Civil society expertise and perspectives on civic space issues
This section focuses on civil society perspectives, with a focus on protection and measuring civic space.

Protecting and expanding civic space

• CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation (2017). State of Civil Society Report 2017. Johannesburg, South Africa
• Carnegie Endowment of International Peace (2017). How State Restrictions Are Reshaping Civic Space Around the World. Washington D.C., USA
• International Service for Human Rights (2017). The right to dissent: Manual on international law on the right to protest and dissent. Geneva, Switzerland
• International Service for Human Rights (2017). Recognizing and protecting women human rights defenders. Geneva
• ICNL (2016). Global Trends - Survey of Trends Affecting Civic Space: 2015-2016 (Vol. 7 Issue 4). Washington D.C., USA
• ICNL (2016). Closing Civic Space: Impact on Development and Humanitarian CSOs (Vol. 7 Issue 3). Washington D.C., USA
• ICNL (2016). LGBTI Civil Society Organizations Around the Globe: Challenges, Successes, and Lessons Learned (Vol. 7, Issue 2). Washington D.C., USA
• ICNL (2016). Environmental Advocacy: Challenges to Environmental Groups' Rights to Assemble, Associate and Express their Opinions (Vol. 7 Issue 1) . Washington D.C., USA
• CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation (2016). State of Civil Society Report 2016. Johannesburg, South Africa
• Ariadne Network (2016). Challenging the Closing Space for Civil Society: A practical starting point for funders. London, UK
• International Federation of Journalists (2015). Journalists and Media Staff Killed 1990-2015. Brussels, Belgium.
• International Federation of Journalists (2015). IFJ Global Survey 2015. Brussels, Belgium.
• CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation (2015). State of Civil Society Report 2015. Johannesburg, South Africa
• Open Society Foundations (2015). Why the Space for Civic Engagement is Shrinking? New York, USA
• International Civil Society Centre (2015). What did the year 2015 bring for international civil society organizations?. Berlin, Germany.
• Carnegie Endowment of International Peace (2014). Closing Space: Democracy and Human Rights Support Under Fire. Washington D.C., USA
• AidWatch Canada (2014). Silencing Voices, Closing Space: Assessing the Enabling Environment for Civil Society as Development Actors. Nova Scotia, Canada.
• ACT Alliance and CIDSE International Alliance of Catholic Development Agencies (2014). Space For Civil Society: How to Protect and Expand an Enabling Environment. Geneva, Switzerland
• International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (2014). A Mapping of Existing Initiatives to Address Legal Constraints on Foreign Funding of Civil Society. Washington D.C., USA
• Article 19 (2014). Protecting Civic Space – Annual Report 2014. London, UK
• CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation (2014). State of Civil Society Report 2014: Reimagining Global Governance. Johannesburg, South Africa
• World Movement for Democracy and International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (2013). International Principles Protecting Civil Society. Washington D.C., USA
• International Commission of Jurists (2013). The ASEAN Human Rights Declaration: Questions and Answers. This leaflet produced by ICJ provides a detailed overview on the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, and explains why it risks undermining international human rights standards.
• CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation (2013). State of Civil Society 2013: Creating an Enabling Environment. Johannesburg, South Africa
• CAFOD Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (2013). Threatened, Silenced And Sidelined: Why Civil Society Space Is An Urgent Issue. London, UK
• Logo Link-Learning Initiative on Citizen Participation in Local Governance (2013). Global Charter on Right to Participation in Local Democratic Governance. London, UK
• World Movement for Democracy and International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (2012). Defending Civil Society Toolkit: Tips for Engaging in NGO Law Reforms. Washington D.C., USA
• INTRAC International NGO Training and Resource Centre (2012). Enabling Space for Civil Society. London, Right 2 Info at the Open Society Justice Initiative (2012). International Instruments and Standards. Budapest, Hungary.
• Trócaire (2012). Democracy in Action: Protecting Civil Society Space. Maynooth, Ireland
• CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation and UN Volunteers (2011). Broadening Civic Space through Voluntary Action: Lessons from 2011. Bonn, Germany
• Open Society Justice Initiative (2011). Article 19: UN reinforces the Right to Freedom of Expression and Information. New York, USA
• ACT Alliance (2011). Shrinking political space of civil society action. Geneva, Switzerland
• Inter-Parliamentary Union (2009). Resolution on Freedom of Expression and the Right to Information. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• Global Transparency Initiative (2006). Transparency Charter for International Financial Institutions: Claiming Our Right to Know. Batam, Indonesia

