2026-04-14

In Conversation with Forus new chair Justina Kaluinaite At the Forus General Assembly which just concluded in Cambodia, members of the global network elected Justina Kaluinaite as new Chair. Kaluinaite brings experience focusing on socio-education community development in post-conflict phrases, trauma-aware development processes, effective development cooperation and humanitarian action management. She has over a decade of experience in various CSOs and community development entities, academic placements in Lithuania and globally. Bringing perspectives from her work in Rwanda, Cambodia and Colombia (among others) and working for a decade with the Lithuanian Development Cooperation Platform (Lithuanian NGDO Platform), she brings a global, empathic and strategic perspective to her new role. We sat down with her for a conversation about what her new role means, the challenges facing civil society today, and her vision for Forus.

Influence

2026-04-13

Introducing the Forus Post-2030 Vision The future after 2030 is being shaped now. Forus is launching a collective civil society vision for what must be defended, demanded and declined.

Influence

2026-04-13

Civil Society and International Organisations: A Lifeline for People Living with HIV in Venezuela The response to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Venezuela has undergone a structural transformation over the last two decades, shifting from a state-led model to one that relies almost exclusively on international cooperation and civil society activism. Organisations such as the Venezuelan Network of Positive People (RVG+), the Manos Amigas por la Vida Foundation (Mavid) and Acción Solidaria, amongst others, currently stand out as the main coordinators ensuring that treatment reaches vulnerable populations.

Influence

2026-04-09

Adapting, connecting, resisting: Civil Society Navigates a World in Flux A recap of the 2026 Forus Generally Assembly – Siem Reap, Cambodia – March 2026

Influence

2026-04-09

LESOTHO HIGHLANDS WATER PROJECT: A visit that changes the narrative Earlier this year, Forus supported a field visit which brought together civil society partners of its network — Ameerah from African Monitor, Riska from Afrodad, and Mapule from the Economic Justice Network — alongside local journalists, to communities affected by the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) — a bi-national scheme between Lesotho and South Africa.

Influence

2026-04-01

Women and Environmental Leadership, 3 Voices Moving Africa In the face of environmental challenges in Africa, women are emerging as agents of change. They are redefining ecological leadership through innovative initiatives.

Influence

2026-04-01

Women Defending Gender Rights in Deteriorating Enabling Environments As gender rights come under increasing pressure worldwide, women’s rights defenders and feminist activists are adapting, resisting and building new forms of collective power. At the side event “Women Defending Gender Rights in Deteriorating Enabling Environments,” organized by the European Union System for an Enabling Environment for civil society (EU SEE) Consortium and Forus as part of the March With Us campaign for gender justice, speakers from across regions shared a clear message: the space for gender justice is shrinking—but it is far from silent.

Influence

2026-03-26

Great Lakes When art transforms environmental challenges into opportunities In the African Great Lakes region, initiatives combining craftsmanship, art, and citizen mobilization are transforming major ecological challenges into economic and social opportunities. Faced with environmental urgency, these initiatives demonstrate a strong commitment to taking concrete action.

Influence

2026-03-22

Civil society from over 80 countries unite to shape solutions across borders Civil society leaders from over 80 countries are gathering in Siem Reap, Cambodia, for the 2026 Forus General Assembly, a unique platform where global civil society comes together to share knowledge, collaborate, and design actionable solutions for today’s most urgent social, environmental, and governance challenges.

Influence

2026-03-18

The Bell and the Silence: Inside Nepal’s 2026 Political Reordering On the morning of March 5, 2026, the queues outside polling stations across Nepal were longer, and noticeably younger, than they had been in decades. By the time the Nepal Election Commission called a 60 percent turnout among the 19 million registered voters, it was clear that the "Gen-Z Revolution"—the months of street protests and digital organizing that had paralyzed the capital over the previous autumn—had finally moved to the ballot box.

Influence

2026-03-17

Leading Change: How Women, Youth and Civil Society Are Accelerating the SDGs from the Ground Up With less than five years left to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, civil society leaders from across regions gathered on 11 March 2026 for the CSW70 side event “Leading Change: Women, Youth, and Civic Action for SDG Acceleration.”

Influence

2026-03-13

From menstrual dignity to digital safety: How grassroots feminists are redefining gender justice Girls without access to sanitary products during their periods often resort to using tissue paper, rags, leaves, or simply staying home. Teachers would sometimes send students away if they stained their uniforms. The breakthrough came with the creation of pad banks: permanent, school-based emergency supply boxes stocked with menstrual products each term. Girls who begin menstruating during school hours can discreetly access supplies from the counselor’s office and remain in class.

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2026-03-13

Democracy needs women: Feminist leadership in times of shrinking enabling environments for civil society The erosion of women’s rights to organize, speak, and lead is not collateral damage. It is an early warning sign of democratic decline. When women are pushed out of public life, – whether through legal restrictions, economic exclusion, media stereotypes or online harassment, – democratic institutions lose legitimacy and resilience.

Influence

2026-03-12

Rethinking Statutes of Limitations in Child Sexual Abuse Cases in Taiwan In Taiwan, if sexual assault cases are categorized by the age of the victim, cases involving children and adolescents account for the largest proportion, representing more than half of all cases. Among these cases, the younger the victim, the more likely the perpetrator is a family member. For example, in sexual assault cases involving children under the age of six, as many as 57% of perpetrators are family members.

Influence

2026-03-08

Statement on the International Women’s Day 2026 By the Women and Feminists Constituency Group of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) Thirty years after the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, gains are uneven and at risk. Many countries have laws and promises on paper, but they’re rarely enforced and justice often fails survivors. Women human rights defenders – including women defending land, women searching for their forcibly disappeared relatives - and feminist groups face threats, harassment, criminal charges, and even murder or enforced disappearance just for pushing for fairness.

2026-03-08

The New Development Bank (NDB) at 10: Time to Build Meaningful Partnerships As global development finance undergoes a period of rebalancing, the BRICS-led New Development Bank (NDB) has emerged as one of the most visible alternatives to institutions historically shaped by advanced economies. Established in 2015 by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the Bank was designed to expand financing options for infrastructure and sustainable development across emerging market and developing countries. A decade on, as its membership broadens and its lending portfolio grows, the central question is no longer whether the NDB represents a shift in global governance — but how that shift is being institutionalized in practice.

Influence

2026-03-08

When women organise, democracy survives: Why gender justice cannot be a casualty of global crises This March, as the world marks International Women’s Day, women’s rights organizations are not waiting to be recognised — they are leading movements, defending rights, and redefining what democracy looks like.

Influence

2026-03-05

Upholding International Law, Protecting Civilians and Preventing Further Regional Escalation in the Middle East Forus, a global network of 74 National NGO Platforms and 7 Regional NGO Coalitions, expresses deep concern about the rapidly escalating war in the Middle East. Civilian lives are being lost, humanitarian needs are intensifying, and the risk of a further escalation is growing by the hour.

Support

2026-03-04

From Reporting to Reality: A Pacific Call for Justice and Locally Led Development Across the region, we see a worrying trend. Civic space is tightening. Consultations too often remain symbolic. Participation is invited, but influence is limited. A credible Voluntary National Review must tell the full story. Not only achievements and progress, but also structural barriers and inequalities, while also addressing major policy gaps. Development cannot be honest if it hides the difficult truths.

Influence

2026-03-04

Tomorrow is Feminist: organisations that are reshaping Brazil Learn about some initiatives that are transforming the national landscape by centralising the voices of black, indigenous, LGBTQIAPN+ and young women in the construction of a more just society.

Influence