UN Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai has authored an op-ed in Foreign Policy in which he calls upon international financial institutions to counter the global trend of closing civil society space by promoting more community participation in their activities. His call comes roughly one year since the United Nations set the Sustainable Development Goals (SDDGs), an ambitious blueprint for governments and financiers to use their political power and resources to end poverty, hunger, and disease. Kiai notes in the op-ed that while development banks play a key role in ensuring the success of the SDGs, they cannot do it alone. "Far more important than governments and international donors are the individuals and civic organizations that will help design, carry out, and monitor the development projects on which the whole scheme depends," Kiai wrote in the piece. "Without vibrant civil societies, the Sustainable Development Goals are dead in the water." Despite this, the entire concept of participatory development is in danger, Kiai notes. In many parts of the world, groups and activists who work to improve development proposals "increasingly find themselves threatened, intimidated, and even violently attacked by governments, investors, private security forces, and others who want to avoid scrutiny." "As I... Continue reading →
Commentary by Maina Kiai, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association It’s been well documented in recent years that space for ordinary people to exercise their fundamental freedoms – and to participate in their own governance – is closing at a rapid and disturbing pace worldwide. A 2015 study, for example, showed that the core freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly were violated to a significant degree in at least 96 countries during 2014. And that is only one of many indicators. What’s less discussed is that space to exercise fundamental freedoms is closing at the international level as well. And ground zero, shamefully, is the very place where these rights should be thriving: The United Nations, one of whose pillars, ironically, is human rights. The United Nations human rights bodies and mechanisms, including the Human Rights Council, are key spaces for NGOs to exercise their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly that are so frequently denied back home. But the same governments that are restricting NGOs domestically are stepping up efforts to take away NGOs’ voices on the international stage as well. They are doing this by hijacking, and subsequently closing, the main door used by civil society... Continue reading →
VIENNA - Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai has called upon the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) - an intergovernmental body that sets standards to combat money laundering and terrorist financing - to improve its cooperation with civil society, and to consider the sector's significant contributions in the fight against terrorism. He also commended the body for its decision to review its interpretation of Recommendation 8, a controversial measure that requires FATF member States to ensure that their laws sufficiently prevent non-profit organisations from financing of terrorism. The Recommendation has drawn sharp criticism in recent years, with many civil society organizations - and Kiai himself - reporting that oppressive governments have used it as an excuse to crack down on dissent. Kiai, who is the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, made the comments via a written submission to FATF's "Consultation and Dialogue Meeting with Non-Profit Organizations," held on April 18 in Vienna, Austria. The delegates will examine the impact of Recommendation 8 on civil society, among other things. The Special Rapporteur further called upon FATF "to leverage its leadership position to positively influence governments’ approach to counter-terrorism mechanisms away... Continue reading →
The Special Rapporteur's factsheet summarizing the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of multilateral organization, presented in an easy-to use "yes/no" format, with hyperlinks to source materials. This factsheet draws heavily from the Special Rapporteur's 2014 report to the UN General Assembly and features guidance on: • Multilateral organizations' obligations to uphold assembly and association rights - and what that means in practice • Multilaterals' responsibilities when member states police assemblies targeted at the multilateral institution itself • The status of private multilaterals, such as the International Olympic Committee • Comparative access for business and civil society • And more The factsheet also summarizes the report's recommendations and highlights key statistics in a "by the numbers" feature. For the Special Rapporteur's full factsheet series, please see:... Continue reading →
Issue No. 8 of the Assembly and Association Briefing, the newsletter of Maina Kiai, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. In this issue: • Special Rapporteur tells UN General Assembly that rights to peaceful assembly and association must also be protected at multilateral level • Kiai to OSCE states: restrictions on assembly and association rights contribute to rise of extremism • Malaysia Sedition Act threatens freedoms • Experts: Coordinated, multipronged approach needed to inject international standards into domestic and regional courts • UN experts urge Ethiopia to stop using anti-terrorism legislation to curb human rights • Freedom of association and assembly: By the numbers • Special rapporteur news in brief: September-October 2014 • World briefing: Freedom of assembly and association in the news For a link to the newsletter, click on the image at right or click here (1.9MB file) or here (7.3MB full resolution file). To subscribe to our newsletter, please drop us a line at info@freeassembly.net with the subject line “subscribe to newsletter.” For other recent newsletters, see the links below: The Assembly and Association Briefing, Vol. 1, Issue 5 (June 2014) The Assembly and Association Briefing, Vol. 1, Issue 6... Continue reading →
