A/HRC/38/18 resourced civil society representatives. For example, UNEP, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the Aarhus Convention provided financial support for travel and capacity-building initiatives. IV. Conclusions and recommendations 56. The effective functioning of international and regional organizations is inexorably linked to civil society participation. Civil society engagement ensures that international discussions and decisions are informed by what is happening on the ground, that a full range of perspectives are heard, and that decision-making is fully informed by relevant expertise and experience. Where civil society engagement is restricted, responses to security threats, development challenges, environmental disasters and disease, among others, risk being ill-informed and weaker. Civil society participation provides a critical contribution to the prevention of violence, insecurity and, in turn, conflict. 57. International human rights law requires States and other duty bearers to create and support a safe and enabling environment that allows civil society to exercise fully the rights and freedoms that are indispensable for them to fulfil their essential role of bringing the voices of all parts of society to the table. Respecting human rights also means addressing the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination that civil society actors may face in engaging in the spaces of international and regional organizations. 58. The right to access to information underpins the participation of civil society in regional and international organizations and therefore should not be unnecessarily or disproportionately restricted. Some regional and international entities have established procedures and practices that have promoted civil society engagement, including by having explicit policies and institutional arrangements that recognize stakeholders’ rights to participation and to access to information, thus facilitating the engagement of civil society organizations. Furthermore, establishing clear rules regarding accreditation and predictable channels for exchange and for providing inputs into the work of international and regional organizations is critical to effective engagement. Other positive examples include policies and processes that: (a) maximize transparency through the proactive disclosure of information and in which information may be withheld to the strict minimum; (b) provide compliance and accountability mechanisms; and (c) make it possible to reach out to a wide range of diverse civil society representatives. Some of those practices can be established without the need for significant resources. 59. At the same time, numerous obstacles to the full and effective participation of civil society remain, including: (a) the lack of access to timely and clear information about channels of engagement and about specific themes and topics to be addressed; (b) opaque and cumbersome accreditation processes without impartial review mechanisms in cases where accreditation is denied; (c) complex and inconsistent rules governing attendance and speaking rights at meetings and forums; (d) prohibitive costs and visa barriers in gaining access to certain locations; (e) a lack of accountability for decisions that restrict access; and (f) underrepresentation of some segments of civil society. Particularly disturbing are reprisals against civil society for cooperation with international and regional organizations, not only because of the individual human rights violations they generally constitute, but also because they risk undermining the effectiveness of the system as a whole. 60. Several submissions raised the need to reform the procedures and practices of the Economic and Social Council Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, which created significant hurdles for the participation of many groups in international decision-making and policy development. The Committee’s recent decision to broadcast its sessions was considered a step in the right direction, but more needed to be done to ensure that the United Nations could benefit fully and regularly from all relevant civil society contributions. 15