Black Lives Matter! Published: 6 July 2020 Article George Floyd just had time to tell his executioners “I can’t breathe”. His words were heard in Belgium, where they succeeded in toppling King Leopold II, whose face was daubed with red paint when he was not simply torn down. Black lives matter! An autopsy of the controversial movement, which is no longer in its test phase. By Wendy Bashi
“Trump’s election defeat won’t end structural racism” Published: 10 June 2020 Interview The murder of George Floyd has thrown the United States into a state of unrest. President Trump is throwing fuel on the fire in an attempt to increase his re-election chances. The main problem, however, is historical, structural racism – and not just in the U.S. An interview with Bastian Hermisson, Head of the Foundation’s office in Washington, and Mekonnen Mesghena, Head of Migration and Diversity at the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Berlin. By Bastian Hermisson and Mekonnen Mesghena
Transformative Responses for a way out of the crisis Published: 19 May 2020 Statement Transformative responses is a transnational network which aims to increase our systems' resilience by addressing the socio-economic and ecological challenges at the intersection of finance, ecology and inequality with concrete actions and policies to mitigate crisis and initiate structural reform.
A political map of Slovakia two years after the tragedy of the murder of Ján and Martina Published: 11 March 2020 Background February 2020 will be written into the modern political history of Slovakia as a month with a great turning point which combined in a special way two dramatic themes in the internal political development of the country. By Grigorij Mesežnikov
Lebanon rising Published: 16 December 2019 Background The protests sweeping Lebanon are breaking social divides, taboos and stereotypes. For the first time since the civil war, there is a unified call to end corruption, while women are on the frontline of the protests. By Anna Fleischer
About Russia...and not all about football Published: 13 July 2018 Many Russians are happy about the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Football has the power to unite people and thousands of international visitors are coming into Russia and bringing open-mindedness and vibrancy to a country that has recently been seen as on the road toward isolation. We would like to use the World Cup as a chance to provide more information about Russia. The Moscow office of the Heinrich Böll Foundation has prepared a series of texts and video materials on various topics relevant to Russia.
Civic Charter Published: 27 October 2016 Repression of civil society is on the rise all over the world. The charter aims to support civil society organizations as activists throughout the world, to advocate for their rights and freedom of action, and to demand government guarantees.
The Unloved Compromise. Black Umbrellas, White Coats and Abortion in Poland Published: 20 October 2016 Over the last weeks Poland has witnessed an unprecedented mobilisation of women against the tightening of the abortion law. Our colleague Gert Röhrborn from our Warsaw office sheds light on recent events. By Gert Röhrborn
Habitat III: New Urban Agenda and the importance of civil society Published: 14 September 2016 Close on the heels of the UN adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in September 2015 the HABITAT III conference offers the international community a timely opportunity to revisit and revision its commitments to putting human rights at the heart of sustainable urban development. The global context is adverse, marked by growing inequity, rising levels of homelessness and landlessness, forced migration, environmental degradation and climate change. By Poonam Joshi
Authoritarian repression under the pretext of sovereignty Published: 13 September 2016 The repression of civil societies activites in countries like Egypt and Russia are justified with the "protection of the states sovereignity" and the "principle of non-intervention". When unwelcomed critique is silenced, activists need all our solidarity and support. By Wolfgang Kaleck and Simon Rau
