A/HRC/44/50 freedoms. The Council should ensure that the framework of the universal periodic review gives greater attention to violations and abuses of both rights; (b) The Council and its treaty body mechanisms should monitor State compliance with human rights international norms and principles, including with regard to the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, in the context of emergency measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and should promote accountability in case of violations; (c) The General Assembly and its high-level political forum on sustainable development should pay greater attention to the impact of closing civic space on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and issue guidance to all stakeholders on how to ensure that civil society can contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; (d) It is necessary to ensure the meaningful participation of civil society in all United Nations forums, platforms and decision-making processes, without discrimination or undue restrictions; (e) United Nations support at field level, including Resident Coordinators and United Nations country teams, should develop partnerships with civil society organizations and enhance strategies for the domestic implementation of norms and standards to advance protection of these fundamental freedoms; (f) The Human Rights Committee is encouraged to ensure that the views of civil society and the experiences of individuals on the ground are taken into account while developing general comment No. 37 on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, as provided for in article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; (g) The Secretary General’s “The highest aspiration: a call to action for human rights” should be translated into concrete actions and results, including measures to protect public participation and civic space. 81. The Special Rapporteur recommends that States should: (a) Recognize, in law and in practice, that the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association are essential components of democracy and sustainable development, as they provide avenues for dialogue and pluralism of views; (b) Ensure that conducive legal, political, economic and social environments exist for civil society to freely operate, including by ensuring that the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association and other human rights are enjoyed by everyone, without discrimination; (c) Ensure that any restrictions to the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association are prescribed by law, as necessary in a democratic society, and are proportionate to the aim pursued; (d) Design and put in place a follow-up mechanism, with the participation of civil society and national human rights institutions, to ensure recommendations made by the mandate holders, in particular after a country visit, can be effectively implemented; (e) In the context of the COVID-19 emergency measures, ensure that the human rights framework, including the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, is embedded in all responses; refrain from imposing undue restrictions to the rights to peaceful assembly and of association; and ensure accountability in case of any violation of these fundamental freedoms. 82. National human rights institutions should play a role in fostering and monitoring the implementation of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association and in receiving and investigating allegations of related human rights violations and abuses. 83. International organizations and their member States should actively defend the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association and speak out in cases of violations, threats, intimidation or reprisals against individuals for exercising these freedoms. The donor community, in particular, should exert greater leverage and 19