From Georgia to Nicaragua, governments are increasingly enacting “foreign agent” laws under the guise of protecting national interests, but in reality, these laws stifle dissent, restrict civil society, and undermine democratic freedoms. In her role as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association, Gina Romero reviews these laws and compares past and present legislation that regulates civic space. She sees a law originally passed in Guatemala decades ago that criminalizes “the advance of communism” as analogous to the current foreign agent laws sweeping parts of Eurasia today.

“We have the same challenges that we had before, and now we have more polarization,” Romero explains. She believes the way forward lies in adapting solutions to meet evolving challenges. “The way those challenges are tackled now needs to be different because this is a different generation facing different actors,” she says. Addressing these issues requires innovative strategies, cross-generational collaboration, and global solidarity.

Romero brings a rich history of experience to her role as UNSR. After working in local government in Colombia, she shifted her focus to democracy building, immersing herself in Colombian civil society. Her participation in the World Movement for Democracy’s 2006 Global Assembly in Turkey became a turning point in her career. At this gathering, Latin American civil society leaders identified a need for a regional network of democracy activists. Romero played a key role in co-founding and later becoming the executive director of the Latin American and Caribbean Network for Democracy (REDLAD), officially launched in Panama City in 2008.

Romero credits the World Movement for Democracy with broadening her perspective beyond the realities of Colombia and Latin America. “The World Movement gave me a sense of what was happening outside of my region of the world, by hearing the voices of the protagonists,” she said. “As a young activist, it had a profound impact on me. It opened the door to a vast community of actors, ideas, and challenges from different regions, giving me a deeper understanding of global struggles and solutions.” This experience, she added, shaped her learning and underscored the importance of building networks and working with others to advance democracy.

As a member of the World Movement’s Steering Committee from 2018 to 2022, Romero experienced firsthand the convening power of the Global Assemblies, which connect democracy advocates across generations. “I think that is the role of the World Movement—getting that power connected,” she said. The Assemblies reinforced her belief that “things can be done differently,” inspiring innovative approaches to address ongoing challenges in civic space.

Romero’s commitment to innovation has remained constant throughout her career. Whether through her leadership at REDLAD or her current role at the United Nations, she continues to explore new strategies for tackling restrictions on civil society and strengthening democratic freedoms globally. For Romero, the work of connecting past and present generations of democracy advocates through platforms like the World Movement remains essential to building solutions for the challenges ahead.