CIVICUS’ New Leader on Global Declines in Civic Freedom

CIVICUS Global Alliance Secretary-General Mandeep Tiwana speaks at the SDG 16 High-Level Conference in May 2024. Credit- Mandeep Tiwana-CIVICUS Global Alliance

By Oritro Karim

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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