A/HRC/35/28 groups and advocating for adherence to, and the strengthening of, international humanitarian and human rights law. 21. The work of ICRC has inspired the establishment of organizations such as Save the Children International and generated many opportunities to collaborate with other organizations to advance humanitarian goals. Civil society has, over the years, augmented its presence in the peacebuilding field by advocating for conflict prevention, promoting disarmament, implementing early warning and conflict risk assessment systems, assisting refugees, participating in peacemaking negotiations and working on transitional justice and peacebuilding initiatives. 22. These examples touch only the tip of the iceberg of civil society’s contributions to strengthening and promoting the three pillars of the Charter of the United Nations: human rights, development and peacebuilding. Whilst the examples above represent some of the most visible “achievements” of formal civil society, we should not overlook the collective achievements of untold numbers of local, grass-roots and informal civil society groups. We also need to recognize civil society’s work in the arts, culture, sports, the sciences, technology and other fields. Though impossible to quantify, the Special Rapporteur considers the informal sphere of civil society to have been of critical importance to human rights, development and security. 2. Civil society’s role and contribution in various fields 23. The rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association are essential components of democracy, since they empower women, men and young people to express their political opinions, engage in literary and artistic pursuits and other cultural, economic and social activities, engage in religious observances or other beliefs, form and join trade unions and cooperatives and elect leaders to represent their interests and hold them accountable (see Council resolution 15/21, preamble). These rights undergird the existence of a strong and vibrant civil society as conceived of in this report. Though not the sole determinant of a robust democracy, as government and the markets must also play their rightful role, a vibrant civil society helps to strengthen a State’s democratic credentials and should therefore benefit from support and protection similar to the public and private sectors to enable it to make an effective contribution (see A/70/266). Civil society acts as both a counterweight and complement to government and business in a democracy, providing avenues through which people directly or indirectly exert their influence on public affairs and matters that affect them. 24. When societies are deprived of diverse forms and spaces for people to associate and mobilize, the opinions and preferences of those with privilege or access to power tend to dominate. Disfavoured viewpoints all but disappear and society loses the freedoms of choice and representation. Contestation through fair elections may be eliminated or rendered meaningless if people are not free to mobilize votes, articulate preferences and represent interests. Civil society promotes and facilitates these spaces of engagement (see A/68/299). 25. Perhaps most crucially, civil society’s work in delivering services and seeking accountability provides hope to millions of people, who rely on the ingenuity, commitment, resourcefulness and drive of civil society actors to address their problems. 26. Even in established democracies, a robust civil society is necessary to challenge structural inequalities that may result from placing certain interests, voices or values above others. For example, political parties cannot be the sole voices heard during elections, to the exclusion of others. In Canada, “third parties” — namely, persons or groups other than political parties, candidates or electoral district associations — are recognized as participants in the electoral process for the purposes of election advertising.4 Furthermore, civil society plays a critical role in between elections by continuing to monitor, influence and speak out on governance issues. This role is especially important for those who are unable to vote due to factors such as age, a past criminal conviction, gender or migration 4 Contribution of Canada. 7