The United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association has called for contributions to his thematic report entitled ‘Freedom of assembly and association, collective action and human solidarity in the face of existential threats: safeguarding fundamental principles.’
The Special Rapporteur will focus in his report on the collapse of the international financial aid system, financial pressures on human rights defenders, and the rapid contraction of the civil space. The call emphasised that the sudden withdrawal of US financial support to the UN and related institutions, the diversion of funds to the security sector by some actors in Europe, and the marginalisation of important donors such as USAID have led to an unprecedented aid crisis at the global level. It is stated that this crisis has led to the collapse of the international financial system that supports the sustainability of civil society, causing devastating effects on civil society organisations and social movements worldwide.
The Special Rapporteur aims to analyse the threats of intimidation, stigmatisation and criminalisation faced by civil society due to its access to external funding and to present a roadmap containing solutions that can be developed at the local level to counter these threats.
The call for contributions was made for two main groups: ‘civil society, social movements and activists’ and ‘public institutions, intergovernmental organisations and regional organisations.’
The UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association issued a call for contributions for a thematic report to be presented at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in October. The report will address the existential threats facing civil society and the collapse of the financial support ecosystem.
Original call text: UN official website