Freedom of Association

“We human beings want to get together with others, live together, eat together, laugh together, cry together, play music together, dance together, work together, and act collectively to improve our lives.”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the ICNL Global Forum

The right to freedom of association protects our right to form or join groups without external interference. This right ensures that people can join together and act collectively – whether to influence public policy, practice a religious faith, bargain for better working conditions, pursue shared interests, or anything else.

ICNL works with local organizations, governments, and the international community to promote this right and build environments in which people can collaborate to improve their lives. This page showcases some of our work on this subject and key resources related to the right.

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Access to Resources

The ability to seek, receive and use resources is an inherent part of the right to freedom of association. This includes human, material and financial resources, whether from domestic, foreign, or international sources.

The Right to Access to Financial Resources

Seminal 2013 report from the UN special rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association which discusses the international legal framework governing civil society’s ability to access financial resources. The mandate also published a 2022 report on recent trends and challenges threatening civil society’s access to financial resources.

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Recent ICNL Work

• 7 Things to Know About Thailand’s Proposed Act on Associations and Foundations: Analysis of a proposed law that could lead to intrusive reporting requirements for foreign funding (2024)

• The Regulation of Foreign Funding of Nonprofits in a Democracy: this piece proposes a framework for how democracies should approach the regulation of cross-border funding for nonprofits, with five key principles to shape such regulation (2024)

• Uzbekistan’s Regulation on Receipt and Reporting on Foreign Funds by NNOs: Overview of a new law that requires non-governmental non-commercial organizations to register foreign grants (2023).

More resources

▷ General principles & guidelines on ensuring CSOs' access to resources: practical recommendations from the UN special rapporteur (2023)

▷ Global Grantmaking Country Notes: reports on 34 countries, describing legal frameworks for CSOs (ICNL & Council on Foundations)

▷ Philanthropy Law Reports: in-depth information on 9 countries, providing practical information for the philanthropic sector and the nonprofit world.

▷ Cross-border funding resource page (ICNL)

▷ Domestic fundraising resource page (ICNL)

Foreign Influence Laws

Governments worldwide are increasingly adopting laws that create foreign influence registries, frequently in the name of transparency. However, these laws are often written with overbroad and vague provisions, which are then used by governments to stigmatize or criminalize civil society – particularly organizations which receive funding from abroad.

Foreign Influence Registration Laws & Civil Society: An Analysis & Responses

Global survey of foreign influence registration laws which compares over 30 proposed or enacted bills and their potential impact on civil society. Also includes substantive arguments against overbroad foreign influence registration laws and potential response strategies.

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Georgia's Foreign Influence Law

In 2024, Georgia enacted a new law which requires CSOs and media organizations to register as “implementing organizations of foreign power interests” if they receive certain amounts of foreign funding. Read our overview of the law here.

See also our analysis of the law’s implementing regulation, an overview of the implications of the law for civil society, and our assessment of amendments made to the law in October 2024.

Protecting assembly & association rights from stigmatization

In this 2024 report, the UN special rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association highlights the harmful impact of stigmatizing rhetoric targeting civil society – including narratives around “foreign influence.”

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Freedom of Association Online

The internet is both a tool and a space for exercising freedom of association. While the digital age has created new opportunities, it has also brought new challenges. ICNL works with our partners to understand and address the challenges and opportunities facing freedom of association online.

Freedom of Association in the Digital Age

In this 2019 report, the United Nations special rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association discusses the opportunities and challenges of the digital age.

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Enhancing Digital Civic Space Through the OGP Process

This guide offers a checklist of principles to consult before embarking on digital policy initiatives, recommendations for Open Government Partnership (OGP) commitments, and examples of positive practices that OGP members are already undertaking. Governments and civil society actors alike can draw on this resource to co-create enabling digital reforms.

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More resources

▷ Protecting & Promoting Digital Rights in Africa: A Toolkit for National Human Rights Institutions (ICNL)

▷ Technology & civic space resource page (ICNL)

▷ Trends in Digital Laws in Asia and the Pacific (ICNL)

▷ Bangladesh’s Cyber Security Act: A Guide for Civil Society, Media and the Public

Other Useful Resources

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Guidelines & Best Practices

• ACHPR Guidelines on Freedom of Association & Assembly in Africa

• OSCE Guidelines on Freedom of Association

• IAJC Principles on Creation, Operation, Financing, and Dissolution of Civil Society Organizations

• UN Special Rapporteur: Best Practices in Promoting the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly & Association

• UN Special Rapporteur: Safeguarding Freedom of Assembly & Association during a Public Health Crisis

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Tools

• ICNL’s Civic Freedom Monitor: up-to-date information on legal issues affecting civil society in 50+ countries.

• ICNL’s Digital Legal Library: a collection of nearly 4,000 laws, reports, and other legal resources from more than 200 countries and territories, written in more than 60 languages.

For Litigators

Check out FOAA Online, an ICNL resource that provides easily accessible legal arguments for lawyers, activists, and judges to use to protect and promote association and peaceful assembly rights. Arguments are organized by theme and focus on common restrictions on FOAA rights around the world.

Core Legal Instruments

The following international and regional legal instruments help define the right to freedom of association under international law.

United Nations

• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Art. 22)

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Art. 20)

• Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (Art. 5)

Regional

• African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Art. 10)

• American Convention on Human Rights (Art. 16)

• Arab Charter on Human Rights (Art. 24)

• ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (Art. 17 and 32)

• European Convention on Human Rights (Art. 11)

RELEVANT SOURCES OF LAW ON ARTICLE 22 ICCPR: FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION

Since 2023, ICNL and ECNL have been advocating for the UN Human Rights Committee to develop a General Comment on the right to freedom of association – the only core civic freedom for which they have not provided authoritative guidance. As part of these efforts, ICNL and ECNL developed this report summarizing UN sources of law on association rights.

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All Freedom of Association Resources

Explore our full resource collection, which includes reports, legal analysis, and curated collections of materials covering an array of issues impacting civic space around the world.