From Freedom Square in Tunisia to Tahrir Square in Egypt, from Clock Square in Homs to Pearl Square in Bahrain, from Martyrs Square in Beirut to all the Arab capitals, demonstrations and protests have taken place calling for change, bread, freedom, and social justice. Many women participated in and lead these demonstrations, exercising their right to peaceful assembly. However, many were also subjected to repression, persecution, and violence.

In June 2022, ICNL, EarthRights International, DefendDefenders, and the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Association and Assembly co-hosted a side event at Stockholm+50, entitled “Resistance and Resilience: Enhancing civic space for women and girls in climate activism.” The event featured women speakers from five continents and six countries. They discussed their diverse experiences with the challenges facing women environmental defenders.

ICNL has been providing technical assistance in partnership with local civil society organizations on draft non-profit organization (NPO) laws proposed by the Mongolian government. Our civil society partner Globe International Center (GIC), developed and disseminated an animated video that explains ICNL analyses on the draft NPO bills.

Laws restricting demonstrations, boycotts, and other modes of activism are increasingly reducing the space for civic mobilization in the United States. To learn more about this problem check out this op-ed in the LA Times by ICNL’s Nick Robinson.

On April 8, 2022, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court of India issued its judgment in Noel Harper v. Union of India, addressing the constitutionality of the 2020 amendments to Sections 7, 12A, 12(1A), and 17(1) of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).

This handbook aims to strengthen the capacity of paralegals and others working to protect and promote an enabling environment for civil society in Uganda.

The immediacy of the climate crisis cannot be overstated, and an energy transition is both critical and overdue. However, the urgency to switch to renewable technologies cannot bypass civil society and grassroots actors. Renewable technologies have their own environmental and social impacts, which require input from civil society to lessen potential harm. Likewise, the transition itself may pose risks and be less likely to succeed if it excludes civil society and grassroots actors.

In a forthcoming article in Minnesota Law Review, ICNL’s Nick Robinson argues that U.S. jurisdictions should eliminate anti-rioting laws, both to better protect demonstrators and because anti-rioting laws are fundamentally unnecessary.

In this piece for the Global Center for CSO Accountability, ICNL Legal Advisor Nikhil Dutta explains how deploying the OECD DAC recommendation can expand civic space and empower civil society in partner countries and territories.

In this article, Tamara Teebi explains the complex challenges facing women’s organizations and activists in Palestine. Women human rights defenders and women-led civil society organizations are subjected to harassment, restrictions, and violations, both online and offline, that limit their right to the freedom of peaceful assembly and association. This systematic repression makes their work difficult and excludes women from public life.