A/HRC/41/41/Add.4 and operate, as employers, both private and public, have almost unfettered discretion and can find easy excuses for firing workers who try to form and operate unwanted trade unions. 120. The Special Rapporteur believes that the current political environment in the country provides an excellent opportunity to engage in a genuine social dialogue on the structural reforms in law and in practice that would enable workers to fully exercise their freedom to organize. 4. Participation of civil society in the process of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals 121. The Special Rapporteur acknowledges the establishment of a National Council on Sustainable Development and the active participation of civil society organizations around the working groups on indicators, targets and other national strategies relating to the Sustainable Development Goals. 122. The Special Rapporteur notes that the voluntary national report on the Sustainable Development Goals was presented in July 2018 and that an extensive dialogue with stakeholders has been organized at different levels and in different formats, such as (a) individual talks with representatives from various circles of stakeholders (government agencies, community authorities, businesses, civil society organizations and households); (b) multi-stakeholder round-table discussions; (c) circulation and discussion of the draft report with interested stakeholders.12 123. The Special Rapporteur recognizes the importance of the strong engagement of civil society in the process and the multiplication of partnerships, including with private businesses. He strongly believes that facilitating an enabling legal, political, economic and social environment for civil society to operate freely, including by ensuring that the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, and other human rights, are enjoyed by everyone without discrimination, plays an essential role in ensuring that the country builds an inclusive and participatory democracy that addresses the most basic needs of the poorest and most marginalized groups. V. Importance of ensuring the exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in peaceful democratic transitions 124. The rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association are closely interrelated and mutually reinforcing, given that in order to organize a peaceful assembly, some form of organization, either de facto or de jure, is often required. Both public freedoms are enabling rights essential in a democratic society. 125. In that regard, it is important to recall that “the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association are essential components of democracy, providing individuals with invaluable opportunities to, inter alia, express their political opinions, engage in literary and artistic pursuits and other cultural, economic and social activities, engage in religious observances or other beliefs, form and join trade unions and cooperatives, and elect leaders to represent their interests and hold them accountable”.13 126. The Special Rapporteur is of the strong view that peaceful democratic transitions can be achieved in places where there is a strong civil society that contributes to paving the way for a culture of human rights, acceptance of divergent opinions and the establishment of real democratic institutions that take into consideration the aspirations of all. 127. The Special Rapporteur believes that an independent and active civil society plays an enlightening role to prevent the transition to democracy being turned away from its 12 13 See “SDG Implementation Voluntary National Review (VNR) Armenia” (2018). See Human Rights Council resolution 15/21, preamble. 15