Public Policy & NGOs
Here's a look at documents from public policy and non-governmental organizations
Featured Stories
National Geographic Society: Angola Designates First Ever Wetland of International Importance
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 -- The National Geographic Society issued the following news release:
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Angola Designates First Ever Wetland of International Importance
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the government of Angola have designated the country's first ever Wetland of International Importance, Lisima Lya Mwono. Located in Angola's central and southeastern highlands, the site's name translates to "Source of Life" in the Luchaze language.
Since 2015, the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project (NGOWP) has been working with communities and governments to secure permanent, sustainable
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 -- The National Geographic Society issued the following news release:
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Angola Designates First Ever Wetland of International Importance
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the government of Angola have designated the country's first ever Wetland of International Importance, Lisima Lya Mwono. Located in Angola's central and southeastern highlands, the site's name translates to "Source of Life" in the Luchaze language.
Since 2015, the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project (NGOWP) has been working with communities and governments to secure permanent, sustainableprotection for the Lisima landscape and the greater Okavango Basin, which spans Angola, Namibia, and Botswana. This newly named Ramsar site spans an area that is nearly 53,670 km2, and is home to the Angolan Highlands Water Tower (AHWT), which supplies 95% of the Okavango Delta's water. The NGOWP team's research found the AHWT holds 423 km(3) of water -- the equivalent of nearly 170 million Olympic swimming pools. This Ramsar designation for the Lisima landscape and AHWT is critical to the future food and water security of millions of people across seven African countries, one of Africa's largest remaining elephant populations, and some of the continent's most vibrant ecosystems.
Further, Ramsar designation for Lisima Lya Mwono is expected to heighten international awareness for this cultural and spiritual landmark that is the pride of Angola's natural heritage. It also provides enhanced protection for the area, strengthens cooperation between countries that share its water resources, and creates opportunities for livelihoods around wetland management.
To make the case for Ramsar designation, and longer-term, formal protection of the landscape, the NGOWP team has combined rigorous science with traditional knowledge to demonstrate its importance. The team's efforts include mapping Africa's second largest peatland ecosystem and carrying out extensive biodiversity surveys. These surveys have led to the documentation of 73 new species to academic science, at least 275 potentially new to science, and 300 never previously recorded in Angola.
Through the Okavango Eternal partnership with De Beers, operating across Angola, Namibia, and Botswana, the NGOWP team has been able to scale and accelerate groundbreaking and essential research that has helped facilitate this designation. The Okavango Eternal partnership supports continued biodiversity surveys in the region, research and mapping analyses that help guide conservation priorities and management, stakeholder convenings with local communities and governments, and storytelling around the people and wildlife who depend on the freshwater resources of this Ramsar site. This Ramsar designation also represents a major step toward one of the partnership's key goals -- formally protecting 5.4 million hectares around the Okavango Basin's headwaters.
In addition to working toward formal systems of protection, the NGOWP team also actively works alongside community members to recognize and support local areas where biodiversity is already thriving under their care, ensuring traditional knowledge and conservation go hand-in-hand.
Attributable quotes for press:
Ian Miller, Chief Science Officer, National Geographic Society
"The Ramsar designation for Lisima Lya Mwono in Angola has been years in the making. This is a testament to the power of collaboration between governments, organizations and local communities who have stewarded this ecosystem for millennia, and our partners through Okavango Eternal. Their rigorous scientific research, preservation of traditional knowledge, and storytelling about the importance of these water resources helped raise the profile of the critical ecological and cultural importance of this area. This designation is the first of many actions needed to help to achieve the goal of permanent, sustainable protection for the greater Okavango Basin. We are grateful that the government of Angola and the Ramsar Convention have taken this important step in recognizing the Lisima Lya Mwono as a Wetland of International Importance."
Steve Boyes, National Geographic Explorer and Leader of NGOWP
"The Luchaze people of the eastern Angolan Highlands have been in the business of clean air and freshwater for millennia. To them, the source lakes and forests of the Lisima Lya Mwono landscape are sacred. Now, this important Ramsar designation as the world's fifth largest globally-important wetland ecosystem, recognizes what local communities have long known: these vast forested watersheds and peatland are keystone to the long-term water and food security of millions of people downstream, as well as previously-undocumented populations of endangered species like lion, cheetah, African wild dog, and elephant. Guided by local river guardians, we've discovered new and potentially new species to science in this emerging centre of endemism. In 2023, we described the Angolan Highlands Water Tower for the first time, within academic science. This Ramsar site is part of what is one of southern Africa's most important hydrological structures. In partnership with the Government of Angola, we will continue working with local communities to secure sustainable, long-term protections for the 'Source of Life'."
