Washington, D.C. – On Nov. 30, the Charity & Security Network (C&SN) submitted input to Ben Saul, the newly appointed United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism. This input addressed the Special Rapporteur’s mandate for his three-year term from 2023-2026, as well as to inform the Special Rapporteur’s report to be presented at the 55th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) in March 2024. C&SN’s comments praised the mandate’s commitment to advancing the work of the prior mandate on the impact of counter-terrorism and terrorist financing measures on civil society, interactions between counter-terrorism law and international humanitarian law and peacebuilding, and advancing human rights in the UN counter-terrorism system.

C&SN also pointed the SR to the following issues that we hope to see addressed:  

  • The proliferation of non-criminal, administrative measures in counter-terrorism, particularly the proscription of terrorist organizations;
  • Compliance with human rights by regional organizations involved in counter-terrorism, particularly the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum (GCTF) and Financial Action Task Force (FATF);
  • Reparation and accountability for large-scale human rights violations when countering terrorism, especially historical conflicts where impunity has prevailed.

Furthermore, C&SN’s input included suggestions for the mandate’s continuing thematic issues, new thematic issues, and new geographic focus. 

Concerning continuing thematic issues, the mandate should proceed with encouraging the integration of intersectional gender, human rights, and rule of law (RoL)-based approaches in the UN counter-terrorism entities and agencies; the implementation of the prior mandate’s Global Study on the Impact of Counter-terrorism on Civil Society and Civic Space; and advocating for civil society to be treated as an equitable partner within the UN counter-terrorism architecture, as civil society organizations continue to be the most knowledgeable and effective actors in fighting the root causes of violent extremism and terrorism. 

C&SN suggests visa denials as a new thematic issue that the Special Rapporteur should address as a priority under its consideration of the proliferation of non-criminal administrative measures in counter-terrorism. Visa denials continue to be an issue that impacts international conferences, convenings, and forums and results in the inequitable exclusion of human rights defenders and organizations across the globe. 

Finally, C&SN suggests that the Special Rapporteur focus geographically on Gaza, in light of the sustained violations of international humanitarian and human rights law and the indiscriminate targeting of civilians. 

See C&SN’s full input to the Special Rapporteur here.