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In early November, the world’s leaders, environmental activists, and researchers will gather in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, for the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29), the United Nations’ annual forum on climate change.

This is the third-straight year that the “supreme decision-making body” of the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change is being presided over by an authoritarian state that is heavily reliant on fossil fuels and has an abysmal human rights record. 

 

Ceasefire Agreement, Release of Hostages Long Overdue

World leaders must redouble their efforts to secure a return of hostages, a halt to the fighting, and the provision of critical aid to Palestinians in Gaza. They must also focus on how to permanently end a cycle of violence that has persisted for decades.

NEXT WEEK: Freedom on the Net 2024 Report Launch

Around the world, voters have been forced to make major decisions about their future while navigating a censored, distorted, and unreliable information space. Join Freedom House for the launch of Freedom on the Net 2024: The Struggle for Trust Online.

The Boomerang Effect of Beijing’s Economic Censorship

While economic information is perceived as being less politically sensitive than discussions about democracy or human rights in China, government crackdowns have increasingly focused on content that addresses income inequality, youth employment, and poverty—deep-rooted problems that could undermine the CCP’s political legitimacy.

Exile As Another Tool of Authoritarianism 

Activists in Venezuela are finding themselves subject to travel bans and passport confiscations. Restrictions on the freedom of movement may not capture immediate media attention, but these limitations are often imposed by regimes that engage in other forms of severe repression.
 

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