Human
Rights
Council report
June 2012
A/HRC/20/27

Best practices in promoting the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association

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 Rapporteur Maina Kiai highlights best practices worldwide that promote and protect the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, covering areas such as:

  • • The definition of “peaceful assembly” and “association”
  • • The presumption in favor of allowing peaceful assemblies
  • • Notification vs. authorization of peaceful assemblies
  • • The right to be protected from undue interference during assemblies
  • • Building capacity of law enforcement
  • • The rights of monitors and journalists in the context of peaceful assemblies
  • • The right to form and join an association, including unregistered associations
  • • The right to operate an association freely and be protected from undue interference
  • • The right for associations to access funding and resources (see here for the full report on this topic, from 2013)
  • • The right to take part in public affairs
  • • Termination, suspension and dissolution of associations
  • • The right to an adequate remedy

This report also provides recommendations and conclusions regarding best practices and provides an overview of the Special Rapporteur’s activities during the first year of his mandate.

The report’s document number is A/HRC/20/27. Kiai presented this report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on June 20, 2012.

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