Measuring and monitoring civil society space

• International Civil Society Centre (2016). Civic Charter: The Global Framework for People’s Participation. Berlin, Germany.
• Transparency and Accountability Initiative (2015). Improving the Measurement of Civic Space. London, UK
• International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (2014). Assessment Tools for Measuring Civil Society’s Enabling Environment. Washington D.C., USA
• CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation (2014). CIVICUS’ 2013 Enabling Environment Index. Johannesburg, South Africa
• European Center for Not-for-Profit Law and Balkan Civil Society Development Network (2013). Monitoring Matrix on Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development: The Toolkit. Budapest, Hungary.
• CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation (2011). Summary of the conceptual framework and research methodology of the Civil Society Index. Johannesburg, South Africa
• UN Development Programme (2011). The Future of Participatory Civil Society Assessments: A Conceptual Analysis.
• UN Development Programme (2011). Participatory Civil Society Assessments - Experiences from the Field. New York, USA
• UN Development Programme (2010). A Users' Guide to Civil Society Assessments. New York, USA
• UN Development Programme and Global Integrity Initiative (2008). A Users’ Guide to Measuring Corruption. Oslo, Norway
• World Bank (2010). The Worldwide Governance Indicators Methodology and Analytical Issues. Washington D.C., USA
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2006). Uses and Abuses of Governance Indicators. Paris, France 

Other useful indicators include:
Human rights and Rule of law

• UPR Info (2017). The Civil Society Compendium: A comprehensive guide for Civil Society Organisations engaging in the Universal Periodic Review. Geneva, Switzerland.
• UPR Info (2012). NGO Advocacy in the UPR: Model UPR advocacy strategy for NGOs. Geneva, Switzerland.
• ​Amnesty International, Human Rights annual country reports. London, UK
• Front Line Defenders, Front Line Defenders annual reports. Dublin, Ireland
• Human Rights Watch, Human Rights Watch world report and other related publications. New York, USA
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Freedoms of information and expression, and press freedom

• Reporters Without Borders, World Press Freedom Index annual country reports. Paris, France
• Freedom House, Freedom of the Press annual country updates; Freedom on the Net annual country updates. Washington D.C., USA
• Global Information Society Watch, GISWatch annual country reports, updates and country/thematic reports. N/A
• International Freedom of Information Exchange, IFEX Alerts. Toronto, Canada.
• UNESCO, Journalist Safety Indicators and Media Development Indicators (n.d.). Paris, France
• International Federation of Journalists (2015). Decriminalising Defamation. Brussels, Belgium
• International Federation of Journalists (2006). HIV/AIDS Media Guide: IFJ Media guide and research report on the media's reporting of HIV/AIDS. Brussels, Belgium

Rights of assembly and association

• UN Human Rights Council, UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur annual reports on violations of rights of association and assembly. Geneva, Switzerland
• US Agency for International Development, CSO Sustainability Index methodology and country reports. Washington D.C., USA
• Freedom House, Freedom in the World annual country updates. Washington D.C., USA
• International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, NGO Law Monitor/Country Profile Reports on issues related to freedom of association and the NGO legal framework
• CIVICUS, Civil Society Watch regular updates on civil society threats; Civil Society Index and Civil Society Rapid Assessment country reports, and Enabling Environment Index. Johannesburg, South Africa
• CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation and International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, Enabling Environment National Assessments. Johannesburg, South Africa
• Hudson Institute’s Center for Global Prosperity, Philanthropic Freedom country reports. Washington D.C., USA
• International Trade Union Confederation, Trade Unions Rights Violations annual country reports. Brussels, Belgium.

Citizen participation, equity/inclusion

• CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation, Civic Space Monitor consultation document and pilot, Johannesburg, South Africa
• Bertelsmann Stiftung Foundation, BSF Transformation Index annual country reports, Gütersloh, Germany
• International Budget Partnership, Open Budget annual country summary reports and recommendations, Washington D.C., USA
• Freedom House, Freedom in the World Annual Country Updates
• UN Development Programme, Human Development Report country profiles, New York, USA
• Social Watch, Social Watch national reports, Montevideo, Uruguay
• Minority Rights Group International, State of the World’s Minorities and Indigenous Peoples annual reports, London, UK