[IRP] UNANIMOUS DECISION MADE! APC Statement of Support for An Expert Panel on Freedom of Expression and the Internet at the UN HRC

Thu Sep 15 18:28:10 EEST 2011

Great! Thanks everybody - clearly there is a very strong feeling that this is an important initiative (and specific appreciation of APC's approach of emphasizing the full range of human rights). Please forward on information about this initiative to your networks - particularly if you have any contacts with your governments and can ask them to endorse Sweden's proposal at the Human Rights Council.

In other news:

*Thank you Tapani for having the 10 Internet Rights and Proposals translated in to Arabic! They have been checked, a few changes have been made - the final version is here: http://internetrightsandprinciples.org/userfiles/file/Arabic%20translation.pdf. Please share this link with your Arabic-speaking friends and networks. If anyone can help with any other languages (Mandarin, Japanese, Russian, Hindi, Urdu, Malay, Persian, etc.) Please do... let's have as many languages as possible before the IGF!

*A Statement relating internet governance to social justice in the context of the East African famine is being together by a small team headed by the wonderful Marianne Franklin. The aim of the statement is to get people at the conference thinking about the role the Internet has in shaping the world, and also to try and get people to make some donation (however small) towards relief. The statement will be sent around in the next week, keep your eyes peeled.

Best,
Dixie

-----Original Message-----
From: Grace Mutung'u (Bomu) [mailto:nmutungu at gmail.com] 
Sent: 15 September 2011 15:42
To: Fiorello Cortiana
Cc: Dixie Hawtin; irp at lists.internetrightsandprinciples.org
Subject: Re: [IRP] R: FW: APC Statement of Support for An Expert Panel on Freedom of Expression and the Internet at the UN HRC

