In July 2023, ECNL and the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) led efforts by a group of civil society and academic partners to urge the UN Human Rights Committee to develop a General Comment on the right to freedom of association (Article 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights). Associational rights, which form the foundation of an enabling environment for civil society, are under intensifying threat around the world; yet freedom of association is the only core civic freedom that has not yet been addressed by the Committee in a General Comment.
Through General Comments, the Committee provides authoritative interpretations of individual rights and guidance for their practical implementation. A General Comment on freedom of association would further help legal professionals and civil society to litigate cases before the UN relating to violations of associational rights.
To inform the Committee's deliberations, ECNL and ICNL developed a detailed report summarising UN sources of law relevant to freedom of association, drawing on materials from the Human Rights Committee, Human Rights Council and Special Rapporteurs. We look forward to continuing to engage with the Committee and other mechanisms to develop and codify norms relating to the protection and exercise of associational rights.