Kerllen Costa, National Geographic Explorer and Country Director, Angola, NGOWP
"The declaration of Lisima Lya Mwono as Angola's first Ramsar site is a huge moment of pride and celebration of Angola's unique natural heritage. It is validation and recognition not merely of the beauty of the country's natural wonder, but of the commitment of the local communities - who have been the true Guardians of this landscape for millennia - and that of the Angolan government. This landscape is only as pristine and intact as it is, because of the intrinsic traditions and ways of life of its inhabitants, the Luchazi people. In their day to day principles of life, they have, for time immemorial, enacted the true concept of sustainability and preserved the balance of natural resource usage, protecting the sources and its rivers, the sacred lakes and forests, and the uncountable number of species that give this ecosystem its unique character and provide life and water to several countries and millions of people downstream. They have sustained this landscape through their traditions and ancestral knowledge, and have been instrumental in the work of NGOWP."
Sandrine Conseiller, CEO, Brands and Diamond Desirability, De Beers Group
"Achieving Ramsar designation in Angola is a moment of immense pride for the Okavango Eternal partnership. Over the past five years, De Beers has worked with National Geographic in Angola, Botswana and Namibia to support the on-the-ground delivery of science, training, community engagement and advocacy that have helped make this milestone possible. This designation marks a significant step in formally protecting this critical landscape and its precious source waters, and reflects our belief that natural diamonds -- treasures of the natural world -- can make life brilliant, in this case supporting the Okavango Basin for future generations."
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National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project
Since 2015, the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project (NGOWP) has been working with communities and governments to secure permanent, sustainable protection for the greater Okavango Basin - which spans Angola, Namibia, and Botswana. A team of Explorers, local and regional experts, and partners at the Wild Bird Trust are working to accomplish this through rigorous scientific research, advancing traditional knowledge, impactful conservation education projects, and storytelling about the ecosystem and people who live there. In 2021, National Geographic and De Beers entered a partnership, Okavango Eternal, to expand and accelerate work already underway.
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Okavango Eternal
Okavango Eternal is a partnership between National Geographic and De Beers to help address one of Africa's most critical conservation challenges: protecting the source waters of the Okavango Delta. De Beers is working together with National Geographic by providing support, expertise and funding to expand and accelerate work already underway, helping to establish sustainable local livelihoods in harmony with the Okavango Basin's conservation. The five-year partnership has two objectives: protecting the natural world by supporting community-based systems of protection and local governments to protect biodiversity, striving to reach 5.4M hectares around the headwaters of the Okavango River Basin, and supporting communities by enabling stronger economic foundations and providing access to as many as 10,000 livelihood opportunities.
More details about Okavango Eternal are available at www.nationalgeographic.com/okavango-eternal and https://www.debeers.com/en-us/okavangoeternal.html.
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About The National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization that uses the power of science, exploration, education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. Since 1888, National Geographic has pushed the boundaries of exploration, investing in bold people and transformative ideas, providing more than 15,000 grants for work across all seven continents, reaching 3 million students each year through education offerings, and engaging audiences around the globe through signature experiences, stories and content.
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Original text here: https://news.nationalgeographic.org/angola-designates-first-ever-wetland-of-international-importance/
[Category: Science]
Americans for Tax Reform: California's Billionaire Tax is a Policy Disaster
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 -- Americans for Tax Reform posted the following commentary on Jan. 19, 2026:
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California's Billionaire Tax is a Policy Disaster
By Jack Guidi
California's proposed billionaire tax reads more like a piece of fiction than a real policy proposal. Unfortunately, it is much more real than the $10 billion high-speed rail.
In December 2025, the healthcare workers union SEIU-UHW filed a ballot initiative in California proposing a 5% tax on all California residents with a net worth valued at $1 billion and over. The tax is retroactive and would apply to all eligible residents
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 -- Americans for Tax Reform posted the following commentary on Jan. 19, 2026:
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California's Billionaire Tax is a Policy Disaster
By Jack Guidi
California's proposed billionaire tax reads more like a piece of fiction than a real policy proposal. Unfortunately, it is much more real than the $10 billion high-speed rail.
