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

Shaping of Bangladesh’s Third Sector – Laws and Policies

Shaping of Bangladesh's Third Sector - Laws and Policies
USAID’s Promoting Advocacy and Rights (PAR), along with partners Counterpart International and ICNL, hosted a ... Read More

COVID-19, Counterterrorism, and Emergency Law

COVID-19, Counterterrorism, and Emergency Law
This report, from the UNSR, seeks to address the most common ways in which counter-terrorism ... Read More

Analysis of the Kyrgyz Republic Draft Law on Foreign Representatives

Ala Too Square Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic, on a very sunny, cloudless day. There are fountains and a large Kyrgyz flag on a tall flagpole billowing. (Photo: Emil Akhmatbekov)
The draft law on foreign representatives, initiated on November 21, 2022, would establish new burdensome ... Read More

Case Study: Public Input in Indian Coal Mines

Jharia coalfield, Jharkhand photo credit Wikimedia Commons, taken from https://www.icnl.org/wp-content/uploads/coal-mines-686x476.png
This report examines the current environmental regulatory system around mines in India, and identifies opportunities ... Read More

Moving Beyond COVID-19 Restrictions in Southeast Asia

person in a white suit, photo credit Xiangkun ZHU, taken from https://www.icnl.org/wp-content/uploads/xiangkun-zhu-QtEPKaES3Nk-unsplash-686x476.jpg
The Asia Centre policy briefs Moving Beyond COVID-19 Restrictions in Southeast Asia: Pushing Back Against Authoritarian ... Read More

ACHPR Guidelines for States of Emergency

Africa on the globe, photo credit James Wiseman, taken from https://www.icnl.org/wp-content/uploads/james-wiseman-vYGR3b_naPA-unsplash-686x476.jpg
This report examines the current environmental regulatory system in India, and identifies opportunities and challenges ... 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.