As an organisation that has worked at the intersections of human rights and technology for nearly three decades, and which recognises the critical importance of ICTs for the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, APC welcomes the invitation of the Special Rapporteur to reflect on the mandate and to provide its inputs regarding growing challenges for the exercise of these rights offline and online.
This submission responds to the following questions:
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What have been the most important areas of progress and achievements in your work over the past decade in advancing the exercise on the freedoms of peaceful assembly and of association (FoAA)? How is your organisation engaging with the UN human rights mechanisms to promote FoAA? Please provide specific examples or concrete cases.
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What are the main challenges that your organisation has confronted in seeking to protect the freedoms of peaceful assembly and of association since 2010? How have you addressed these challenges? What part of the population was particularly affected by those challenges?
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To what extent has the work of the Special Rapporteur proved useful in support of your work and to address the above-mentioned challenges? What were the most impactful actions of the mandate vis à vis your work and these challenges?
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In your view, a) where does the mandate stand today in terms of achieving progress or pushing back against closing civic space? b) What are your expectations of the mandate for the future? c) What should the mandate do more of, and where should its priorities lie in the coming years?