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).

This 2014 report from Article 19 gives an overview of implementation of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly in Brazil, with a focus on the lead-up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

This report to the Human Rights Council by Christof Heyns, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, discusses the protection of the right to life during law enforcement and makes the case for the need for a concerted effort to bring domestic laws on the use of (especially lethal) force by the police in line with the international standards.

After seeing its reach increase for decades, international support for democracy and human rights faces a serious challenge: more and more governments are erecting legal and logistical barriers to democracy and rights programs, publicly vilifying international aid groups and their local partners, and harassing such groups or expelling them altogether.

This report by the Task Team on Civil Society Development Effectiveness and Enabling Environment provides an overview of evidence of progress on commitments made at the Accra and Busan High Level Forums, as a qualitative contribution to the GPEDC’s monitoring exercise.

Cooperation between public authorities and civil society organizations has evolved significantly over the past few years in countries all over the world, and it continues to grow and shape based on local needs.

In this December 2013 report, Margaret Sekaggya, UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders, discusses how banning unregistered groups and imposing “treason” charges on groups that receive foreign funding are among the regulations that endanger human rights defenders and political rights activists.

Brief guidelines published by Amnesty USA which provide guidance to law enforcement on how to ensure that everyone can enjoy their human right to peaceful assembly, and that the rights to life and to be free from torture and other ill-treatment are respected at all times.