Despite Civil Society’s Contributions to Democracy, Mongolia’s NGOs Are Now at Risk

Craig Castagna writes for the International Republican Institute (IRI), praising Mongolian civil society for its contribution to the country's democratic development, and criticising its government for recently tabled legal frameworks that place undue restrictions on the activities of CSOs. Since the country's initial CSO law in 1997, a vibrant civil society has been instrumental in building and sustaining Mongolian democracy, with 60% of Mongolians holding a positive view of civil society. However, the new draft laws signal a part in a wider global trend of cracking down on civil society organisations using restrictive legal avenues, with the currently proposed laws raising concern in local NGOs of opening doors to unjustified and political targeting.

Read the full piece here at the International Republican Institute.