News
UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association
13 November 2017
Annalisa Ciampi
Summary
In this Current Issues Podcast, ACUNS Executive Director, Alistair Edgar, is joined by Professor Annalisa Ciampi to discuss her role as the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. Ciampi started this mandate in May 2017. She discusses the role of the Special Rapporteur (SR) and her first report, which was prepared for the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly. The report describes the SR’s role, her vision for her mandate, addresses the contributions of her predecessor, and establishes Ciampi’s thematic priorities and working methods. Building on the foundation provided by her predecessor, Ciampi focuses on implementation, the delivery of relevant information, and the need to make rights effective. To fulfill her mandate, and as part of her litigation project she will act as “amicus curiae, legal expert and third party intervenor, in cases where the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association are at stake.” In light of the need for action and fluid priorities, Ciampi concludes by suggesting that this topic and our conversation is re-visited in a year as this is an ongoing issue and a moving field. As a Special Procedure mandate-holder, Ciampi works on a voluntary basis; she is not UN staff and does not receive a salary for her work. She is independent from any government or organization and serves in her individual capacity.
The report “Rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association” (14 July 2017, A/72/135) is available in multiple languages on the UN-OHCR website.
