Insights

As I reflect on a week spent in Norway, I think about the numerous powerful keynote speeches, interesting (and even sometimes heated) panels, my personal interactions with Young Experts and More Young Voices, and side event visits.

What do young people need? After six days of listening, sharing, grieving, and laughing at the World Expression Forum, I think I’m beginning to understand. I recently participated in the World Expression Forum (WEXFO) from May 30 – June 4, 2025, held in both Utøya and Lillehammer, thanks to a nomination from Awareness 360 — a youth-led NGO committed to empowering young people to support and uplift their communities.

Tomasz Wnęk is one of many young leaders bringing youth perspective to WEXFO 2025. The rising political voice from Poland, is one of the participants in the WEXFO More Young Voices seminar. 

On March 22, 2024, Dr. Mahrang Baloch, a 32-year-old prominent female human rights defender, was arrested in Quetta, the capital of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. Her only “crime”? Speaking out against human rights violations, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and the systematic economic exploitation of the region, which is rich in mineral resources but remains the poorest in Pakistan.

American author and counter-disinformation expert Nina Jankowicz calls the situation in the US “extremely concerning” as she prepares to share her insights at the World Expression Forum (WEXFO) in Lillehammer in June.

For me, human rights activism is not a hobby but a profound responsibility.

Do Africans truly desire liberal democracy or is it just an imposition of rich, highly-industrialised Western governments?

The liberal democracies in the EU area have been weakened over the past 10-15 years. This likely includes the influence of editorial media. Is there a connection?

Adele Matheson Mestad, Director at the Norwegian Human Rights Institution, was one of the contributors to an important discussion at WEXFO 2024: Is AI a threat or a tool for freedom of expression?

Troubling signs are emerging: Democracies are backsliding, conflicts are intensifying hate speech and misinformation, and artificial intelligence (AI) presents both opportunities and threats to free speech.