On June 21, 2011 a group of 33 organizations released a statement calling for constitutional and human rights principles to guide the U.S. government’s approach to national security rules and policies impacting legitimate charitable work.

Signatories to the statement included international charities, grantmakers, think tanks and civil liberties and peacebuilding groups. The Statement, Supporting Reform of Security Laws That Hinder Charity, said outdated policies have “have hindered the transformative power of the American charitable community’s work in conflict zones and trench on precious First Amendment freedoms of speech and association, and Fifth Amendment guarantees of due process.” It calls on the U.S. government to:

  • Reform the prohibition on material support to respect charitable access in order to provide basic humanitarian aid to civilians, and to protect free speech, association and peacebuilding.

  • Reform the process for placing groups and individuals on terrorist lists to ensure that they have sufficient notice and a meaningful opportunity to respond to the charges against them, and to ensure that the system includes sufficient checks and balances on executive discretion.

Organizations both in and outside the U.S. that would like to learn more or add their name to this list should contact the Charity & Security Network at [email protected].