A/HRC/23/39 • Sub-regional East Africa training on “Strengthening civil society organizations’ utilization of United Nations human rights mechanisms”, jointly facilitated by the East Africa Regional Office of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Programme on Women’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, CIVICUS and the International Service for Human Rights (Nairobi, 10 September 2012); • Development policy day on “The role and challenges of civil society organizations working in a disabling environment for civil society” , organised by Kepa (Helsinki, 11 October 2012); • Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association (Vienna, 8-9 November 2012); • In-house discussion on “The promotion and protection of human rights in the context of peaceful protests”, organized by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (Bern, 21 January 2013). 7. Furthermore, the Special Rapporteur attended the following events organized by civil society: • Workshop on “New technology and human rights monitoring”, organized by University of Stanford (Stanford, 6-7 August 2012); • Fifth Asian Regional Human Rights Defenders Forum (Bangkok, 3-5 September 2012); • Academic trip to Malaysia (6-8 September 2012); • Lecture marking Human Rights Day, organized by Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (Harare, 10 December 2012); • Regional consultation with civil society actors from francophone West Africa and Central Africa countries, organized by World Movement for Democracy (Ouagadougou, 15-16 February 2013); • Video message for Human Rights Council side-event, “Restrictions on NGO funding”, organized by the Observatory for Human Rights (Geneva, 28 February 2013). III. Ability of associations to access financial resources: a vital part of the right to freedom of association A. Definition of concepts 8. The ability to seek, secure and use resources is essential to the existence and effective operations of any association, no matter how small. The right to freedom of association not only includes the ability of individuals or legal entities to form and join an association but also to seek, receive and use resources – human, material and financial – from domestic, foreign, and international sources. 2 4 See Joint recommendation put forward by United Nations and African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights special procedures mandate holders, available at http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=12524&LangID=E.