Dear friends and partners, Yesterday marked my last day as UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association – a bittersweet occasion to be sure, but also one that marked the first step in a new journey. I’m writing to express my sincerest and deepest thanks to each and every one of you who has interacted with the mandate since 2011. Your work, input and dedication was crucial in helping the mandate accomplish so much in its first six years of its existence. Your efforts truly made the mandate yours – a vehicle of the people it’s supposed to represent. It was inspiring to work with all of you, and I hope to have the chance to do it again soon. I also hope that you will be just as engaged with my successor, Ms. Annalisa Ciampi, who takes up her functions as Special Rapporteur today. I am also writing to give an overview regarding what will become of mandate-related work and communications. Our website, freeassembly.net, will continue to be live and accessible for the foreseeable future. Regular updates will continue at least through the end of June, as the UN releases my final thematic report (on civil society’s contributions over the years) and final country reports (on the USA and UK visits). I hope the site continues to serve as a valuable... Continue reading →
