“Solidarity is often dismissed as naïve in a world obsessed with “hard power”. But nothing I see suggests this. Solidarity is not soft. It is not passive. And it is not simplistic. It is one of the hardest tools we have, because it requires courage, imagination, discipline, and the willingness to see beyond our own borders and fears.”
– “Solidarity in a world that won’t sit still” by Mercè Monje Cano, UNPO SG
In a moment when misinformation too often replaces the lived realities of communities, when journalists are silenced, and when polarisation hardens public debate, UNPO continues to rethink how to open space for members’ voices to be heard clearly, safely, and with dignity.
One of the initiatives launching the year is UNPO’s new magazine, Peoples Represented. Written by journalists from UNPO communities and developed in collaboration with the UNPO Secretariat and First Draft Media, the magazine aims to strengthen community-led storytelling, elevate underreported human rights and self-determination issues, and connect local experiences to the wider forces shaping them—from repression and discrimination to climate, civic space, and cultural survival.
Peoples Represented was born from a simple but urgent need: to break the silence imposed on unrepresented Peoples. Too often, their realities are absent from global media or filtered through external narratives. This magazine challenges that imbalance by putting the pen directly in the hands of local journalists and community voices. Each month, Peoples Represented will explore a central theme through original, high-quality reporting and analysis from communities around the world, showing how shared challenges echo across contexts, and how different histories shape similar struggles in distinct ways. It is a space to showcase perspectives that rarely reach international audiences, share lessons across movements and stories of resilience, and connect local struggles to global dynamics. By listening to each other’s experiences, communities do not stand alone, they stand together, with greater clarity, courage, and collective impact.
For our inaugural issue, we chose the theme: Solidarity.
In today’s global context—marked by shrinking civic space, conflict, and widening inequality, solidarity matters more than ever. For unrepresented Peoples, solidarity is not an abstract ideal; it is a source of strength and a means of resistance. This month’s edition, featuring articles by journalists from Khmer Krom, Catalonia, and Acheh, alongside an editorial by the UNPO Secretary General, brings together stories of resilience and reflections on the true meaning of solidarity. It showcases diverse perspectives on issues ranging from the preservation of identity and community resilience in the face of the climate crisis to the defense of democratic space.
“The Khmer-Krom story is one of quiet resilience. In every temple where a Buddhist monk teaches the Khmer script, and in every child who learns to write their name in their ancestral language, lives the strength of a people refusing to disappear.”
– “Guardians of the Mother Tongue: How Khmer-Krom Buddhist Monks Keep Their Language Alive” by the Kampuchea Krom Federation (KKF)
We extend our sincere thanks to the journalists and contributors who made this first issue possible, and to everyone who helped bring this project to life.
UNPO invites journalists and writers from unrepresented and unheard communities to reach out and join this shared adventure, and for our supporters to read and subscribe to Peoples Represented to receive future issues and continue discovering stories from unrepresented Peoples worldwide. Subscribing to Peoples Represented not only keeps you informed, it directly supports community-led journalism and the voices behind it.
We hope our supporters, subscribers and readers enjoy reading Peoples Represented as much as we valued bringing it to life.
