This report (A/HRC/27/33) summarizes a March 11, 2014, panel discussion convened by the UN Human Rights Council on the importance of the promotion and protection of civil society space.

This 2014 Amnesty International report documents the shrinking of political space in Burundi in the build-up to the 2015 presidential, legislative and communal elections.

This ICNL country note reviews federal regulation of assemblies in Germany, covering legal definitions, notification procedures, eligibility requirements for the organizers and leaders of the assembly as well as their rights and obligations.

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.

This set of “general principles,” issued by UN Special Rapporteur Kiai and the Community of Democracies, summarizes key aspects of civil society’s right to seek, receive and use resources.

Beginning on February 12, 2014, thousands of people across Venezuela participated in marches and public demonstrations to protest the policies of the government of President Nicolás Maduro.

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.

The Internet has radically transformed the way we access information and communicate – creating new opportunities for strengthening democracy.

In recent years many governments have responded to people’s assertions of peaceful dissent by violently clamping down on peaceful protests and other forms of assembly, unduly restricting the ability of associations to form and operate, and physically assaulting civil society actors.

As a concept, “inclusive development” permeates all of the commitments made in the Busan Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation document (BPa).