Global Report – Freedom of Assembly
Peaceful assembly is a bedrock of democratic institutions. It allows people to bring attention to issues, demand change, and get answers from public officials.
Peaceful assembly is the right to express, promote, pursue, and defend common interests collectively without fear of retribution – in public or private, both online and off. Forming a committed bloc of voices and acting as a group endows citizens with recognizable power.
Around a third to a half of OGP countries perform consistently well on freedom of assembly according to independent indicators. At the same time, a third to a half of all OGP governments have challenges to freedom, including restrictions affecting demonstrations and protests and the excessive use of force. Those who face challenges are the least likely to have reforms in place. In fact, this area has the fewest commitments in OGP.
OGP is working to learn from the experiences of countries performing well on freedom of assembly so that best practices can be shared, innovation increased, and leadership showcased.
OGP’s ability to bring together government leaders and civil society advocates offers a pathway forward to address this critical issue.
Citizen Involvement in Parades in Northern Ireland
Participación ciudadana en decisiones sobre desfiles en Irlanda del Norte
Participation des citoyens aux défilés en Irlande du Nord
Lessons from Reformers: In Northern Ireland, parades, processions, carnivals, and commemorations are core to cultural, political, and religious traditions, but they have been marred by– and are sometimes the impetus for– sectarian violence.
Lecciones de Lost Reformadores: En Irlanda del Norte los desfiles, procesiones y conmemoraciones son parte elemental de sus tradiciones culturales, políticas y religiosas. Desafortunadamente, los desfiles se han viciado y en algunos casos son motivo de violencia. Lo anterior alcanzó su punto máximo durante la temporada anual de desfiles que ocurre entre marzo y agosto.
Leçons à Tirer des Réformateurs : En Irlande du Nord, les défilés, processions, carnavals et commémorations sont au cœur des traditions culturelles, politiques et religieuses. Malheureusement, les défilés ont été entachés par la violence sectaire; ils ont également parfois été le déclencheur.
Protecting Civic Space: A Private Sector Priority
Space, both physical and intellectual, for people to think, speak, and act freely is shrinking around the world. Today, only four percent of the global population live in countries with open civic space. And threats to civic space within those…
- Expand who protects and promotes the right to freedom of assembly beyond state actors, including the police. Northern Ireland has a civilian panel evaluate and make binding decisions on route changes for controversial parades.
- Provide for adequate security and safety for assemblies, including clear guidance on the use of force. In the United States, the District of Columbia’s First Amendment Rights and Police Standards Act states that police lines cannot be used at assemblies in an attempt to corral individuals expressing their right to peaceful assembly.
- Decriminalize assembly activities and focus on proportionate application and use of civil and administrative fines and penalties for violations. The South African Constitutional Court struck down a restrictive protest law that was being used by the government to criminalize public assembly through fines and jail time.
- Ensure proper and transparent use of digital technologies, including cybersecurity, online surveillance, and facial recognition software. Italy approved the Charter of Internet Rights, which recognizes the links between on- and offline rights, including basic civil liberties such as assembly.
The data below is drawn from the 2019 OGP Global Report. You can view and learn more about the report here.
These are members making OGP commitments to improve their performance in the respective policy area. As members that have demonstrated political commitment through OGP, the next step is ensuring that implemented commitments have maximal impact.
Key
Indicates that member has a starred commitment in this policy area.
Resources
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Global Report - Freedom of Assembly
Peaceful assembly is a bedrock of democratic institutions. It allows people to bring attention to issues, demand change, and get…
2019, Document, PDF
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Working Together to Protect Civic Space
There can be no doubt that we are witnessing a global trend that devalues and restricts the role civil society…
2015, , Web Page
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Protecting Civic Space: A Private Sector Priority
Space, both physical and intellectual, for people to think, speak, and act freely is shrinking around the world. Today, only…
2018, Perspective, Web Page
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Guidelines on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly
2010, Outbound Link, Web Page
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CIVICUS State of Civil Society Reports
In CIVICUS' flagship annual publication find hundreds of pages of insight into the key trends affecting civil society organisations (CSOs)…
2019, Outbound Link, Web Page
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Transparency and Accountability Initiative's Civic Space Compendium
Find examples of approaches, tools, and strategies from existing cross-disciplinary literature on the transparency, accountability, and civic participation space.
2019, Outbound Link, Web Page
Commitments
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Freedom of Association, Assembly, and Expression
NG0027, 2019, Civic Space
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Human Rights Report
UY0120, 2018, Civic Space
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Citizen Access Point
UY0089, 2016, Defending Journalists and Activists
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Direct Contact with Non-Governmental Organisations
ME0023, 2012, Civic Space
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Laws on Public Participation
UA0001, 2012, Civic Space
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