Resources

ICNL provides up-to-date, freely accessible information about issues shaping the legal environment for civil society, philanthropy, and public participation. To facilitate knowledge sharing in this dynamic field, we maintain a large and diverse collection of resources. Our international staff and network of experts produce innovative research and legal analysis. Additionally, we curate collections of the best resources available on issues affecting civic space worldwide. We publish reports and data on topics relevant to civil society, from our U.S. Protest Law Tracker to our Civic Freedom Monitor. We invite you to explore our full collection of resources below.

All Resources

The Many Problems with Anti-Rioting Laws

Freedom of Peaceful Assembly photo credit Chris Huggins via Flicker https://www.icnl.org/wp-content/uploads/riot-police-686x476.jpg
This ICNL briefer covering the problems with anti-rioting laws including allowing the government to bring ... Read More

Online Gender-Based Violence in the Indo-Pacific

Online harassment, photo credit Andrew Neel via Unsplash
This ICNL analysis discusses on online gender-based violence and it's impact on women human rights ... Read More

A Second Restrictive Foreign Agents Law Introduced In Georgia

Tbilisi, Georgia. Photo credit Kent Tupas on Unsplash
March 2023 - a group of parliamentarians introduced a draft law of Georgia on transparency ... Read More

Collaborative Governance in Taiwan’s Covid-19 Pandemic Response

Taiwan Covid-19 Response; photo credit Veseh via flic.kr
This briefer examines how new types of technology used by the government to surveil protests ... Read More

U.N. Counterterrorism Negotiations Begin with Big Questions Unanswered

United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism, Photo by Mathias Reding on Unsplash (yfXhqAW5X0c)
This Just Security article, co-authored by ICNL Senior Legal Advisor Nicholas Miller, unpacks the UN ... Read More

Draft Law of Georgia on Transparency of Foreign Influence

draft law of Georgia on transparency of foreign influence photo credit Amanda Anderson - Concert Hall & Presidential Palace Tbilisi Georgia
Based on requests from local partners, ICNL and ECNL conducted a comparative analysis of the ... Read More

Resource Collections

Civic Freedom Monitor Cover Image

Civic Freedom Monitor

The Civic Freedom Monitor provides up-to-date information on civil society law in more than fifty countries and eight multilateral organizations. ICNL works alongside our global network of partners to monitor developments related to civic space.

ICNL's U.S. Protest Law Tracker - landing page button

U.S. Protest Law Tracker

Since November 2016, thirty-five states have considered one hundred bills that would restrict the right to protest. The U.S. Protest Law Tracker follows initiatives at state and federal levels that restrict the right to protest and freedom of assembly.

COVID-19 Civic Freedom Tracker

COVID-19 Civic Freedom Tracker

The coronavirus is a significant threat to public health but it does not need to be a significant threat to civic freedom. The ICNL-ECNL COVID-19 Civic Freedom Tracker monitors government responses to the pandemic that affects civic freedoms and human rights, focusing on emergency laws.

ICNL's Philanthropy Law Reports - landing page button

Philanthropy Law Reports

These reports provide in-depth information on nine countries, including China, Ethiopia, and India. They serve as practical guides for the philanthropic sector and larger nonprofit world. The reports were written by local experts and ICNL staff and were made possible by the generous support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

ICNL's Digital Legal Library - landing page button

Digital Legal Library

This database of key materials includes domestic and international laws, reports, treaties, and court decisions affecting civil society. It houses nearly 4,000 documents from 200 countries and several autonomous territories, written in more than 60 languages.

Civic Space 2040 Cover Image

Civic Space 2040

How can we proactively shape the trends transforming our future? How can we protect and expand civic space in the process? The Civic Space 2040 initiative helps answer these questions by crafting a positive vision for the future and strategies to make it a reality.

ICNL's Global Grantmaking Country Notes: A guide produced for the Council on Foundations for U.S. international grantmakers.

Global Grantmaking Country Notes

In partnership with the Council on Foundations, ICNL maintains reports on thirty-four countries that help U.S grantmakers undertake equivalency determinations for foreign grantees. The reports in this series describe the legal frameworks for nonprofit organizations and provide translations of relevant legislative provisions.

Civil Society Sustainability Index

Civil Society Organization Sustainability Index

The index, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development for twenty years, documents the development of civil society in seventy-one countries of Asia, Europe, Eurasia, Africa, North Africa, and the Middle East. ICNL and FHI 360 work with local partners to produce the index annually.