The Egyptian government has a range of laws to target dissent, and authorities have not hesitated to use them. When preparing for activities around COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh or elsewhere in Egypt, individuals and organizations should be aware that it is nearly impossible to participate in advocacy activities perceived as contrary to the government’s interests without risking severe criminal consequences. This explainer covers these laws.

This report by ICNL partner SEEDS for Legal Initiatives provides an overview of AML/CFT and NPO regulations in Lebanon, FATF Recommendation 8, and best practices for countries and NPOs to implement to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism while maintaining association rights. Available in Arabic and English.

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 an interview with Ms. Mai Elimat, who contributed to the fourth and fifth National Action Plans for the Open Government Partnership (OGP) initiative in Jordan 2018-2020 with the Jordanian Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, she discussed the OGP mechanism and how women-led associations can benefit from these commitments and use them as a tool to push for government reform.