[IRP] FW: APC Statement of Support for An Expert Panel on Freedom of Expression and the Internet at the UN HRC

[parminder]

On Thursday 15 September 2011 06:07 PM, Anriette Esterhuysen wrote:
> Thanks for all the support everyone.
>
> Note that this panel will focus on freedom of expression.. but it is an
> important start to having other rights in the context of the internet
> discussed at HRC level as well.
>    
I agree.
However, for this to happen these other rights, cultural, social and 
economic, and also right to development, have to be articulated and made 
visible in global policy spaces. Catch anyone in these spaces and ask 
him/ her what does he/she think of these rights, and whether he/ she can 
understand and exemplify these rights, and you will see confused and/ or 
embarrassed silence. (Other than maybe mumbling something about 'right 
to access the internet'.)

Is it that the Internet is not impacting people's cultural, social, 
economic and developmental situations in fundamental and structural 
manners? We know that this is not true. But then why doesnt anyone know 
clearly what these issues are? Why are not concepts and vocabulary 
developed around them? Excuse me to repeat my pet peeve: but the fact is 
that the global civil society in the IG space has a big responsibility 
in this. (In a situation where politically conscious and active civil 
society in the Internet governance space - other than some that is 
largely moored to the middle, economically on-the-up, class and its 
interests - is very under-developed, if not largely absent.) So, hereby, 
I do exhort us to discuss, frame, follow and struggle for these other 
rights in full earnest. Marginalised people in developing countries 
badly want us to do so...  parminder







> We tried to flag this in our statement by emphasising social, cultural
> and economic rights along with civil and political rights.
>
> In doing so we are trying to pursue the rights agenda in such a way that
> it includes development issues.
>
> What has been really impressive about the Swedish strategy is that they
> have worked very hard to get support from developing country members of
> the HRC and thus far they have succeeded.
>
> Anriette
>
>
>
> On 15/09/11 14:29, Allon Bar wrote:
>    
>> I agree as well.
>> Thanks to APC for promoting this.
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>>
>>      
>    
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