Naveen Gautam

Naveen Gautam is a human rights lawyer and global advocate working on the rights of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWD). He represents the Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (GFoD) and serves as the Global Focal Point on Work and Descent at the UN Major Group for Children and Youth (UNMGCY). He is also the youngest Dalit to have moderated a session at the United Nations.

October 20, 2026

Columns/Geopolitics

The French Protests Are Being Misunderstood

The French protests that are spreading over Europe are not receiving proper attention. The explanation that students all over France, with the disturbances spreading into Italy and Belgium, are burning down historic

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s illicit cigarette trade costs government Rs 29.5bn in lost tax revenue

Sri Lanka lost an estimated Rs 29.5 billion in potential tax revenue in 2025 because of illicit factory-made cigarette consumption, according to an economic assessment by Oxford Economics, which estimates that illegal products accounted for 20% of the market despite

October 20, 2026

Sri Lanka: Rising Prices and People’s Patience

Sri Lanka

A familiar storm gathers Sri Lanka’s inflation reached 8% in September 2026, above the Central Bank’s 3–7% target band for a third straight month,

Women’s Role in Peacekeeping Stalls Worldwide

Editor's Choice/Geopolitics

More than 25 years after the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, women’s representation in multilateral peace operations

The War Beneath the War

September 18, 2026

Columns/Geopolitics

The war between Iran and a US-Israeli-led coalition, which began on 28 February 2026 with strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities and the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,

Obedience Disguised as Anger

December 19, 2025

Columns/Human Rights

Across the world today, youth energy is being squandered — not for lack of ideals, but for lack of direction. Instead of confronting entrenched injustice, too many young voices are being recruited