Last year’s violent crackdown on Gen Z protests in Kenya is a key focus of the 2025 State of Civil Society Report from CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance. The report warns that democracy faces mounting threats but also highlights its remarkable capacity for renewal.
Offering a scathing critique of global governance, the report paints a grim picture of 2025: a world beset by autocracy and impunity, where human rights violators evade accountability, and where multilateralism is under siege, replaced by aggressive national power plays.
Africa’s Wave of Youth-Led Protests
The report notes that 2024 saw a surge of youth-led protests across several African nations, spearheaded by first-time demonstrators from Generation Z.
“It began in Kenya, triggered by plans to introduce sweeping tax hikes. Although the measures were swiftly reversed, the protests continued. Similar movements erupted in Ghana, Nigeria, and Uganda—countries with large youth populations grappling with economic hardship and limited opportunities. Protests against the cost of living often escalate into broader demands for economic and political reform, prompting governments to respond with violent repression,” the report, released on Thursday, states.
In Kenya, a troubling pattern emerged: alongside the excessive use of force by security personnel, young activists were abducted by armed plainclothes operatives, widely suspected to be state agents. Similar heavy-handed responses were seen elsewhere, including lethal security crackdowns in Nigeria.
IMF, World Bank, and Public Anger
The report criticises global institutions, stating that the austerity measures imposed as loan conditions by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) frequently become the focus of public resentment. The tax increases that ignited protests in Kenya, for instance, were part of an IMF-mandated package that also included public spending cuts and privatisation. In Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu’s decision to end fuel subsidies—following World Bank recommendations—led to currency devaluation, increased import costs, and subsequent unrest.
Democracy Under Siege
The report warns that democracy is being undermined by media and technology oligarchs who thrive in economies of extreme inequality and precarity. It highlights the rising trend of ‘state capture’—where right-wing politicians manipulate state institutions to entrench anti-rights agendas.
Civic freedoms are under attack on an unprecedented scale, with once-legitimate forms of protest increasingly criminalised. Climate activists, Indigenous rights defenders, and democracy advocates are among those facing the harshest repression. The report also condemns legislative assaults on marginalised groups, citing Kenya’s Family Protection Bill, which seeks to outlaw LGBTQI+ advocacy.
The #EndFemicideKE protests, which urged survivors to seek justice and prompted new government commitments, faced the same police brutality as economic protests. In November, demonstrators marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women were dispersed with tear gas.
Civil Society: The Last Line of Defence
Despite these pressures, civil society remains a formidable force in defending democracy and human rights. The report highlights successful mobilisations in Bangladesh, Guatemala, and South Korea, where grassroots activism has helped resist democratic backsliding. Civil society organisations (CSOs) play crucial roles in ensuring electoral integrity, combating disinformation, and expanding political participation for marginalised communities.
“Efforts to engage citizens in governance, hold power accountable, and build reform coalitions don’t always make headlines,” said Andrew Firmin, CIVICUS editor-in-chief and report co-author. “But they prove that people can mobilise to protect democracy.”
Civil society action has also led to major policy victories, including the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Greece and Thailand, France’s constitutional protection of abortion rights, and the decriminalisation of same-sex relationships in Dominica and Namibia.
Urgent Calls for Action
The State of Civil Society Report calls for immediate global efforts to safeguard democratic norms and ensure accountability. Its key recommendations include:
- Conflict Resolution – Halting arms sales to human rights violators, reforming the UN Security Council, and establishing a robust treaty on crimes against humanity.
- Defending Democracy – Strengthening civil society through a movement-oriented approach, countering authoritarian narratives, and deepening community engagement.
- UN Reform – Enhancing civil society participation, appointing a UN civil society envoy, and selecting a feminist woman as the next UN Secretary-General.
- Economic Justice – Advocating for wealth taxes on the ultra-rich, a global tax treaty, and the reform of international financial institutions.
- Climate Action – Protecting the right to protest, securing financial support for climate adaptation in low-income nations, and banning fossil fuel lobbyists from climate negotiations.
“The world in 2025 is a dangerous place,” said Inés Pousadela, CIVICUS senior research specialist. “But we also see courageous activists and communities carrying the torch of hope, proving that a more peaceful, just, equal, and sustainable world is not only possible but already in the making.”
