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Engaging Citizens and Civil Society to Promote Good Governance and Development Effectiveness

A brief published by the Asian Development Bank in 2015 on the growing movement for governments to engage with citizens and civil society and how that affects good governance and development effectiveness.

Principles for Governing the Internet

This 2015 UNSECO study provides a comprehensive overview of the core documents about Internet Governance principles developed and adopted by various stakeholders.

Improving the Measurement of Civic Space

This 2015 report by the Transparency and Accountability Initiative aims to inform the development of a global index of civic space that will enable concerned actors to be more effective in supporting and advocating for the protection and enablement of civic space.

Global Review on Volunteering Report

This report by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies shows the environments and contexts within which volunteering is practiced are rapidly changing and how these changes are impacting volunteerism.

UN Special Rapporteur’s Report on Assembly and Association Rights in the Context of Natural Resource Exploitation

In this report (A/HRC/29/25), Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai examines the role that the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association play in opening space for genuine and effective participation across the spectrum of natural resource exploitation activities.

International and Comparative Law Analysis of the Right to and Restrictions on Foreign Funding of Non-Governmental Organizations

This paper by the American Bar Association Center for Human Rights explores the legal framework for cross-border funding as a protected right at international, regional, and national levels.

Forum Discussion Paper: Documenting the Contribution of Volunteering to the SDGs

This paper, published by the International Forum for Volunteering in Development, discusses options for documenting and showcasing the collective contributions of a diverse community of volunteers to sustainable development, in the context of the adoption by the United Nations of the universal Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in September 2015.

Best Practices for Combating the Abuse of NPOs (FATF Recommendation 8)

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Best Practices Paper on Combating the Abuse of Non-Profit Organizations was first written in 2002 at a time when the FATF had just introduced standards to address specific terrorist financing vulnerabilities and threats in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

CIVICUS State of Civil Society Report 2015

This report from CIVICUS details the key events, issues, and trends affecting civil society around the world. The 2015 report provides snapshots from people’s demonstrations in Brazil, Burkina Faso, Hong Kong, Mexico and Ukraine in 2014 -2015 and also reviews outcomes of the earlier waves of protests around the globe.

Report of the Study Group on Freedom of Association & Assembly in Africa

On April 25 in Banjul, The Gambia, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) officially launched a landmark report on freedom of association and assembly in Africa.

The Hudson Institute’s Index of Philanthropic Freedom

The Hudson Institute's Index of Philanthropic Freedom assesses the level of philanthropic freedom around the world and provides recommendations for policymakers. 

Why Governments Target Civil Society and What Can Be Done in Response

Chief among the current challenges facing the global human rights community (and broader civil society) is a contagion growing in intensity described best as the closing space around civil society.

USAID Guidance on Programming in Closed Spaces

This document was issued by USAID in response to a closing civil society space in order to give guidance on balancing a democratic commitment to transparency and the imperative to protect the security of implementing partners and beneficiaries.

The International Anti-Terrorist Financing System’s Negative Effect on Civil Society Resources

This article by Kay Guinane of the Charity & Security Network explains how the Financial Action Task Force has contributed to the global trend of restrictions on civil society.

Legal Regulation of Economic Activities of Civil Society Organizations

Almost all European countries allow CSOs to directly engage in economic activities without requiring them to create commercial entities for that purpose up to a certain level of income.

Comparative Overview of Legislation in the Central Asian Republics

This 2015 ICNL report examines the legal regulation of NGOs in Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. 

The Politics of Protest

This 2015 policy paper by Daniel Smilov analyzes popular sovereignty and protests in Bulgaria, Russia, Spain, Turkey and Ukraine, along with 10 major policy implications of these protests.

Joint Statement of the Chairpersons of the United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies on the Post-2015 Development Agenda

This joint statement urges Member States to recognize, inter alia, that “the inclusion of civil and political rights is a significant step towards a balanced and transformative agenda that addresses freedom from fear along with freedom from want.

Freedom of Assembly in Burundi

Despite clear protections in the Constitution, the fundamental right to freedom of peaceful assembly in Burundi is framed by a very restrictive law enacted on December 5, 2013: The law on assemblies and public demonstrations.

Voices in the Streets

This report from Freedom House analyzes instances of mass social protests in 12 countries in order to identify best practices in promoting and protecting the right to peaceful assembly.

Joint OSCE/ODIHR and Venice Commission Guidelines on Freedom of Association

These Guidelines, published in 2015, aim to ensure that legislation is drafted with the purpose of promoting the establishment and existence of associations, enabling their operation and facilitating their aims and activities.