A/HRC/32/20
(f)
Ensure that all counter-terrorism measures that have an impact on civil
society comply with all relevant international human rights law and standards.
85.
In the context of a conducive public and political environment, Member States
should:
(a)
Demonstrate high-level political support for the independence and
diversity of civic activity through public statements and public information
campaigns;
(b)
Develop and implement national action plans for the implementation of
the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Implementing
the United Nations “Protect, Respect and Remedy” Framework, including
commitments to promote and incentivize respect and support by business for civil
society actors, domestically and abroad;
(c)
Ensure accountability for any acts of intimidation or reprisal against
civil society actors by ensuring prompt, thorough and impartial investigations and
bringing perpetrators to justice;
(d)
Develop or update a national policy framework and action plan to guide
implementation of the recommendations formulated in the present report and of all
international human rights law and standards relevant to civil society space.
86.
In the context of access to information, Member States should:
(a)
Enact clear laws, regulations and policies that guarantee the proactive
disclosure of information held by public bodies, including those exercising public
functions, and provide a general right to request and receive such information, subject
only to clearly and narrowly defined exceptions in accordance with international
human rights law and standards; guarantee the right to access information held by
private bodies where it is essential to the exercise or protection of human rights; and
provide a right to appeal to an independent body for any refusal to disclose
information;
(b)
Provide training for public officials on implementation of the right of
access to information and disseminate information to the public on the right to access
and the processes for achieving it.
87.
In the context of participation in policy development, planning and decisionmaking, Member States should:
(a)
Recognize the right to participation in public decision-making processes
in legislation. This should include timely, clear, accurate and adequate information,
with messages and questions that are easily understood; extensive dissemination of the
outcome, accompanied by a description of the processes; the rationale for accepting or
rejecting civil society proposals or input; opportunities for feedback and redress; and
provision of adequate budgets for participation;
(b)
Develop national action plans on engagement with civil society actors
that oblige all public actors to consult with civil society in policy development and
implementation;
(c)
Integrate new forms of participation through the use of ICT and social
media as a means to enable equal access to information and broad-based
consultations;
(d)
Systematically assess whether proposed legislative or policy reforms
would have a negative impact on women or contain gender-specific elements or would
affect specific sectors of the population;
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