NEW YORK – In today’s globalized world, the meaning and practice of democracy stretches beyond national boundaries, United Nations human rights expert Maina Kiai has said today during the presentation of his report to the UN General Assembly on the exercise of the rights of freedom of peaceful assembly and of association at the multilateral level. “Decisions of multilateral institutions -which represent Governments- have a profound impact on the lives of ordinary people across the globe,” the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association said. “But are these people consulted and given a chance to contribute to issues affecting them? Often, the answer is no.” In his report, Mr. Kiai notes that global governance is increasingly becoming fragmented and diffused among a broad range of multilateral bodies, including the more well-known ones such as the UN and its specialized agencies, and others less well-known or understood, some of which are opaque in their operations. Actions by multilateral institutions themselves “Multilateral entities have positive responsibilities to actively protect peaceful assemblies and to establish and maintain an enabling environment for civil society,” the independent expert stressed. However, his report notes that... Continue reading →
NEW YORK – United Nations Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai will appear before the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly on October 28 to present his latest report, which focuses on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association at the multilateral level. Kiai, who is the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, is scheduled to present at the General Assembly’s 69th Session session on October 28, which begins at 10 a.m. local (EST) time. The session will be broadcast live on http://webtv.un.org/. Kiai’s thematic report examines how the rights to freedom of peacefully assembly and of association are exercised, promoted and limited in the context of multilateral organizations. The report asserts that these rights are equally fundamental and protected at the national and international levels, but that they are not always upheld at the multilateral level. “Multilateral organizations have a profound impact on the lives of ordinary people across the globe,” the Special Rapporteur said. “They institute development projects, spur economic and political reform, help shape international law, and more. Yet much of this occurs without the substantive and effective input of ordinary people.” Kiai said that assembly and association... Continue reading →
UN Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai has authored a commentary for Article 19’s Join the Debate blog, arguing that multilateral institutions need to democratize themselves – particularly by respecting the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association – in order to remain relevant in the 21st century. Kiai tackles the issue of multilateral institutions and their effect on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in his latest thematic report, which will be presented to the UN General Assembly on Oct. 28. “I am convinced that the traditional approach to multilateralism is doomed to fail in the 21st century, an era where people are more connected, more informed, and more aware of the impact that multilaterals can have upon their lives,” Kiai wrote in the piece for Article 19. “Multilaterals institute development projects, spur economic and political reform, help shape international law, and more. Ordinary people need a channel to influence these critical decisions, or their anger and frustration will boil over.” Kiai cites several areas where “multilateral institutions are not doing enough to ensure that people outside the state power structure have their say,” including access to information policies, complaints mechanisms and civil society engagement... Continue reading →
In Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai's previous reports, he has focused on States’ obligations to ensure the free exercise of the rights to peacefully assemble and to associate at the national level. In this report, the Special Rapporteur examines the exercise of these rights at the international level – specifically in the context of multilateral institutions. Increasingly, global governance is becoming fragmented and diffused among a broad range of multilateral entities, ranging from well-known bodies such as the United Nations and World Bank to lesser-known ones. The decisions of these institutions can have a profound impact on the lives of ordinary people across the globe as these institutions institute development projects, spur economic and political reform, help shape international law, and more. Yet much of this impact upon ordinary people occurs without ordinary people’s input. The rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association are equally fundamental and protected at the national and multilateral levels. Yet civil society is far too often excluded from international debates; multilateral institutions commonly view peaceful assemblies during global summits or when implementing a project as posing a security threat; the operations of many multilaterals lack transparency; and... Continue reading →
Issue No. 6 of the Assembly and Association Briefing, the newsletter of Maina Kiai, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. In this issue: • Special Rapporteur prepares to tackle multilateral institutions in October 2014 report • “Kiai Comments” – a new way to support assembly and association rights on your website • Special Rapporteur: Targeting at-risk groups a reprehensible “divide and conquer” technique • Egypt: UN Experts “outraged” at confirmation of 183 death sentences • Maina Kiai in Burundi on unofficial academic visit • Kiai blasts UN-Kenya for favoring ‘stability’ over rights • Freedom of association and assembly: By the numbers • Special rapporteur news in brief: June and July 2014 • World briefing: Freedom of assembly and association in the news For a link to the newsletter, click on the image at right or click here (1.4 MB file) or here (7.8 MB full resolution file). To subscribe to our newsletter, please drop us a line at info@freeassembly.net with the subject line “subscribe to newsletter.” For other recent newsletters, see the links below: The Assembly and Association Briefing, Vol. 1, Issue 3 (April 2014) The Assembly and Association Briefing, Vol. 1, Issue 4 (May 2014) The Assembly... Continue reading →
