These reports focus on a particular thematic issue surrounding the mandate – such as freedom of assembly and association in the context of elections – and contain substantive research on that issue, along with recommendations. They are issued in all six official UN languages.
Restrictions on funding have become a major existential threat to associations across the world, as governments increasingly use the financial noose as a way to silence peaceful dissent. Under international law, freedom of association encompasses not only the right to form and join an associations but also to seek, receive and use resources – human, material and financial – from domestic, foreign, and international sources. Sadly, the number of barriers to seeking such resources are increasing. This April 2013 report from UN Special Rapporteur… Continue reading →
The right of peaceful assembly covers not only the right to hold and to participate in a peaceful assemblies but also the right to be protected from undue interference. It further protects those monitoring peaceful assemblies. The right to freedom of association ranges from the creation to the termination of an association, and includes the rights to form and to join an association, to operate freely and to be protected from undue interference, to access funding and resources and to take part in the conduct of public affairs. In this report, Special… Continue reading →
