A/HRC/20/27 4. The right to access funding and resources 67. The ability for associations to access funding and resources is an integral and vital part of the right to freedom of association. The Special Rapporteur makes reference to ILO principles which underline that “provisions which give the authorities the right to restrict the freedom of a trade union to administer and utilize its funds as it wishes … are incompatible with the principles of freedom of association”.41 Numerous United Nations human rights bodies have also emphasized the principle that associations should access funding freely.42 68. Any associations, both registered or unregistered, should have the right to seek and secure funding and resources from domestic, foreign, and international entities, including individuals, businesses, civil society organizations, Governments and international organizations. Nonetheless, the Special Rapporteur notes with concerns that, in some countries, only registered associations are eligible for funding and resources. In this context, it appears essential that rules regulating the creation of associations comply with the aforementioned identified best practices to allow any associations to access funding and resources. 69. In many countries, domestic funding is very limited or non-existent, leading associations to rely on foreign assistance to conduct their activities. The Special Rapporteur echoes the recommendations put forward by the then Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights defenders who affirmed that “governments must allow access by NGOs to foreign funding as a part of international cooperation, to which civil society is entitled to the same extent as Governments” (A/59/401, para. 82), He believes that the same principle should apply to any associations regardless of the goals, in line with international law, they pursue. He considers as best practice legislation that does not prescribe the approval of the authorities before receiving domestic and foreign funding (e.g. Lebanon, Morocco and the United States). The barriers to foreign funding range from undue delay in approval for funding an association‟s project (e.g. Bangladesh) to the requirement of obtaining a prior authorization from the authorities. Some legislation even prohibits human rights associations from receiving more than 10 per cent of their overall resources from foreign sources. In Ethiopia where this legislation is in place, out of the 127 associations advocating for human rights active before the 2009 Charities and Societies Proclamation entered into force, very few reportedly still operate. 70. States have a responsibility to address money-laundering and terrorism, but this should never be used as a justification to undermine the credibility of the concerned association, nor to unduly impede its legitimate work. In order to ensure that associations are not abused by terrorist organizations, States should use alternative mechanisms to mitigate the risk, such as through banking laws and criminal laws that prohibit acts of terrorism. In this context, all United Nations agencies, notably those focusing on actions countering terrorism, have a key role to play and bear the moral responsibility to ensure that human rights in general, and freedom of association in particular, are not impaired by counter-terrorism and anti-money-laundering regulations. All measures adopted in this context should promote transparency and engender greater confidence in the sector, across the donor community and with the general public so that charitable funds and services reach intended legitimate beneficiaries. 41 42 Digest of decisions and principles, para. 485. See Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, concluding observations on Lithuania, A/55/38, para. 155; Committee on the Rights of the Child, concluding observations on the Central African Republic, CRC/C/15/Add.138, paras. 22 and 23; Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on Ireland, CERD/C/IRL/CO/2, para.12. 17