This year, the UN Human Rights Committee issued General Comment No. 37 to provide guidance on the right to peaceful assembly onland and online. ICNL, alongside ECNL, provided key assistance by acting as both a source of expertise and a link to civil society.

ICNL lead a coalition of groups working to protect the freedom of assembly in the US in response to a growth in government actions targeting demonstrators.

The legal environment for civil society organizations in Bangladesh is complex. After conducting a needs assessment, ICNL found that limited understanding of rights and obligations was a big issue for the sector. To address this, ICNL partnered with Counterpart International Inc. to develop a legal manual to help organizations carry out their missions more effectively.

In 2018, the Government of Nepal presented a draft National Integrity Policy. The policy, if adopted, would have restricted the functioning, operations, and activities of local and international civil society organizations.

Cybercrime laws, internet shutdowns, and social media taxes are a few tactics governments use to restrict fundamental freedoms online.

ICNL started the U.S. Protest Law Tracker in 2017 to monitor a wave of anti-protest legislation that undermines people’s freedom of assembly.

In October of 2017, months before Cambodia’s national elections, the government released a new rule requiring prior permission from any civil society or nonprofit organization wishing to hold a public event.

In October 2018, the Government of Jordan proposed restrictive amendments to their already draconian cybercrimes law.

In 2015, Peru introduced a requirement to renew the registration for organizations that received international funding.

The adoption of the new Organizations of Civil Societies Proclamation in February 2019 marked a major turning point for Ethiopia.