In December 2025, the healthcare workers union SEIU-UHW filed a ballot initiative in California proposing a 5% tax on all California residents with a net worth valued at $1 billion and over. The tax is retroactive and would apply to all eligible residentsbeginning January 1st, 2026. However, the earliest this tax could go into effect would be November 2026. This means California could end up losing tax revenue even if the ballot initiative doesn't pass, as it incentivizes wealthy residents to escape before the tax passes. People and wealth have already been fleeing the state in massive numbers, and that trend will only continue. (See ATR's article on this here.)
There is a good reason why Google co-founder Sergey Brin and Larry Page are taking no chances and have already decided to leave California late last year. Because of their leadership positions, their "preferred voting" shares are valued at ten times what a typical "Class A", publicly tradeable share would be. So, instead of a simple 5% tax, the proposed tax would nearly 50% of their Alphabet shares, an estimated $60 billion. For more thorough explanation of how poorly designed this billionaire tax is, see the Tax Foundation's analysis here.
The left's tried and trusted argument that they are simply making the rich pay their "fair share" is a fallacy. The top 1% in America already account for 37% of the revenue from income taxes. And in California, the top 1% of earners account for 40% of the state's revenue from income tax, an estimated $122 billion. With the goal of raising money, California's billionaire tax will push out the state's top source of income. Structuring tax policy around the rich this way brings instability to budgets and revenue flows.
Beyond the way this tax is designed, California voters should also question why SEIU-UHW initiated this ballot in the first place. The main objective of this tax is to prop up California's healthcare system, Med-Cal. California's own State Auditor classified Med-Cal as 'high risk', as it does not do a sufficient job in checking the eligibility of its recipients. This has led to a massive uptick in spending on undocumented immigrants, resulting in a ballooning budget, already set at $202.7 billion for 2025-2026. A report from California's very own Department of Health Care Access and Information explained how the state could "save between $58 and $73 billion per year by eliminating waste and improving efficiency". Throwing more money into this program will not solve its obvious fundamental issues.
The billionaire tax ballot initiative has caused internal divisions within California's Democrat establishment. Some, like Silicon Valley's Representative Rho Khanna (CA-17), have claimed that the rich need to pay their fair share, and that the tax will share prosperity. And others, notably far left Governor Gavin Newsom have come out against the initiative, calling it 'bad policy'.
Any attempts by Newsom or other California Democrats to distance themselves from this ballot initiative is merely theatrical. California has already been broken by their policies. The state is experiencing a mass exodus of billionaires, industry, and people due to its high taxes and heavy regulatory environment.
Newsom claimed in his final 'state of the state' address that California provided a "blueprint for other [states] to follow". In reality, this ballot initiative shows California continues to serve as a warning of what is to come if other states continue down its path: High taxes, skyrocketing cost of living, wasteful spending, and a business exodus.
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Original text here: https://atr.org/californias-billionaire-tax-is-a-policy-disaster/
[Category: Political]
People of Yemen are starving in silence, warns IRC
NEW YORK, Jan. 19 [Category: International] -- The International Rescue Committee posted the following news release:
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People of Yemen are starving in silence, warns IRC
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Aden, Yemen, January 19, 2026 - People of Yemen are starving in silence, warns the International Rescue Committee (IRC), as funding reductions and ongoing insecurity compounds crisis.
* Yemen ranks as one of the most food-insecure countries globally
* The country is now carrying the highest burden of IPC Phase 4 globally
* Over 148,000 people entered into crisis or worse levels of food insecurity in 2025 alone
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, Jan. 19 [Category: International] -- The International Rescue Committee posted the following news release:
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People of Yemen are starving in silence, warns IRC
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Aden, Yemen, January 19, 2026 - People of Yemen are starving in silence, warns the International Rescue Committee (IRC), as funding reductions and ongoing insecurity compounds crisis.