+ 1 in agreement.
Regards,

2011/9/15, Fiorello Cortiana <f.cortiana at provincia.milano.it>:
> agree
>
> Fiorello Cortiana
>
> ________________________________
>
> Da: irp-bounces at lists.internetrightsandprinciples.org
> [mailto:irp-bounces at lists.internetrightsandprinciples.org] Per conto di
> Dixie Hawtin
> Inviato: gioved? 15 settembre 2011 12.36
> A: irp at lists.internetrightsandprinciples.org
> Oggetto: [IRP] FW: APC Statement of Support for An Expert Panel on Freedom
> of Expression and the Internet at the UN HRC
>
>
>
> Dear IRPers - let's endorse this Statement  by APC supporting the Swedish
> government proposal for an expert panel on freedom of expression and the
> Internet at the UN!
>
> Please say if you agree or not,
>
> Thanks, Dixie
>
>
>
> From: henrik.almstrom at gmail.com [mailto:henrik.almstrom at gmail.com] On Behalf
> Of Henrik Almstr?m APC
> Sent: 14 September 2011 19:42
> To: afapredesa2 at yahoo.org; fouadbajwa at gmail.com;
> sheherwzade at arc-international.net; aipazcomun at gmail.com; rasha at aucegypt.edu;
> wlasky at gmail.com; motabac at imber.rc; helsinkitadiu at yahoo.com;
> renate.bloom at gmail.com; judith.kron at yahoo.de; anne.pineau at csn.qc.cn;
> skujur at creaworld.org; annvetron.schmicler at gmail.com;
> laura.stefani8 at gmail.com; onvginebra at mmrree.gov.ec; sza at eda.admin.ch;
> vrho85 at gmx.de; katyn.fokin at forman.fi; fungaijames at gmail.com; Dixie Hawtin;
> Rebecca Zausmer; adv_igit at hrm.org; acsanyi at kum.hu; fbadii at unog.ch;
> ferguson at ichrp.org; m.theidren at ishc.ch; b.kaur at ishr.ch; myewon at kocsc.or.kr;
> saleemwani at hotmail.com; rjparson13 at gmail.com; normanlizamo at ties.it.int;
> marult at um.dk; sybilla.levenston at gmail.com; welius.dragomir at opf-eu.org;
> gbenja.seson at pinigeria.ng; marian.delemontex at gmail.com; helsack at gmail.com;
> libert.expresion at gmail.com; jsorensen at gmail.com; arthit at thanetizon.org;
> sheyna.arthur at unctad.org; shaffeam at plu.edu; framet at state.gov;
> faisalrehmanmalik at gmail.com; orldpeaceforum at hotmail.com;
> jana.brandt1 at gmail.com
> Cc: Joy Liddicoat; Anriette Esterhuysen; Valeria Betancourt; Karen Higgs;
> Grady Johnson; Johan Hallenborg; irina.schoulgin-nyoni at foreign.ministry.se
> Subject: APC Statement of Support for An Expert Panel on Freedom of
> Expression and the Internet at the UN HRC
>
>
>
> Dear all,
>
>
>
> Following the activities during the HRC 17 in June, including the APC
> parallel event on Frank La Rue's report and the cross-regional Statement by
> Sweden <http://www.regeringen.se/sb/d/14186/a/170565> , we are now excited
> to inform you about the most recent developments on the subject:
>
>
>
> *** Swedish Government will during the current HRC session propose an expert
> panel to be convened at the next session (HRC19). APC is issuing the
> statement below to support this proposal and we hope you are interested in
> endorsing this statement to support this important process. ***
>
>
>
> Please find the statement online at http://rights.apc.org, where you will
> also find APCs other work on Internet Rights.
>
>
>
> Kind regards
>
> Henrik Almstrom and the internet Rights team at APC
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *************
>
> NO EMBARGO
>
>
> APC STATEMENT OF SUPPORT FOR AN EXPERT PANEL ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND
> THE INTERNET AT THE UN
>
> JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (APC) Wednesday September 14 -- At this
> extraordinary time for human rights, social media and the internet, we
> strongly endorse the proposal of the Swedish Government for an expert panel
> on the promotion and protection of freedom of expression on the internet  to
> be convened at the 19th Session of the Human Rights Council.
>
> We call on all UN Member States to support this initiative.
>
> Following the annual report of the Special Rapporteur on the Right to
> Freedom of Opinion and Expression at the 17th Session of the Human Rights
> Council, forty governments affirmed that the same human rights that apply
> offline, also apply online, to the internet and social media. Those
> governments stated that "Only in a few exceptional and limited circumstances
> can restrictions on content be acceptable. Such restrictions must comply
> with international human rights law, notably Article 19 of the ICCPR."
>
> APC agrees that international human rights standards are the foundation for
> all States to respect, protect and promote human rights. These standards
> must apply to new technologies, including social media and the internet
> which are used by billions of people around the globe. The interface of
> human rights and the internet is a new issue for the Human Rights Council,
> but one that is quickly emerging in multiple areas. The Council's recently
> released General Comment No. 34 on Article 19 of the International Covenant
> on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) includes specific reference to the
> internet in the context of freedom of expression.
>
> To be effective, the proposed panel must be constituted through an open
> process and ensure the engagement of all, particularly vulnerable and
> marginalised groups, in accordance with the rights based approach and
> principles of multi-stakeholder participation, information-sharing,
> participation and transparency.
>
> There is a clear need for a process through which the Council can consider
> these issues across its mandate. The consideration of human rights online
> must be institutionalised if it is to be effective.  An expert panel will
> start the necessary dialogue in the HRC which we believe should eventually
> extend beyond freedom of expression to include all human rights, civil and
> political as well as cultural, social and economic rights.
> ============================
> The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) is an international
> network and non-profit organisation founded in 1990 that wants everyone to
> have access to a free and open internet to improve lives and create a more
> just world. www.apc.org <http://www.apc.org/>
>
> If you wish to endorse this statement please send your name and organisation
> (if applicable) to grady at apc.org <mailto:grady at apc.org>  with "Endorsement"
> in the subject line.
>
> END
>
> ****************
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Henrik Almstr?m
> Association for Progressive Communications, APC
> Johannesburg, South Africa
>
> www.apc.org
>
> skype: henrikalmstrom
> henrik at apc.org
> mobile: +27 72 311 9613
>
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
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>

-- 
Grace L.N. Mutung'u (Bomu)
Kenya
Skype: gracebomu
Twitter: GraceMutung'u (Bomu)

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