UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL WILL APPOINT A SPECIAL RАPPORTEUR ON THE RIGHTS TO FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY AND OF ASSOCIATION

On September 30, 2010, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) passed a Resolution on “The Rights of Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association.” According to it, the UNHRC will appoint a special rаpporteur for a period of 3 years. His main tasks will be to gather all relevant information, related to the promotion and protection of the rights of freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, to study trends, developments and challenges in relation to the exercise of these rights, to report on violations of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, including discrimination, threats or use of violence at persons exercising these rights.  

 The resolution reaffirms that everyone has the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, and that non-governmental organizations make a valuable contribution to the achievement of the aims and principles of the United Nations. The resolution calls upon states to ensure the rights of individuals to assembly and association by taking all necessary measures to fulfill their obligations under international human rights law.

The resolution was co-sponsored by 63 countries and passed by consensus.  The initiative benefited from the Community of Democracies Working Group on Enabling and Protecting Civil Society. Several governments participated in this working group: Canada, Sweden, Spain, Mongolia, Lithuania, and the U.S, as well as several international organizations such as the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), CIVICUS, the World Movement for Democracy, UNDP.

 

To view the resolution, please follow this link:  http://icnl.org/knowledge/news/2010/FOA%20Final.pdf