UNSR Report: “Mapping the Achievements of Civil Society”

June 2, 2017
News

Former UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai, released his final thematic report to the UN Human Rights Council entitled “Mapping the Achievements of Civil Society.” The report highlights successes of civil society across a variety of sectors over the past decade by identifying vital contributions it has made towards defending rights and freedoms, supporting peace and the environment, and providing basic resources to communities.

The report illustrates that several international civil society organizations (CSOs), such as the Coalition Against Unlawful Surveillance Exports (CAUSE), and the Tactical Technology Collective (TTC), are working to protect users online. CAUSE advocates against surveillance products that exploit digital technologies, and use them to violate the human rights of citizens. To defend against online surveillance, TTC conducts hands-on workshops and produces educational tools to enhance human rights defenders’ understanding of digital security. Additionally, civil society’s embrace of open source software – also known as free software that can be shared with and altered by everyone – led to the development of innovative tools, such as Tor, which enables anonymous web browsing, and the communication platform for journalists and sources sharing sensitive information, SecureDrop.

Among others, the report also highlights the local citizen-led efforts to protect women in Zambia, which led to the Domestic Violence act in 2007 and the Anti-Gender Based Violence Act in 2011. In Zimbabwe, citizens advocated for greater gender equality and access to economic empowerment programs, which lead to the passage of a law protecting girls from forced marriages paving the way for new opportunities for women. Click here to read all of the inspiring stories in the report.