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Special Rapporteur Issues 10 Principles for Protecting Human Rights during COVID-19 Pandemic

The UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Association, Clement Voule, issued a statement on April 10 asking national governments to make sure that their emergency COVID-19 regulations do not undermine international human rights standards. This statement is the result of the SR’s consultation with 40 civil society organizations from around the world, which the World […]
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May 19, 2020

Arab Watch Coalition Questions the Accountability of the IFC in its work in Egypt

The Arab Watch Coalition (AWC) published an article questioning the accountability of the International Financial Corporation (IFC) in regards to the projects in which it invests. Specifically, it questions whether the IFC upheld its stated ideals of investing in projects that have positive development impacts in local communities when it invested in two Egyptian cement […]

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May 19, 2020

Guide to Litigating with UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention: Now Available Free Online

Jared Genser, a former NED Reagan-Fascell Fellow and prominent human rights lawyer, has made his recently published work, The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention: Commentary and Guide to Practice, free online. This 650-page guide aims to educate civil society on how to effectively litigate cases at the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) […]

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May 19, 2020

New Online Tool Tracks the Impact of COVID-19 on Journalism

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has created a tool they’re calling “#Tracker_19” to monitor how the COVID-19 epidemic is impacting journalism. It tracks new government laws and rules that make it harder to report news, as well as government censorship and promotion of disinformation. Check out the tool here.  

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May 19, 2020

New Video on 10 Principles for Safeguarding Human Rights During COVID-19

Mr. Voule also recently released a statement outlining 10 key principles that national governments should uphold as they formulate emergency responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. To help publicize this guidance, the World Movement secretariat has worked with the Special Rapporteur’s team to create a video summarizing those principles, and Mr. Voule’s demand that civic space […]

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May 19, 2020

Call for Input from UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Assembly & Association

The UN Special Rapporteur Clement Voule is soliciting input for his next thematic report to the UN General Assembly at its 75th session, and encourages civil society members to contribute. Mr. Voule’s report will focus on the ability of women and girls to exercise the right to freedom of assembly and association, and any obstacles […]

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May 19, 2020

Brazilian Civil Society Organizations in Court to Protect Public Review of Legislation

Conectas Human Rights, Institute for Defense of the Right to Defense (IDDD), Instituto Socioambiental (ISA), and the Alana Institute are arguing a case in Brazil’s Supreme Court against the attempt by the Bolsonaro administration to change the country’s legislative process, which would have the ultimate effect of letting it decree laws without the review of […]

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May 19, 2020

Human Rights Organizations Protest Egyptian Government’s Detention of Activists

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) have denounced the recent decision by Cairo’s Criminal Court’s to arbitrarily place human rights defenders Zyad al-Elaimy and Ramy Shaath, along with 11 others human rights activists, on Egypt’s “terrorist list” for the next […]

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May 19, 2020

Call for Submissions for Grant on Reducing Corruption in Africa

The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) is calling on the Africa Anti-Corruption Network (AACN), civil society organizations, and business member organizations in sub-Saharan Africa to submit concept notes outlining projects focused on mitigating corruption and ensuring business accountability in Africa amid the COVID-19 pandemic. CIPE will select one or more concept notes to be developed […]

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May 19, 2020

Study of an Emerging Democracy’s COVID-19 Response

The Arab Reform Initiative’s recent publication, “Tunisia Facing COVID-19: To Exceptional Circumstances, Exceptional Measures?,” examines how Tunisia’s newly minted democratic institutions are handling the pandemic. This paper investigates the actions Tunisia’s executive, legislative, and judicial branches are taking to address the public health issue, and while it notes areas of concern, it also depicts instances […]

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May 19, 2020

Report Surveys Ways that Civil Society Organizations Are Refocusing During COVID-19

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s recent report “Civil Society and the Coronavirus: Dynamism Despite Disruption” explains that many civil society organizations around the world have adjusted their work so that they can provide their constituencies with emergency relief during this crisis. The report highlights how civil society organizations have the ability to “fill gaps […]

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