A/HRC/RES/38/12 restrictions on funding to civil society actors undermine the right to freedom of association and the ability to participate effectively and meaningfully in regional and international organizations, Reaffirming the importance of adopting and implementing non-discriminatory measures to assist in the strengthening of a diverse and pluralistic civil society, including through the strengthening of the rule of law, social and economic development, the promotion of the right to freedom of expression, online and offline, including artistic expression and creativity, access to information, the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of association, including soliciting, receiving and utilizing resources, and the administration of justice, and to the real and effective participation of the people in decision-making processes, Recognizing that access to information, online and offline, is fundamentally important to civil society organizations in conducting their work effectively and meaningfully, and that any restriction on the freedom to seek, receive and impart information must comply with relevant international law, Recognizing also the crucial importance of the active involvement of civil society, at the national, regional and international levels, in processes of governance and in promoting good governance, including through transparency and accountability, at all levels, which is indispensable for building peaceful, prosperous and democratic societies, 1. Reaffirms that creating and maintaining a safe and enabling environment in which civil society can operate free from hindrance and insecurity assists States in fulfilling their existing international human rights obligations and commitments, without which equality, accountability and the rule of law are severely weakened, with implications at the national, regional and international levels; 2. Urges States to fulfil their obligation to respect and fully protect the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of all individuals, online and offline as applicable, inter alia, the right to freedom of expression and opinion, including artistic expression and creativity, and the right to assemble peacefully and associate freely; 3. Encourages States and organizations to put in place transparent, fair and gender-sensitive accreditation processes that deliver prompt decisions in compliance with human rights standards, including by establishing grievance mechanisms for redress, and to address any erroneous accreditation decisions; 4. Encourages States to take every opportunity to support diversity of civil society participation, with particular emphasis on underrepresented parts of civil society, including women, children, youth, older persons, persons with disabilities, persons belonging to ethnic, religious, national, linguistic and racial minorities, migrants, refugees, and others, and also including indigenous peoples and others not associated with or organized in non-governmental organizations; 5. Urges States to take all steps necessary to prevent threats, attacks, discrimination, arbitrary arrests and detention or other forms of harassment, reprisals and acts of intimidation against civil society actors, to investigate any such alleged acts, to ensure access to justice and accountability, and to end impunity where such violations and abuses have occurred, including by putting in place, and where necessary reviewing and amending, relevant laws, policies, institutions and mechanisms to create and maintain a safe and enabling environment in which civil society can operate free from hindrance, insecurity and reprisals; 6. Calls upon States to ensure that domestic provisions on funding to civil society actors are in compliance with their international human rights obligations and commitments and are not misused to hinder the work or endanger the safety of civil society actors, and underlines the importance of the ability to solicit, receive and utilize resources for their work; 7. Urges States and strongly encourages international and regional organizations to adopt and implement robust policies on access to information, in compliance with relevant international law; 3