* Yemen ranks as one of the most food-insecure countries globally
* The country is now carrying the highest burden of IPC Phase 4 globally
* Over 148,000 people entered into crisis or worse levels of food insecurity in 2025 alone
* Nearly 97% of respondents of IRC's survey cited food as their number one need
Yemen is entering a dangerous new phase of food security with over half the population, 18 million people, expected to face worsening levels of food insecurity in early 2026. The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) projections warn that an additional one million people are at risk of facing life-threatening hunger (IPC Phase 3+). Pockets of famine impacting over 40,000 people are expected in four districts within the next two months - the worst outlook for the country since 2022.
Years of conflict and displacement have devastated livelihoods and severely restricted access to basic health and nutrition services. This has been compounded by a nationwide economic collapse that has eroded household purchasing power, alongside a sharp decline in humanitarian assistance. By the end of 2025, the humanitarian response was less than 25% funded - the lowest level in a decade- while lifesaving nutrition assistance received less than 10% of the funding required.
This rapid deterioration - driven by catastrophic humanitarian funding cuts, climate shocks, economic collapse, and compounded by recent insecurity - calls for urgent action to reverse the unfolding catastrophe.
Caroline Sekyewa, the IRC's Country Director in Yemen, says,
"People of Yemen still remember when they didn't know where their next meal would come from. I fear we are returning to this dark chapter again. What distinguishes the current deterioration is its speed and trajectory.
"Food insecurity in Yemen is no longer a looming risk; it is a daily reality forcing parents into impossible choices. Some parents have told us they have started collecting wild plants to keep their children fed while they sleep on an empty stomach. Rising prices, the brunt of conflict and prolonged displacement are pushing households deeper into crisis.
"Yemen's food security crisis is not inevitable. Immediate, targeted donor action in the coming months can prevent widespread loss of life and help communities get back on their feet before emergency conditions escalate further. IRC's evidence shows that cash assistance remains one of the most effective ways to help families meet their food needs with dignity, protect their children, and avoid resorting to harmful ways for survival. It is not too late to prevent an even greater tragedy."
Read our latest briefing, "Surging Food Insecurity: People of Yemen are Starving in Silence."
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Original text here: https://www.rescue.org/press-release/people-yemen-are-starving-silence-warns-irc
One Year Report Card on Trump's Economic and Financial Policies: F On All Subjects
WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 [Category: Financial Services] -- Better Markets, an organization that says it promotes pro-market, pro-business and pro-growth policies to help build a better financial system, posted the following news release:
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One Year Report Card on Trump's Economic and Financial Policies: F On All Subjects
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WASHINGTON, D.C.-Dennis M. Kelleher, Co-Founder, President & CEO, issued the following statement in connection with the release of Better Markets' Report Card on the Trump Administration's first year of economic and financial policies.
"Trump's first-year economic and financial
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 [Category: Financial Services] -- Better Markets, an organization that says it promotes pro-market, pro-business and pro-growth policies to help build a better financial system, posted the following news release:
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One Year Report Card on Trump's Economic and Financial Policies: F On All Subjects
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WASHINGTON, D.C.-Dennis M. Kelleher, Co-Founder, President & CEO, issued the following statement in connection with the release of Better Markets' Report Card on the Trump Administration's first year of economic and financial policies.
"Trump's first-year economic and financialpolicies and actions have earned him an F grade, as illustrated by the attached Report Card. No matter what he says, how loud or how often, Trump's first-year policies and actions have been terrible for the economy, affordability, investors, consumers, the financial system, financial stability, and equal and fair enforcement of the law. Whether you have a savings or checking account, credit card, debit card, mortgage, student loan, car loan, or a retirement plan, personal loan, college savings fund, publicly traded stock, or any other financial product or service, Trump's policies and actions have harmed you.
"From destroying consumer protection at the CFPB and unleashing unregulated crypto and gambling on the American people at the CFTC to a crusade against community banks at the Fed, FDIC and OCC and protecting management not investors at the SEC-while letting crooks, scammers and criminals go free and politicizing decision making at the independent agencies-Trump has inflected pain on Main Street while boosting the profits and bonuses on Wall Street. That's not only bad for the American people, but also for the economy. While taking down the protections and guardrails, he's inflating a bubble that is going to crash the economy and cause bailouts, crushing Main Street like the 2008 crash did.
"It is clear that Trump deserves a failing grade on his economic and financial policies and actions in this first year. Today's Report Card details why."
