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Research: Sentinel of peace in the Great Lakes The Forus Communicators' Series: communicating platform value, building strategies and countering misinformation African Women and Public Policy: When Leadership Becomes a Driver of Change Mylène Lawson: "It's often in translating, appropriating and following up on recommendations that lasting influence over public policy is built" Latifa Souflani: "Influence isn't just about holding a seat at the decision-making table — it's built through citizen mobilization" Annastazia Rugaba: "Transformation Must Be Measured Not Only by What Government Reports, But by What Citizens Experience" Local2030 Coalition Special Event "Advancing SDG 11 and the New Urban Agenda: Local Action for Global Acceleration"(HLPF Side Event) The future of the SDGs is local: " participation becomes meaningful when it can change a priority, a budget or a decision" From National Evidence to Global Accountability: Mozambique, Tanzania and Norwegian Civil Society Bring SDG Realities to the UN High-Level Political Forum Power, Rights and AI: What Geneva Digital Week Revealed about the Future of Governance #CADE: AI for good, but for whom? Reimagining AI Governance for the Global Majority - Recap video Beyond 2030: mapping choices for the future of sustainable development Beyond participation: Forus members and civil society partners call for stronger accountability in SDG implementation From evidence to influence civil society claims its place in South-South and triangular cooperation CADE Newsletter - May/June 2026 - CADE – Civil Society Alliances for Digital Empowerment Apply for the Digital Rights Exchange Programme: A Unique In-Person Global North–Global South Opportunity 🌍 Global Agendas in Motion: UN HLPF, AI Governance & Civil Society in Action Forus at the UN High-Level Political Forum 2026: bringing our global network’s voices to the centre of sustainable development Foreign agents laws: stigmatising civil society and choking funding flows C7 Summit Recap Video In the Great Lakes region, where tensions have recurred for more than two decades, civil society organizations, to play their part in providing solutions, have always begun with research. A step that is often less visible but essential in this process, as it enables the identification of warning signs of new tensions. This makes it possible to prevent them before they escalate. How can strategic communication build relationships, engage audiences and create meaningful pathways for action? What innovative storytelling practices can we use for transformational social change? Explore the Forus Communicators' series. Africa's civic space is far from smooth sailing. It is marked by numerous challenges, ranging from economic crises and restrictions on freedom of expression to democratic setbacks and social inequalities. For a long time, women were excluded from decision-making processes. Today, however, they are increasingly occupying leadership positions, leveraging digital platforms, engaging in civil society, and making their voices heard through the media. A civil society perspective on turning human rights commitments and women's leadership into lasting change for communities in Togo and across the region A civil society perspective on why meaningful participation, accountability and inclusive governance are essential to turning commitments on women's rights and sustainable development into real change for communities. A civil society perspective on why meaningful participation, accountability and inclusive governance are essential to turning sustainable development commitments into real change for communities. The Local2030 Coalition Special Event will highlight how SDG localization is driving integrated, inclusive, and scalable solutions to accelerate progress across the 2030 Agenda, with a particular emphasis on SDG 11 and its interlinkages with other goals under review at the 2026 HLPF. The final years of the Sustainable Development Goals will be won or lost locally, but bringing implementation closer to communities is not enough as power, resources and accountability will need to move with it. This discussios was at the centre of the Local2030 Coalition Special Event, “Advancing SDG 11 and the New Urban Agenda: Local Action for Global Acceleration,” held on 15 July as part of the UN High-Level Political Forum 2026. Voluntary National Reviews are intended to help countries assess progress, identify gaps and strengthen implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. But reviews can only generate accountability when they include evidence that is independent, grounded in communities’ experiences and able to challenge official narratives where necessary. During the 2026 UN High-Level Political Forum, Forus members representing national civil society platforms from Mozambique, Tanzania and Norway brought precisely this perspective into the global discussion. Last week, the Forus network landed in Geneva for the Digital Week, where several discussion spaces emerged simultaneously: the United Nations Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance, the “futuristic” AI for Good Summit, and the World Summit on the Information Society. All this while the UN High-Level Political Forum kicked off in New York with complementing discussions on digitalisation, global cooperation, the future beyond 2030, and meaningful civic participation highlighting how technology is central to development debates. How do we build AI governance that redistributes power, protects human dignity, recognises labour, prevents harm and exploitation, and expands democratic agency, particularly in the Global Majority, where extractive AI value chains, informal economies, and diverse epistemic traditions are often erased from policy conversations? Discover the highlights from the event organised by the Civil Society Alliances for Digital Empowerment (CADE), led by Diplo, to test an AI regulation sandbox on the sidelines of the ITU AI for Good Global Summit 2026. This side session, structured as an AI regulatory sandbox, convened technologists, policymakers, civil society, trade union and labour representatives, legal specialists, and other specialists to reframe the global AI governance debate and draw on diverse experiences to tackle the questions facing us today. In the session, justice was centered as the fundamental test of whether AI truly serves humanity, using realistic scenarios to test governance structures and bring together varying – sometimes opposing – perspectives on regulation. This event was organised in partnership with the Arab Reform Initiative, the feminist collective Pollicy, the Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET), Women in Internet Governance, Tinuadeniyi Tech Foundation, and the Center for AI Ethics and Governance in Africa (CAIEGA). The video and interviews have been carried out by CADE partner #Forus. CADE is co-funded by the European Union. #DigitalWeek #D4D #CADE #AIregulation As the 2026 UN High-Level Political Forum continues in New York, one question is becoming harder to postpone: what should global sustainable development cooperation look like after 2030? As the 2026 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) continues in New York, the message that sustainable development cannot be accelerated by commitments alone came through. It requires open civic space, meaningful stakeholder engagement, stronger accountability, and tighter links between global promises and local realities. Forus launched its new global report "Cooperation That Works: Civil Society in South-South and Triangular Cooperation" in a virtual side event on 7 July, marking the opening of the HLPF 2026. The launch brought together the Forus network and partners from across regions to highlight how civil society is already shaping South-South and triangular cooperation — often without being formally recognized by the systems it helps strengthen. Dear colleagues, In this edition, we celebrate a milestone in how civil society engages with AI – not just as users but as builders. We also bring you updates from across the CADE network, from Bogotá to Kampala, Colombo to Geneva, and look ahead to a busy few months on the digital governance calendar. Inside: When CSOs build the tools themselves: highlights from our AI course Partner updates from around the world: Karisma’s open house, Sarvodaya’s capacity development programme, CIPESA’s latest UPR submissions, and more On 9 July, join CADE and partners for a live AI governance policy lab in Geneva or online. Plus, other upcoming events in July and August Dive in 👇 This programme is an initiative of Forus and the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ECNL) within the framework of the Civil Society Alliances for Digital Empowerment (CADE), an EU co-funded project. Forus is participating in the the 2026 United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) with a strong delegation of members and partners from across the globe, bringing national civil society experiences, and localised solutions to one of the most important global spaces for sustainable development dialogue. Laws imposing restrictions on CSO operations such as foreign agents laws, are an increasing threat to the enabling environment for civil society worldwide. The ability of associations to seek, obtain, and use resources—including those from foreign and international sources—is a key and essential part of the civil society ecosystem, prohibiting or heavily restricting foreign funding affects their operating space and undermines important advocacy efforts. At a time of growing inequalities, shrinking civic space, conflicts, climate impacts and declining development finance, civil society is calling on #G7 leaders to put justice, solidarity and international cooperation back at the center of global action - in both narratives and actions. As the #C7Summit2026 closes, the message to G7 leaders meeting in Evian is clear: civil society is essential in shaping solutions that respond to people’s needs and leave no one behind.