A/HRC/44/50 38. More recently, a country visit to Tunisia in September 2018 helped push back against concerning finance de-risking reforms and preserve Decree No. 88 of 2011, a post-revolution decree governing civil society organizations and one of the most enabling civil society laws in the Middle East and North Africa region. At that time, the mandate holder observed that while combating money-laundering and the finance of terrorism is a legitimate government objective, careful consideration must be given to the impact these types of measures have on civil society operations and activities. In the report, it was recommended that the State engage in dialogue with civil society to ensure that finance de-risking measures do not serve as an instrument for closing civic space. According to an activist in Tunisia, the mandate holder provided “very impactful support”. The activist further noted that there was now a genuine partnership between government and civil society on issues relating to possible risks to the civil society sector and measures to be implemented to mitigate those risks. 39. Communications or individual complaints are the heart of the Special Rapporteur’s mandate. Over the past decade, numerous complaints alleging violations of assembly and association rights were received and referred to State and non-State actors in the form of urgent appeals and allegation letters. According to the most recent data, the special rapporteurs had issued 622 urgent appeals letters and 737 allegations letters to 148 States and 32 other actors during the first decade of work. The mandate holders have also sent letters to States seeking information about legal or policy developments, including laws and regulations affecting non-governmental organizations and peaceful assemblies. As of March 2020, the mandate holders had issued 89 communications on laws and policy. These communications were aimed at raising the voices of victims and civil society actors within the United Nations system, while providing governments with tools necessary to meet their international obligations regarding the rights to peaceful assembly and association. With political will, communications have been shown to be a catalyst for positive change. For example, a communication was issued condemning the decision of the Government of Ecuador to arbitrarily close an environmental organization, Fundación Pachamama, 38 in 2013. That communication served as an advocacy tool to secure the reinstatement of the nongovernmental organization following a change in government. More recently, a communication to the Government of Sierra Leone regarding restrictive provisions found in the Development Cooperation Framework39 enabled a series of reforms and collaborations with civil society to ensure that they had effective partners in development efforts. 6. Movement building 40. Finally, many civil society organizations have emphasized that one of the most significant results of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur was the building of a global movement to promote an enabling environment for the enjoyment of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. The creation of the mandate helped foster informal and formal coalitions around the protection of these fundamental freedoms and provided tools for many individuals and communities worldwide to share a vision of the changes needed and strategies to ensure these rights can be fully enjoyed by everyone. 41. The mandate of the Special Rapporteur contributed to mobilizing solidarity among civil society activists, empowering advocacy efforts, amplifying voices and facilitating learning exchanges. This movement was made possible in part due to the Special Rapporteur’s direct and routine engagement with civil society organizations and grass-roots communities around the world. Over the past 10 years, the mandate holder has prioritized outreach to civil society through formal and informal consultations and meetings. These meetings allowed the different special rapporteurs to increase understanding of the reality, concerns and lived experiences of the people on the ground and to ensure that their perspectives were and are reflected in their work. Several respondents highlighted efforts of the mandate holders to give a voice to civil society, including within the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly, as a major achievement. These efforts also enhanced the capacity of civil society organizations, including those that have traditionally been underrepresented and have had fewer opportunities to engage with multilateral institutions, 38 39 Communication ECU 4/2013, dated 31 December 2013. Available at spcommreports.ohchr.org/ TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=14789 (in Spanish). Communication SLE 1/2019, dated 22 February 2019. Available at spcommreports.ohchr.org/ TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=24361. 11