Better Markets is a non-profit, non-partisan, and independent organization founded in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis to promote the public interest in the financial markets, support the financial reform of Wall Street and make our financial system work for all Americans again. Better Markets works with allies-including many in finance-to promote pro-market, pro-business and pro-growth policies that help build a stronger, safer financial system that protects and promotes Americans' jobs, savings, retirements and more. To learn more, visit www.bettermarkets.org.
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Original text here: https://bettermarkets.org/newsroom/one-year-report-card-on-trumps-economic-and-financial-policies-f-on-all-subjects/
Mozambique: Police Linked to Killings of Artisanal Miners
NEW YORK, Jan. 19 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news:
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Mozambique: Police Linked to Killings of Artisanal Miners
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(Johannesburg) - Mozambique authorities need to urgently and impartially investigate the killing of three dozen artisanal gold and gemstone miners during clashes with the police on December 29, 2025, in Nampula province, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities need to hold all those responsible to account and ensure justice for victims and their families.
Local civil society organizations said that the police killed at least
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, Jan. 19 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news:
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Mozambique: Police Linked to Killings of Artisanal Miners
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(Johannesburg) - Mozambique authorities need to urgently and impartially investigate the killing of three dozen artisanal gold and gemstone miners during clashes with the police on December 29, 2025, in Nampula province, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities need to hold all those responsible to account and ensure justice for victims and their families.
Local civil society organizations said that the police killed at least38 people during clashes in the Marraca mining area in Iuluti, Mogovolas district. Iuluti Community Radio reported that the victims' relatives notified them of at least 13 deaths. Police authorities have officially acknowledged 7 deaths, including one police officer.
"The available evidence indicates that Mozambique police used unnecessary and excessive lethal force, resulting in deaths and injuries to an as-yet unconfirmed number of people," said Sheila Nhancale, Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. "It is essential for the authorities to fully and impartially investigate these deaths and prosecute those responsible to restore community trust."
Tensions in the Marraca mining area are part of a broader pattern of recurring disputes over mineral extraction in Mogovolas district, Human Rights Watch said. Local communities and artisanal or small-scale miners have operated for years in areas for which the government had given private companies concessions, without the establishment of effective mediation mechanisms, economic alternatives, or transparent resettlement processes.
The police reported that the clashes began when members of the Naparamas, a local militia group, and supporters of the opposition party National Alliance for a Free and Autonomous Mozambique (Alianca Nacional para um Mocambique Livre e Autonomo, ANAMOLA), led by Venancio Mondlane, attacked a camp of the Police for the Protection of Natural Resources and the Environment. Police said the attackers wore masks and red headbands and carried bladed weapons. They said they arrested five suspects during operations to restore public order.
Civil society organizations and witnesses dispute this account, saying that most of those killed were artisanal miners and others with no political affiliation. Gamito Carlos, director of the Nampula-based organization Koxukhoro, told Human Rights Watch that none of the victims had party membership cards. The artisanal miners have not disputed that they were carrying bladed weapons, which are used for extraction at the mining site.
Three local journalists said that informal arrangements existed between some police officers and artisanal miners, who paid between 50 and 100 meticais (US$0.80 to US$1.60) to mine at the site. Witnesses said that when a group of police officers, allegedly unaware of these arrangements, attempted to forcibly disperse the miners, the situation escalated rapidly, and clashes broke out.
A local journalist said that miners told him that police officers fired indiscriminately at people during the clashes.
A local resident said her 18-year-old brother, an artisanal miner, was killed during the clashes that day. "My brother left early to work at the mine and said he needed money for the end-of-year holidays," she said. "He never came back. The next day we learned he had been killed. Many of his friends also didn't survive." Fighting back tears, she said: "He was the family's provider. Now we don't know how we will go on."
Another resident said her husband, 41, was injured during the clashes and disappeared after seeking medical treatment in the city of Nampula. "We don't know where he is," she said. "When we call his phone, no one answers. We hear rumors that he may be detained or even dead." The family reported searching for him at several police stations without receiving any information from the authorities.
A 35-year-old local resident said that he saw at least three bodies of artisanal miners killed by gunfire, several people with serious injuries, and reported the disappearance of a relative who went to the mining site and did not return. "There were adults, children, and women there," he said. "Everyone went through moments of terror that still traumatize the community today. We ask the government to find solutions to regulate mining without violence."
