A/HRC/35/28 62. In the Russian Federation, the organization OVD-Info monitors arrests and detentions during protests and other aspects of freedom of assembly. The group nearly saw its funding wholly depleted after the country placed severe restrictions on civil society’s ability to access foreign resources. With the help of crowdfunding, however, OVD-Info was able to replace its foreign funding with small, private domestic donations. Moreover, the crowdfunding process helped the organization to disseminate information on its work. 52 Crowdfunding has also been used to respond to humanitarian crises, such as the earthquake in Nepal in 2015.53 63. Innovation extends beyond the use of technology and can include social and political advances. The International Budget Partnership, for example, advocates for increased citizen participation in budget-making, budget transparency and stronger budget oversight. Since 2006, when the first Open Budget Survey (which assesses comparative budget transparency, participation and oversight) was conducted, the number of countries surveyed has increased, as has the amount of budget information that countries make publicly available.54 An increased civil society role in budget-making challenges prevailing notions that resource allocation decisions are solely the domain of the government and are largely taken behind closed doors. Civil society participation has also raised awareness of the adverse impact of a seemingly gender-neutral budget on women (and potentially other marginalized groups) and thus the need for gender-sensitive budgeting.55 4. Fostering sustainable development 64. The Special Rapporteur has previously stressed that civil society is an essential actor in fostering sustainable development.56 Civil society’s role in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, which represent a global consensus to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all, is particularly important. The success (or failure) of the Sustainable Development Goals will not depend on governments and international donors; it will depend on the individuals and civic organizations that will help design, carry out and monitor the development projects on which the whole scheme depends. Without vibrant civil societies, the Sustainable Development Goals are dead in the water. 65. Civil society’s role and its achievements in the area of sustainable development include mobilizing public opinion, providing expert advice, raising awareness (including by breaking down complex technical information into lay language), monitoring compliance with governance decisions, participating in decision-making (including by representing voiceless communities) and contributing to implementation of programmes. Civil society groups also play an important role in pushing back against actions by the State and/or private enterprises that threaten communities’ well-being and physical environment. 66. Advocacy by civil society groups, including Greenpeace, the Green Belt Movement in Kenya founded by Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai, the Sierra Club, the World Wide Fund For Nature and hundreds of others, has been a principal force behind the public’s growing awareness of environmental problems, such as climate change, deforestation and threats to wildlife. Indeed, environmental civil society groups play a unique role in this regard, since businesses and governments may prioritize other interests, such as profitability, increased tax revenue and (unsustainable) job creation, which diminish their willingness to voluntarily take measures to protect the environment. Action by businesses and governments to combat environmental problems has frequently been taken in response to advocacy and awareness-raising campaigns by civil society groups. The future of our planet could quite literally depend on meaningful civil society engagement on environmental issues. To that end, the Special Rapporteur is pleased that the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on 52 53 54 55 56 See www.opendemocracy.net/openglobalrights/grigory-okhotin/crowdfunding-to-bypass-russia-scivil-society-crackdown. See http://www.cnbc.com/2015/05/02/crowfunding-generates-millions-for-nepal-earthquake-.html. See www.internationalbudget.org. Contribution from Women and Law in Southern Africa Research and Education Trust (Zimbabwe). See A/69/365 and http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/07/19/its-time-for-development-banks-to-startlistening-maina-kiai/. 15