoto and Kebbi state, and Mamuda in Kwara state, while hundreds of villages have been sacked by gunmen in Benue, Borno, Katsina, Sokoto, Plateau and Zamfara.

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  • MIL-OSI NGOs: The EU offer is not going to deliver the ambition needed for Sevilla

    Source: Oxfam –

    Today civil society organisations in Brussels are calling on European countries to raise their ambition after the release of a “deeply disappointing” collective EU position in the Council Conclusions “ahead of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development”, taking place in Spain next month. 

    The Conference will bring together governments from around the world to tackle issues such as sovereign debt, international development cooperation and international financial architecture reform. 

    Jean Saldanha, Director at the European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad) said: “The world is facing the worst debt crisis ever, and the aid budgets of OECD countries are being slashed. Many Global South governments are calling for decision-making to shift from forums dominated by wealthy countries like the OECD and the G20 to the UN, where everyone has a seat at the table. Instead of backing these proposals, today’s Conclusions show the EU defending the status quo. But it is not yet too late for EU countries to back outcomes that will deliver a better future for the world’s poorest people.”

    On the sovereign debt crisis, which has led lower-income countries to spend more on servicing their debt than they do on education and healthcare, the EU position is woefully inadequate. The Conclusions call for an annual dialogue, dominated by creditors, with UN institutions and a few borrowing countries. Borrowing countries need and have been calling for an inclusive and comprehensive process where debtors and creditors would negotiate on an equal footing instead. 

    Javier García de la Oliva, Head of Country Engagement and Transformation Europe and Americas at ActionAid International, said: “The EU blockage to borrowing countries’ proposal for an intergovernmental process to establish a UN framework convention on debt is the most striking evidence of their preference for the undemocratic creditor creditor-dominated status quo. The EU wrongly claims that such a process would be duplicative, but then proposes the creation of a useless and duplicative talk shop involving the UN in an attempt to deflect criticism.”

    On development cooperation, the EU “recalls the collective commitment” to fulfil their “respective ODA commitments” to deliver 0.7 per cent of gross national income as foreign aid. Yet, the 2024 figures show that ODA fell by 8.6 per cent among EU members compared to 2023. And, these figures are just the tip of the iceberg, as in 2025, the situation will be even worse, following significant announcements of aid budget cuts. Moreover, the EU falls back again on the Global Gateway, an investment initiative that barely scratches the surface of the challenges the poorest countries in the world are facing.

    Hernan Saenz, Oxfam International’s FfD Global Lead, said: “European leaders have been stating their commitment to international development, but their collective position published today is rich in rhetoric but poor in commitments. It is no more than the bare minimum, with proposals that relegate the responsibility to deliver on private finance instead of raising public ambition. Restating previous ODA commitments is meaningless, if this is not followed by concrete actions.” 

    Jean Saldanha, Director at the European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad), said:  “Wealthy countries both set and monitor the rules that govern aid and development cooperation more broadly, through the OECD, which is an exclusive space. Several governments in the global south and CSOs from across the world are demanding a greater role for the UN in the governance and norm-setting of international development cooperation. While the Council states that it ‘is in favour of enhancing the international development cooperation architecture’, its support to processes that do not share the buy-in or ownership of the full UN membership is disappointing.” 

    Jean Saldanha, Director at the European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad), said: It is too early for the Global Gateway to be a credible offer for countries in the global south. There is a significant risk that the focus on creating opportunities for European businesses in the global south is prioritised over development objectives such as poverty reduction.” 

    The negotiations towards the Financing for Development Conference are set to continue next month. 

    Hernan Saenz, Oxfam International’s FfD Global Lead, said: “The EU knows Sevilla could be a turning point – a chance to make sure that global cooperation works for people. But instead of choosing a side, the EU is playing safe. They walk the middle road even though it is crumbling beneath them. The EU must choose: stand with a decaying, unequal world or choose a new world that puts people, planet, and the fight against inequality at its core. It’s shocking. In a world where the gap between the rich and poor has never been so big, when aid cuts are the new norm and debt is piling up, the EU turns a blind eye to real solutions – like supporting the taxing of the super-rich and backing the UN’s Tax Convention push for fairer global tax rules.”

    Javier García de la Oliva, Head of Country Engagement and Transformation Europe and Americas at ActionAid International, said: “While the global south pushes for a fairer multilateral system, the EU clings to outdated privileges and broken governance models. This stance not only fails the planet and the most vulnerable—it undermines the EU’s own credibility, its Treaty commitments to democracy and multilateralism, and its (self-proclaimed) leadership on sustainable development. We call on the most ambitious Member States to lead by example and push for greater ambition when they next meet in New York, in the preparatory negotiations, and in Sevilla itself for this pivotal conference.”

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