Previous incidents in Mogovolas reflect ongoing tensions between the authorities and artisanal miners. In May 2025, about 300 artisanal miners entered a mining area in Iuluti, triggering violence, arrests, and reports of deaths following the prohibition of artisanal mining in areas for which private companies had concessions.
The United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials require law enforcement officials to apply nonviolent means before resorting to the use of force, to use force only in proportion to the seriousness of the offense, and to use lethal force only when strictly unavoidable to protect life. The principles also provide that governments need to ensure that arbitrary or abusive use of force and firearms by law enforcement officials is punished as a criminal offense under domestic law.
"Mozambique's partners need to press the government to ensure a credible and transparent investigation of this dire incident, provide accountability and reparations for the abuses," Nhancale said. "The government also needs to take measures so that such atrocities never happen again."
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Original text here: https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/01/19/mozambique-police-linked-to-killings-of-artisanal-miners
CCRKBA ANNOUNCES LOCATION, DATES FOR 2026 GUN RIGHTS CONFERENCE
BELLEVUE, Washington, Jan. 19 [Category: Political] -- The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms issued the following news release:
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CCRKBA ANNOUNCES LOCATION, DATES FOR 2026 GUN RIGHTS CONFERENCE
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BELLEVUE, WA - The 41 st annual Gun Rights Policy Conference-co-sponsored by the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) and Second Amendment Foundation (SAF)-is scheduled the weekend of Sept. 25-27 at the Westin Dallas-Fort Worth Airport hotel in Dallas, Texas.
Since its launch in 1985, the Gun Rights Policy Conference (GRPC) has grown to become one
... Show Full Article
BELLEVUE, Washington, Jan. 19 [Category: Political] -- The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms issued the following news release:
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CCRKBA ANNOUNCES LOCATION, DATES FOR 2026 GUN RIGHTS CONFERENCE
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BELLEVUE, WA - The 41 st annual Gun Rights Policy Conference-co-sponsored by the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) and Second Amendment Foundation (SAF)-is scheduled the weekend of Sept. 25-27 at the Westin Dallas-Fort Worth Airport hotel in Dallas, Texas.
Since its launch in 1985, the Gun Rights Policy Conference (GRPC) has grown to become oneof the most significant annual gatherings of Second Amendment leaders, scholars, legal minds and grassroots activists on the map. Each year, it draws the top minds in the firearms community for a weekend of reports, panel discussions, networking and planning, with representatives from virtually all national gun rights organizations, along with many state-level groups and local activists.
"For the Citizens Committee, the GRPC has become a valuable outreach opportunity, where we talk with, and listen to, people who literally represent 'boots-on-the-ground' involvement across the country," noted CCRKBA Managing Director Andrew Gottlieb. "One of the goals of the conference is that everyone comes away with some new information, and maybe new perspectives on how to advance the gun rights agenda.
"Ultimately," he added, "what we accomplish with each GRPC is to move the ball closer to fully restoring the Second Amendment to its rightful place as the cornerstone of our Bill of Rights. We're encouraging everyone to mark their calendars right now for this important event."
Gottlieb said early planning is already underway, and in the months ahead, a list of speakers will be put together, and he expects to have a program which offers something for everyone who attends. With the midterm elections coming only six weeks after this year's conference, the timing could not be more strategic, he noted.
"This conference has grown to feature politicians, podcasters, social influencers, professional and citizen journalists and devoted activists and advocates," Gottlieb said. "With so much at stake in 2026, this year's GRPC promises to be an event people won't want to miss."
For more information visit SAF.org.
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Original text here: https://ccrkba.org/2026/01/19/ccrkba-announces-location-dates-for-2026-gun-rights-conference/
Across South Asia, leaders are promoting hate to distract citizens from economic insecurity
NEW YORK, Jan. 19 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news:
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Across South Asia, leaders are promoting hate to distract citizens from economic insecurity
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A Hindu man beaten to death by a Muslim mob in Bangladesh incensed over alleged blasphemy, an allegation later proved untrue. An official from India's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party storming an annual Christmas lunch for children with special needs, with false allegations of forced conversion, assaulting and berating a blind woman. The death of a Dalit man in Nepal following beatings after being
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, Jan. 19 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news:
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Across South Asia, leaders are promoting hate to distract citizens from economic insecurity
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A Hindu man beaten to death by a Muslim mob in Bangladesh incensed over alleged blasphemy, an allegation later proved untrue. An official from India's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party storming an annual Christmas lunch for children with special needs, with false allegations of forced conversion, assaulting and berating a blind woman. The death of a Dalit man in Nepal following beatings after beingwrongly accused of stealing a mobile phone.
