Public Participation
Participation in public affairs is an essential right that ensures people can work with their governments to effectively solve problems and improve their communities. Unfortunately, in many countries trust is lacking and opportunities to engage in government decision-making are absent.
To address this, ICNL works with partners around the world to develop and reform laws and policies so that they provide greater civil society participation at the national, regional, and local levels.
Recent ICNL Work
Multilateral Engagement Strategies to Strengthen Civic Space
This briefer helps civil society develop strategies for engaging more effectively with multilateral institutions. It was developed after ICNL convened two peer exchanges exploring the subject in 2025.
Read the report
Enhancing Digital Civic Space Through the OGP Process
This ICNL guide helps states enact digital policies that enhance civic space, empowering citizens to contribute to more accountable, responsive, democratic governance.
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Environmental Decision-Making in India
As India prepares for accelerated growth around industrial expansion and resource extraction, public input is crucial to minimize social conflict and ecological impact. This report examines mechanisms for public participation as well as their barriers and limitations.
Read the reportOther Useful Resources
Guidelines & Best Practices
• UN Guidelines on the Right to Participate in Public Affairs (OHCHR, 2018).
• Council of Europe Guidelines for Civil Participation in Political Decision-Making (2017).
• Open Government Partnership Participation and Co-Creation Standards (2021).
• OECD Guidelines for Citizen Participation Processes (2022).
Tools
• ICNL’s Civic Freedom Monitor: up-to-date information on legal issues affecting civil society in 50+ countries, including analysis of public participation frameworks.
• ICNL’s Digital Legal Library: our collection of nearly 4,000 laws, reports, and other legal resources from more than 200 countries and territories. See here to filter for documents related to public participation.
• ECNL’s CSO Meter: Detailed assessments of the environment for civil society, including for public participation, in six Eastern Partnership countries in Europe.
Other Recent ICNL Work
• The Financial Action Task Force: A Toolkit for Non-Profit Organizations: Guidance for CSOs engaging in FATF’s Nonprofit Organization sector risk assessment process, which is used to evaluate vulnerabilities to terrorist financing and money laundering abuse. Our companion publication examines best practices for these assessments.
• Public Participation: Principles and Best Practice: This short explainer sets out the basics of public participation, from the international legal framework to various mechanisms that can be used to engage the public.
• The World According to ChatGPT: An overview at how generative AI systems might impact civic freedoms, including public participation.
Core Legal Instruments
The following international and regional legal instruments help define the right to public participation under international law.
United Nations
• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Art. 25)
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Art. 21)
• Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (Art. 8)
Regional
• African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Art. 13)
• American Convention on Human Rights (Art. 23)
• Arab Charter on Human Rights (Art. 24)
• ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (Art. 25)
General Comment 25
The UN Human Rights Committee’s General Comment No. 25 provides guidance on the rights to the right to participate in public affairs under Article 25 of the ICCPR.
Read the General CommentAll Public Participation Resources
Seven Things to Know About Mali’s Decree No. 2026-0152/PT-RM
Eight Things to Know About Argentina’s Draft Law on Transparency and Disclosure of Interest Management
Tunisia’s Implementation of FATF Recommendation No. 8 and Its Impact on Freedom of Association
Explore our full global resource collection, which includes reports, legal analysis, and curated collections of materials covering an array of issues impacting civic space around the world.
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