The Passing of Muatar Saidmuradovna Khaidarova

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Muatar Saidmuradovna Khaidarova on December 20, 2021. Muatar helped pioneer ICNL’s work in Central Asia, becoming one of the foremost civil society law experts in the region. Muatar was universally respected not only for her expertise, but also for her kindness, generosity, determination, and willingness to share her knowledge with others.

Reform Initiatives to Protect Activists from Abusive Litigation

This ICNL briefer outlines SLAPPs related projects, activities, and impacts and presents a pathway forward for protecting civil society from abusive legislation.

What Happens to Civic Space After COVID?

In early 2020, as COVID began to spread globally, ICNL recognized the repercussions of states’ emergency responses on fundamental freedoms and civil society. To address this, ICNL partnered with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) to convene a high-level meeting in May 2021 on protecting civic space and ending unnecessary emergency measures.

Navigating COVID in Kyrgyzstan

COVID hit Kyrgyzstan hard, overwhelming an already fragile healthcare system. In the face of these challenges, Elim Barsynby, a charitable foundation in Bishkek, assembled a large-scale volunteer movement to support the local community. With ICNL’s assistance, the organization was able to streamline its ability to receive aid by working through the medical supply distribution process and the bottlenecks of import and customs documentation.

Comparative Overview of CSO Reporting Requirements in Eurasia

This ICNL comparative overview of various Eurasian countries presents international standards and comparative international practices on CSO reporting.

Good Governance and Civic Space

Understanding the essence and practical value of human rights helps citizens enjoy and assert their rights when these rights are violated and better manage their lives by efficiently addressing personal problems and achieving public benefit goals. This sourcebook contains key materials on human rights supporting civic space, good governance, and equality between women and men.

Natural Resources Governance in the Philippines

Bantay Kita, an organization in the Philippines, has been a leader in developing inputs on civic space for submission as part of EITI validation. In this report, provided to the EITI Secretariat during the Philippines’ 2020 validation, Bantay Kita draws on EITI guidance and extensive field research to describe how restrictions on civic freedoms have undermined civil society engagement in the EITI process.

Bulgaria

Toolkit: Promoting Internet Freedoms in Southeast Asia

To empower parliamentarians (MPs) to advocate for internet freedoms, APHR & ICNL presents this Toolkit for Parliamentarians: Promoting Internet Freedoms in Southeast Asia.

ECNL: International Standards Protecting the Climate and its Defenders

This guide, created by ECNL, explores the key standards that protect climate activists’ civic freedoms.  It maps out the standards that protect their rights to association, peaceful assembly, expression, and participation; the types of restrictions that impact environmental defenders; and the mechanisms that can enforce their rights and freedoms.

Fixing the FARA Mess

The Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) needs to be fixed. This Just Security article reviews the strengths and discusses potential options for improvements.

The Triple Threat to Civil Society in India

This working paper, by Ingrid Srinath, the Director of the Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy at Ashoka University, examines the origins and growing strength of forces ranged against civil society in India, and points toward the actions necessary to confront them – including reforming regulatory frameworks, anachronistic laws, and improving participatory governance.

Resilience in Southeast Asia

Authored by ICNL consultant Kirana Anjani, this briefer dives deep into the challenges faced by civil society in Southeast Asia as a result of authoritarian COVID-19 policies adopted by many governments in the region, to the detriment of civic space and effective COVID-19 response. Drawing from data in the ICNL-ECNL Covid-19 Civic Freedoms Tracker, the briefer examines examples of rampant digital surveillance by governments, lack of transparency and access with respect to critical public health information, and attacks on both community COVID-19 initiatives and medical frontline workers.

A Pandemic of Silence

Written by ICNL consultant Meghna Sharma, this briefer examines how authoritarian COVID-19 policies in the Indo-Pacific region have affected civil society's freedom of expression in Asia. Drawing from the ICNL-ECNL Covid-19 Civic Freedoms Tracker, the briefer examines various repressive measures, including censorship of speech through criminalization measures, harassment in the name of targeting ‘fake news,’ cyber-attacks, and other methods used to suppress the free expression of civil society actors.

Extractive Industries and Civic Space

In January and February 2022, ICNL worked with NRGI, PWYP, Oxfam USA, and the Institute of Development Studies to convene a diverse group of partners from civil society, academia, and multilateral institutions to explore strategies and approaches for promoting natural resource governance (NRG) and expanding civic space in politically hostile environments. The meetings focused on rethinking goals and approaches to advancing NRG in restricted environments, addressing new strategies and approaches to defending and expanding civic space for NRG activists, and implications for just energy transitions.

Stopping the Over-Penalization of Civil Disobedience at Protests in the U.S.

In an article in Cornell Law Review, ICNL’s Nick Robinson and Elly Page argue for more robust constitutional protection for civil disobedience at demonstrations. 

Thailand Computer Crime Act

This Asia Centre policy paper recommends that the Thai government review and amend rights-infringing section of the Cyber Crime Act.

Georgia

Middle East & North African Program

U.S. Current Trend: Protest Rights Accountability and Reform

Following a swell of racial justice protests that have taken to the streets, politically charged bills are being introduced across the United States which give immunity to drivers who injure protestors.

Expanding Civic Space in DAC Partner Countries

In this piece for the Global Center for CSO Accountability, ICNL Legal Advisor Nikhil Dutta explains how deploying the OECD DAC recommendation can expand civic space and empower civil society in partner countries and territories.

Freedom of Association and India’s FCRA

On April 8, 2022, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court of India issued its judgment in Noel Harper v. Union of India, addressing the constitutionality of the 2020 amendments to Sections 7, 12A, 12(1A), and 17(1) of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).

AML/CTF Regulations in Lebanon

This report by ICNL partner SEEDS for Legal Initiatives provides an overview of AML/CFT and NPO regulations in Lebanon, FATF Recommendation 8, and best practices for countries and NPOs to implement to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism while maintaining association rights. Available in Arabic and English.

COP27: Obstacles to Advocacy in Egypt

The Egyptian government has a range of laws to target dissent, and authorities have not hesitated to use them. When preparing for activities around COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh or elsewhere in Egypt, individuals and organizations should be aware that it is nearly impossible to participate in advocacy activities perceived as contrary to the government’s interests without risking severe criminal consequences. This explainer covers these laws.