The Regulatory Regime Debilitating India’s Nonprofit Sector

Throughout the COVID pandemic, India's nonprofit sector filled crucial gaps by providing essential social services and humanitarian relief. And yet, the sector has been targeted by the government with onerous requirements at every turn, greatly hampering their work.

Enhancing the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938

On April 5, 2022, the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary's subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties held a hearing on enhancing the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938. ICNL Senior Legal Advisor Nick Robinson testified, highlighting these issues and outlining recommendations.

Localization and Civic Space

Localization—giving local partners more control and ownership of development initiatives—is a priority for the international development community. Local civil society organizations (CSOs) that can lead, design, and implement effective projects are indispensable to this agenda. This, in turn, is predicated on the existence of an enabling environment for civil society.

Reanimating Civil Society

This guide, created by Lifeline, is meant to support activists, civil society organizations, and social movements who want to explore tactics and strategies to respond to smear campaigns or negative stereotypes by creating new, positive narratives to counter them.

Protecting Nonviolent Demonstrators by Reforming Anti-Riot Laws in the U.S.

In a forthcoming article in Minnesota Law Review, ICNL’s Nick Robinson argues that U.S. jurisdictions should eliminate anti-rioting laws, both to better protect demonstrators and because anti-rioting laws are fundamentally unnecessary.

Promoting an Enabling Environment for Civil Society in Uganda

This handbook aims to strengthen the capacity of paralegals and others working to protect and promote an enabling environment for civil society in Uganda.

New Restrictions on Civic Mobilization in the United States

Laws restricting demonstrations, boycotts, and other modes of activism are increasingly reducing the space for civic mobilization in the United States. To learn more about this problem check out this op-ed in the LA Times by ICNL’s Nick Robinson.

Mongolia’s Draft NPO Laws

ICNL has been providing technical assistance in partnership with local civil society organizations on draft non-profit organization (NPO) laws proposed by the Mongolian government. Our civil society partner Globe International Center (GIC), developed and disseminated an animated video that explains ICNL analyses on the draft NPO bills.

Congressional Testimony: Protecting Americans’ Right to Peaceful Assembly

The U.S. has seen a rise in protests against the construction of gas and oil pipelines, driven by concerns about pipelines’ harm to the environment, indigenous land, and landowner rights. In response, fossil fuel interests have promoted new laws that limit and chill the First Amendment rights of individuals who protest near pipelines and other infrastructure sites. On September 14, 2022, ICNL Senior Legal Advisor Elly Page testified on these issues before the House Oversight Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.

U.S. Current Trend: New Threats to the Right to Boycott

Politically motivated boycotts have long been a tool for social change in the United States, from American colonists’ boycott of British tea to civil rights activists’ refusal to patronize segregated businesses in the Jim Crow South. Despite this proud tradition, Americans’ ability to use their consumer power to have their voices heard is under new threat after some states have penalized boycotts on positions with which they disagree.

Comment to US Government on its compliance with Article 21 of the ICCPR

This report examines the current environmental regulatory system in India, and identifies opportunities and challenges to meaningful public participation in environmental decision-making.

Growth of Digital Restrictions in India

This briefer focuses on surveillance and other digital threats to free expression in India, examining the proliferation of illegal surveillance in recent years and examples of the suppression of online free expression.

Keeping Guns Away from Protests

Firearms pose an urgent threat to the exercise of First Amendment rights of free expression and peaceful assembly in the United States. Armed individuals at protests can discourage people from voicing their beliefs and petitioning the government for change. ICNL works with US partners to strengthen people’s right to assemble peacefully, unimpeded by the presence of guns

EVENT: Ecosystems of Change in Civic Space

Please join us to discuss what INSPIRES consortium members, partners, and USAID have learned about the unexpected connections that make up the ecosystem of government and civil society behaviors.

Five Problems with Anti-Rioting Laws

This ICNL briefer covering the problems with anti-rioting laws including allowing the government to bring charges with extreme penalties against protesters, politicians, and other Americans engaged in protected First Amendment activity.

U.S. Current Trend: New Restrictions on Protests at Statehouses

Across the country, governors and lawmakers are using various tools to limit, punish, and deter demonstrations at state capitols.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Gambia

Ghana

Niger

Sierra Leone

Submission on an Enabling Environment for Civil Society To the UN High Level Panel on the Post 2015 Development Agenda

In this submission, ICNL and our partners in the Civic Space Initiative (CSI) urged the High Level Panel to prioritize an “enabling environment” for civil society in the post 2015 development agenda with due focus on governance and legal frameworks.

Tajikistan

16. The right to observe and record assemblies, including law enforcement operations