A/HRC/44/50 of restrictions and threats to violations. The vision is of a world in which everyone, without exception, can freely join together and demand to improve their lives. 63. It is not the role of the Special Rapporteur or any single individual to develop such an agenda. Rather, it must spring from the collective effort of all stakeholders. The Special Rapporteur had planned to support that collective process through a series of in-person meetings and workshops in celebration of the tenth anniversary of the mandate. The COVID19 pandemic forced some of those plans to be postponed or adapted into online meetings. To support those discussions, the Special Rapporteur would like to highlight 12 strategic issue areas he believes need to be prioritized in engaging with all actors in developing a future agenda for the promotion and protection of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. This list draws from contributions the mandate holder secured through consultations with and questionnaires distributed to States, national human rights institutions and civil society organizations as part of the background work for the present report. 1. Community groups and social movements 64. A future agenda for the protection of assembly and association rights will need to draw attention to the needs of community groups and social movements and will also need to identify concrete ways in which they can be supported in the coming years. These groups are at the forefront of the present major struggle for economic, social, environmental, cultural and political progress. They face, however, highly restrictive environments and acute challenges, especially in accessing financial resources and international networks. 2. Women and girls 65. Many of these community groups and movements are now led by women and girls. Whether they are speaking up against corruption and economic inequality, reclaiming democracy and political freedom, or demanding fair work and climate justice, women of all ages are at the forefront of today’s most pressing global struggles. In many countries, however, these women are at greater risk of violations of assembly and association rights. In addition to facing well-documented patterns of State repression, they experience many additional obstacles, challenges and impacts that are gendered, intersectional and based in deep-rooted discriminatory social norms. A future agenda on protecting civic space should focus on accelerating and deepening efforts to eradicate the discrimination that women face in enjoying their rights to peaceful assembly and association and on building more inclusive movements. 3. Mobilization of young people 66. Space must be created for young people to participate in shaping their own future. A discussion of a future agenda must focus on addressing the challenges faced by young people in exercising the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association and in seeking to harness their energy and vision for the years ahead. 4. Labour movements 67. The traditional tools for asserting worker’s rights – trade unions, strikes and collective bargaining – have been significantly weakened across the globe. Workers in the supply chain and in the gig economy have been particularly affected.54 The implications of this trend on the future of human rights should not be underestimated. Prioritizing workers’ assembly and association rights in future strategies will help ensure that workers gain access to fair wages, safe working conditions and a collective voice, while addressing some of the root causes of democratic erosion and rising inequality. 5. Digital technologies 68. Technological advances such as facial recognition, artificial intelligence, hacking tools and digital identification, are posing complex challenges to association and assembly rights. Governments are increasingly cutting off access to the Internet and mobile networks to stifle mass demonstrations and silent dissident voices during elections. For many in civil 54 16 Gig workers are independent contractors, online platform workers, contract firm workers, on-call workers and temporary workers.