Ten years protecting civic space worldwide (A/HRC/44/50)
By creating the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association (FoAA) ten years ago, the Human Rights Council officially recognized the need to support and protect these rights, considering them fundamental in the general promotion of democracy and human rights. The mandate came at a particularly decisive time: it covered a decade that witnessed significant advances in the field of FoAA rights but one that was equally characterized by important threats, most notably in the form of the Covid-19 pandemic which has been used by certain States as a pretext to curb some hard-won rights.
In its 10-year existence, the mandate has advocated for an enabling environment for the exercise of FoAA rights and has drawn the international community’s attention to the current threats faced, while helping broaden the normative framework and its base of support. Nevertheless, the trend for closing civic space has not diminished and the mandate remains as crucial as ever.
This report reflects on the past decade since the establishment of the mandate and examines the mandate’s achievements and challenges.
The tenth anniversary of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur marks an opportunity to reflect on what has been accomplished in the last decade. More importantly, however, it is an opportunity to look at the future and explore how holders of the mandate can increase their influence on the promotion and protection of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association over the next decade.”
A renewed call to action
There is a need for continued international attention to the topic of closing civic space and the Special Rapporteur seeks to continue mobilizing the international community on pressing issues, in particular when it comes to invigorating the progress towards the enjoyment of the right to freedom of assembly and association to social and grass-roots movements, women and girls, youth and climate change activism, digitization of society, accountability and access to justice, and labour rights.
As daunting as these challenges are, however, there are many reasons to remain hopeful and seek out concrete opportunities to transform what the future will hold. There is a sense of both urgency and hope.”
He called on all actors to “move forward towards a more vigorous and coordinated agenda to protect the rights to peaceful assembly and association across the world.”
This report was presented to the Human Rights Council in July 2020 during its 44th session.
Read the full report (A/HRC/41/41) in all UN languages here.
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