Clément Voule, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, in a statement saluted the efforts of governments and international organizations and stress that CSOs should be seen as strategic partners in the fight against the pandemic. He points out that CSOs have rarely been consulted in the process of designing or reviewing appropriate measures of response, while the processes of passing such regulations have been sometimes questionable. CSOs are also facing numerous restrictions and limitations on their work – new associations are not being registered, where they are unable to demonstrate internal rules geared to the current crisis situation. By emphasizing ten key principles, he reminded the states of the necessity of responding in a manner compliant with their human rights obligations. Read more here.
Source: OHCHR