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.

In this letter to the Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General on Post 2015 Development Planning, the Civic Space Initiative (CSI) partners express our concern that there is no explicit recognition of an “enabling environment for civil society” in the Open Working Group’s proposal on Sustainable Development Goals and urging that the UN Secretary General’s synthesis report highlights this issue.

The newest draft NGO law issued in late June by Egypt’s Ministry of Social Solidarity would severely restrict civil society.

One of the most common ways that countries restrict assemblies is to enact laws that require organizers and participants to receive permission from the government authorities in advance of holding the assembly.

The Mail & Guardian article by Jane Duncan describes how local authorities in South Africa manipulate the Regulation of Gatherings Act, which makes it difficult for protesters to assemble lawfully.

This 2013 analysis of the Kyrgyz Republic’s Law on State Procurement of Social Services (Law on SPSS) also includes best practices in the state procurement of social services and recommendations for improving the SPSS system in the Kyrgyz Republic.

In this submission, ICNL and our partners in the Civic Space Initiative (CSI) urged the High Level Panel to prioritize an “enabling environment” for civil society in the post 2015 development agenda with due focus on governance and legal frameworks.

Turkey’s rapid economic growth has earned it a place among the world’s leading emerging markets.

On June 29, a group of seven deputies submitted to the Russian Duma the draft law Introducing Amendments to Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation in Part Regulating  Activities of Non-commercial Organizations, which Carry Functions of Foreign Agents (hereinafter referred to as “the draft law”).

In 2011, armed personnel of the Egyptian government detained employees and seized documents and computers from several NGOs.