These are just some of the recent cases of horrific violence and human suffering in South Asia, indicating a breakdown in rule of law.
Sadly, such incidents are often the outcome when leaders seek to use cycles of abuse and revenge for political purposes. They rally their followers against perceived enemies, be it minority communities, refugees, immigrants, or bordering countries, apparently hoping that generating hatred against marginalised groups will distract from economic insecurity and an uncertain future.
The rhetoric promoting hatred can extend beyond borders. Many Indians complained about the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, while Bangladeshis denounced the continuing attacks on Muslims in India. The rage percolated even to sport, where India's cricket board ordered a Premier League team to dismiss a Bangladeshi player because of his nationality, prompting the Bangladesh government to declare its national team would not be safe playing an international tournament in India.
Meanwhile, cricket and culture had long fallen prey to the troubled ties between India and Pakistan, which terrifyingly deteriorated into armed hostilities in April, after Muslim militants killed Hindu tourists in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistanis and Indians expressed anger, often provoked by their leaders.
Online hate
It is now clear that in the age of social media, political idealogues can deliberately misuse algorithms to rouse discontent, claiming that abiding by laws, respecting human rights, and accommodating different choices or diverse identities is all just unnecessary pandering. When such approaches fail, politicians resort to human rights abuses, having dismantled the institutions that would deter them.
In Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, in recent years, unpopular leaders were eventually chased out by enraged citizens who had been doomed to economic stagnation due to corruption and nepotism or manipulated with political division. In other places, like India, Pakistan, or the Maldives, nervous rulers have stifled protests.
Instead of trying to hold on to power by stoking hatred, leaders could of course commit to the hard work needed to improve conditions in a way that upholds rights, but seem loath to do so.
In Bangladesh in 2024, after a decade and half of repression by Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government, a small demonstration over quotas in government jobs exploded into a mass uprising, and Hasina eventually fled the country. But the interim government that took charge, pledging reforms, soon lost its way hobbled by mob demands for reprisals.
It barred the Awami League from contesting elections in February, which leaves Bangladeshis once again without the right to vote for leaders of their choice. The situation will be the same as in the three previous consecutive elections under Hasina 's government, when opposition parties were blocked from competing in a free and fair manner.
Gen Z protesters
In Nepal, 76 people were killed in September in protests sparked by a ban on social media and anger over nepotism and political corruption. The prime minister resigned and was replaced by a caretaker government selected by "Gen Z" protesters. Now disappointed protesters are back, because they believe nothing has changed. The same old corrupt leaders, they say, will run for office again in upcoming elections.
In Sri Lanka, Anura Kumara Dissanayake became president with a huge majority, in the first elections after protests overthrew the authoritarian government of Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2022. Dissanayake promised to end corruption, protect freedom of expression, and promote accountability, including for widespread abuses linked to the 1983-2009 civil war.
Instead, as the United Nations human rights office report ed, the Dissanayake government has continued to deploy a draconian counterterrorism law that is typically used to target minority Tamil and Muslim communities. Torture in custody continued, as did surveillance, intimidation, harassment and suppression of families of the disappeared, civil society and human rights activists.
In India, after two terms in office, the BJP still pursues toxic Hindu majoritarianism to win votes. BJP leaders engage in hate speech during election campaigns, and after mobilising hostilities, they are unable, or unwilling, to rein in their supporters when they beat Muslims to death, jeer at Christians, or abuse Sikhs and Dalits. When protests break out, the authorities use a range of abusive laws, including terrorism allegations, to jail people, and demolish private properties in violation of Supreme Court orders.
Political leaders should recognise that hatred, failure to provide justice without bias, or suspending human rights, will only generate more abuse and eventually could even lead to public rage that could result in an abusive political leader's desperate flight abroad to escape a popular uprising.
They should instead try working toward equality, generating employment, delivering health care, providing quality education, and otherwise ensuring that the population's rights are protected. In the end, real improvements in people's lives - not manipulation and division for political gain - is a meaningful measure of success.
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Original text here: https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/01/19/across-south-asia-leaders-are-promoting-hate-to-distract-citizens-from-economic
