CIVICUS, in collaboration with the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ECNL), the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) and World Movement for Democracy and with the co-sponsorship of the governments of the Czech Republic, Indonesia, Lithuania, Maldives, Mexico, United States of America, organised an interactive discussion on the role of the Mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly and Association, on what challenges and opportunities revolve around these freedoms, and what role can the Mandate of the Special Rapporteur play in this regard.

CIVICUS, in a joint effort with numerous other organizations and with the co-sponsorship of the Swiss government, organised a discussion with the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful Assembly and Association on his report to the UN Human Rights Council examining key challenges to peaceful protests in crisis situations, and highlighting the importance of peaceful protests in creating opportunities for inclusive, participatory and peaceful resolution of crises.

On the sidelines of the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council, CIVICUS, in collaboration with Howard University and the government of the United States of America, brought together civil society and member state representatives to discuss how the inclusion of racial, ethnic, and religious minority groups strengthens democracy and public safety, as well as the importance of inclusion to the sustainability of democracies globally.

CIVICUS, in the framework of the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council, organized an event - in collaboration with Forum Asia, ARTICLE 19, the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ECNL), the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) and World Movement for Democracy - to discuss the debilitating impact of restrictions on access to resources on civil society, and inevitably on the promotion and protection of human rights, humanitarian response, and development. Panelists discussed how such restrictions are implemented, identified commonalities and differences, and made recommendations to address these challenges.

On the sidelines of the 4th session of the UN Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, CIVICUS participated in the panel of the event organised by the Community of Democracies to discuss the key role civil society plays in building more robust and resilient democracies post-pandemic. CIVICUS contribution focused on the good practices in civil society responses during the pandemic and on opportunities for civil society’s engagement post-pandemic, in helping to address democracy and human rights issues.

Consultation Report: How to Create and Maintain Civil Society Space. What Works? Sub-Saharan Africa
As part of a series of regional consultations on the space and environment for civil society, CIVICUS, under the auspices of the Civic Space Initiative (CSI), convened a civil society consultation with a diverse coalition of civil society representatives from 26 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Submission to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights – Civil Society Space Report
This submission includes CIVICUS´ view of how civic space can be enabled, created and maintained; a brief summary of some positive developments and trends related to civic space; some examples of how CSOs operate when space is limited.

Reporting human rights violations to UN Special Procedures: An introductory guide
Civil society representatives and human rights activists can interact directly with UN Special Procedures by: submitting individual cases of human rights abuses; providing information and analysis on specific concerns; working locally to advocate, disseminate and follow up on the work of UN Special Procedures; working closely with other civil society actors and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on the ground.

Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders

This Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders focusses on the challenges faced by women human rights defenders (WHRDs) working in conflict, post-conflict, and crisis-affected settings. It also informs the report of the Special Rapporteur to the UN General Assembly on WHRDS, Peace and Security by providing recommendations on protection strategies and risk mitigation measures.'

Our intervention at the 40th Child Rights Connect Conference

CIVICUS in the context of the 40th Anniversary Conference of Child Rights Connect, intervened on "children and civic space: enabling the exercise of civic and political rights". Recommendations were provided to child rights organisations, as well as national governments, and UN bodies. 

Civil Society Support for General Comment No.38
On 19 July 2023 CIVICUS organised in collaboration with Amnesty International, the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law and ISHR a briefing with the Human Rights Committee on the prospects and value of developing a General Comment on Article 22 (right to freedom of association).

The UN human rights treaty bodies are committees of independent experts that monitor the implementation of the core international human rights treaties. Each State party to a treaty has an obligation to take steps to ensure that everyone in the State can enjoy the rights set out in the treaty. CIVICUS regularly submits reports to the Human Rights Committee, the body of independent experts that monitors the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) by its States parties, highlighting the main civil and political rights violations and providing specific and targeted recommendations. Below are our latest submissions:

China - 135th CCPR session |   Phillippines - 136th CCPR  |  Kyrgyzstan - 136th CCPR  | Sri Lanka - 137th CCPR | Peru - 137th CCPR