Promoting and Protecting the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association and Civic Space Worldwide

Started in June 2020

Context

The rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association play a key role in enabling individuals and groups to come together to improve lives and to contribute meaningfully to decision-making processes by governments.

These rights help to foster increased transparency and accountability and are basic prerequisites for the goal of securing substantive enjoyment of all human rights.

Although these two freedoms are guarantee and protected by articles 21 and 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, they have been under intensive attacks in the recent decade. State and non-state actors are devising novel ways to undermine these rights and civic space as a whole both at national and international levels is shrinking.

Measures to limit these rights are often grounded in state security notions that run counter to the very idea of democracy and basic human rights principles. The impact is felt well beyond the organizations attacked to those they serve, defend and support.

Objectives

This project, supported by the Ford Foundation, aims at providing support to the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association Clément Voulé by:

  • Addressing emerging issues affecting civic space
  • Developing tools and materials allowing various stakeholders – including states, civil society organizations (CSOs), lawyers and human rights defenders – to promote and defend civic space.

By engaging states on cases, policies, laws and situations of concern, this mandate make states accountable for their decision-making affecting the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association and contributes to creating a safe and enabling environment for civil society work worldwide.

Activities

Among other activities, the UN Special Rapporteur will hold consultations with CSOs on emerging issues affecting civic space, including:

  • The climate crisis and the mobilization of youth and other parts of society and the related repression of social movements
  • The COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on civic space
  • The internet shutdown and peaceful assembly
  • Women and freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

These consultations will inform the future programmatic work of the mandate, especially thematic reports that will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly in 2021.

In addition, the UN Special Rapporteur will provide to states, CSOs and other actors advocacy and implementation material to promote and protect civic space. This material will include, among others:

  • Guidelines on the role of lawyers in peaceful protest
  • Guidelines on CSOs’ participation in the implementation of SDGs
  • The dissemination of the upcoming General Comment 37of the UN Human Rights Committee on freedom of assembly.

NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Protest march against police violence in Minneapolis News

New Research Project Addresses the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association

25 August 2020

Our new research project will provide substantive support to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association Clément Voulé.

Read more >

RESEARCHERS

PIcture of Clément Voule

Clément Voule

Researcher

Clément Nyaletsossi Voule is Researcher at the Geneva Academy and UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association.

Joshua Niyo

Joshua Niyo

Associate Research Fellow

Joshua Joseph Niyo is an Associate Research Fellow at the Geneva Academy.

Past Events

Breaking the Cycle of Repression Against Activists and Protesters Through Accountability

30 June 2023, 15:30-17:00

Read more >

Protection of Human Rights in the Context of Peaceful Protest in Crisis Situations

20 June 2022, 13:15-14:45

Read more >

Discussion on the UN Guidelines for Lawyers in Support of Peaceful Assemblies

24 January 2022, 13:30-15:00

Read more >

Civic Space and Climate Justice: Launch of the UNSR Thematic Report on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association

15 October 2021

Read more >

Celebrating Women in Civil Society and Activism

20 October 2020, 15:00-17:00

Read more >

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

Portrait of Professor Claudia Martin News

Our New Visiting Fellow: Professor Claudia Martin

30 June 2023

Professor Claudia Martin just started as Visiting Fellow at the Geneva Academy and will stay with us until the end of July. She tells us in this interview the focus of her research during her time at the Geneva Academy.

Read more

Dr Erica Harper at the UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee News

Our Expert Inputs UN Discussion on the Regulation of Emerging Military Technologies

11 August 2023

Dr Harper shed light on military technologies’ potential impact on human rights and addressed the risks associated with the cross-application of these technologies and the related need for regulation.

Read more

Closeup of the Meta sign at the entrance to the Meta Platforms headquarters in Menlo Park, California. Event

A New Human Rights Tribunal in Town? The Oversight Board and the Future of Online Freedom of Expression

18 October 2023, 18:00-19:30

This Human Rights Conversation will explore the extent to which an independent mechanism such as the Meta Oversight Board is akin to a human rights tribunal and the risks that could be linked to delegating such powers to a private authority.

Read more

Cover page of the book Event

Armed Groups and International Law: A Legal Shadowland

10 October 2023, 12:30-14:30

On the occasion of the launch in Geneva of the volume Armed Groups and International Law. In the Shadowland of Legality and Illegality, panelists will reflect on the status of armed groups within a complex legal landscape.

Read more

Syria,  Aleppo, great Umayyad mosque. Destructions. Short Course

The Interplay between International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

29 February - 15 March 2024

This online short course focuses on the specific issues that arise in times of armed conflict regarding the respect, protection and fulfilment of human rights. It addresses key issues like the applicability of human rights in times of armed conflict; the possibilities of restricting human rights under systems of limitations and derogations; and the extraterritorial application of human rights law.

Read more

Greece, ylakio, pre-removal center. Short Course

Introduction to International Human Rights Law

5 October - 16 November 2023

This online short course will provide participants with an introduction to substantive human rights law.

Read more

surveillance image of people Project

Human Rights in a Digitalized World: Mapping Risk, Strengthening Regulation and Promoting the Development of International Human Rights Law

Started in August 2023

To unpack the challenges raised by artificial intelligence, this project will target two emerging and under-researched areas: digital military technologies and neurotechnology.

Read more

Cover page of the Working Paper Publication

Exploring Counterterrorism Effectiveness and Human Rights Law

published on September 2023

Gloria Gaggioli, Michael Moncrieff , Ilya Sobol

Read more