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<div class="Section1"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><big><font
face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">Hi all<br>
<br>
</font></big>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><big>See as below a statement
issued by the UN Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights, noting tha</big>t
"</font></font></font><font size="4" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span
style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial;">it is crucial to
address who
and what shapes the Internet today"</span></font>. Welcoming the
yesterday's meeting on enhanced cooperation, the statement underlines
the urgency to arrive at a global consensus on Internet governance and
architecture. <br>
<br>
The statement also stresses the need to uphold the
principle of network neutrality. (We ourselves think it is important to
bring the
discussion about this basic architectural principle of the Internet to
global IG spaces, which really hasnt happened in an effective manner.
The manner in which the issue of global network neutrality remains
unaddressed also quite effectively highlights the problem of 'what
happens next' after a global IG issue has been discussed and
re-discussed in the IGF) .<br>
<br>
BTW, we are also happy to note that the Special Rapporteur takes a
positive
note of the civil society <a
href="http://www.itforchange.net/civil_society_statement_on_democratic_internet">joint
statement</a> on democratisation of global
governance of the Internet, (issued by more that 50 CS organisations).<br>
<br>
parminder , IT for Change<br>
<font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><br>
</font></font>
<div class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;">
<hr noshade="noshade" size="2" color="#8091a5" width="100%" align="left"></span></font></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><font size="3"
face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br>
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">(issued as received)</span></b><br>
<img id="_x0000_i1026" src="cid:part1.01050606.06000803@itforchange.net"
height="68" width="623"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 72pt;"><font
size="3" face="Verdana"><span
style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana;">M/12/15</span></font><br>
<font face="Verdana"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">18 May 2012</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;"><br>
</span></font><b><font size="6" face="Arial"><span
style="font-size: 24pt; font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">“It is
crucial to address who and what
shapes the Internet today” – UN expert on cultural rights</span></font></b><br>
<br>
<br>
<font size="4" face="Arial"><span
style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial;">(GENEVA.
18 May 2012) – “With the Internet becoming such a powerful medium
through which
individuals exercise a wide range of human rights, it is crucial to
address who
and what shapes the Internet today,” said the United Nations Special
Rapporteur
on cultural rights, Farida Shaheed, adding that a “human-rights based
approach
to the issue should always be adopted”. </span></font><br>
<br>
<font size="4" face="Arial"><span
style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial;">“Since
the Internet is essentially a global resource, it is crucial that
appropriate
Internet governance supports the right of everyone to have access to
and use
information and communication technologies in self-determined and
empowering
ways,” Ms. Shaheed stressed prior to today’s meeting in Geneva of the
UN
Commission on Science and Technology for Development to discuss policy
issues
regarding Internet governance.*</span></font><br>
<br>
<font size="4" face="Arial"><span
style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial;">Given
the urgency to arrive at a global consensus on Internet governance and
architecture, the Special Rapporteur welcomed the first steps taken to
discuss
these issues in an inclusive way, noting the demand expressed by some
civil
society organizations for a democratization of the global governance of
the
Internet.</span></font><br>
<br>
<font size="4" face="Arial"><span
style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial;">“The
Internet has become a key element for the enjoyment and the promotion
of human
rights such as the right to freedom of opinion and expression,
including the
right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds
regardless
of frontiers; the right to share and enjoy the benefits of scientific
progress
and its applications; the right to participate in cultural life and
engage with
others through inter-cultural dialogue; as well as the right to
development,”
she noted. </span></font><br>
<br>
<font size="4" face="Arial"><span
style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial;">“As
such, it can also play an important role to promote democratic
participation,
accountability, transparency and economic development”, Ms. Shaheed
said. “It
is therefore vital to safeguard the immense potential of the Internet
to
promote human rights, and to maintain it as a global resource for all
to
enjoy.”</span></font><br>
<br>
<font size="4" face="Arial"><span
style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial;">Ms.
Shaheed underlined the need to ensure that the Internet is not parceled
into
‘national spheres’ and to guard against any monopolistic appropriation
of the
Internet, which could seriously reduce the public spaces where social
actors
interact as equals. In her view, “it is important that Internet
governance
policies and architecture promote public spaces on the Internet and be
based on
open and public standards.” </span></font><br>
<br>
<font size="4" face="Arial"><span
style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial;">Moreover,
she highlighted that discussions surrounding policy issues should seek
to
pinpoint basic principles to guide the development of the architecture
of the
Internet, fully taking into consideration all human rights and the
principles
of equality and non-discrimination. “The principle of net neutrality,
whereby
all content is treated equally over the Internet, is a foundational
principle
of the Internet and should be upheld”, she stressed. </span></font><br>
<br>
<font size="4" face="Arial"><span
style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial;">“The
Internet started as a collegial enterprise of communication and sharing
informed by the principles of equality, non-interference and
non-hierarchy,”
the Special Rapporteur said. “Its architecture was constructed in a
manner
which ensured that the flow of content was independent of the carrier
infrastructure, making it very difficult for anyone to control the
flows on the
Internet. It is essential that these basic elements that make Internet
such a
unique and important tool for communication are maintained.”</span></font><br>
<br>
<font face="Arial"><span style="font-family: Arial;">(*) The UN
Commission on
Science and Technology for Development of the Economic and Social
Council will
hold an open, interactive meeting on enhanced cooperation on public
policy
issues relating to the Internet on 18 May 2012, in Geneva, Switzerland.
The
meeting involves Member States and other stakeholders, particularly
those from
developing countries, including the private sector, civil society and
international organizations, with a view to identifying a shared
understanding
about enhanced cooperation on public policy issues pertaining to the
Internet,
in accordance with paragraphs 34 and 35 of the Tunis Agenda.</span></font><br>
<br>
<font size="4" face="Arial"><span
style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial;">ENDS</span></font><br>
<br>
<i><font face="Arial"><span
style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic;">Ms.
Farida Shaheed took up her functions as Independent Expert and then
Special
Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights in August 2009. She has
worked for
more than 25 years promoting and protecting cultural rights by
fostering
policies and projects designed in culturally sensitive ways to support
the
rights of marginalized sectors, including women, peasants, and
religious and
ethnic minorities. Ms. Shaheed has been the recipient of several
national and
international human rights awards, and is an experienced participant in
negotiations at international, regional and national levels. </span></font></i><br>
<br>
<i><font face="Arial"><span
style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic;">Learn
more about the mandate and work of the Special Rapporteur: </span></font></i><a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/cultural_rights/index.htm"><i><font
face="Arial"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic;">http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/cultural_rights/index.htm</span></font></i></a><i><font
face="Arial"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic;"> </span></font></i><br>
<br>
<i><font face="Arial"><span
style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic;">For
inquiries and media requests, please contact Ms. Mylène Bidault (+ 41<b><span
style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></b>22 917 9254 /</span></font></i><font
color="navy" face="Arial"><span
style="font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font><a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:mbidault@ohchr.org"><i><font
face="Arial"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic;">mbidault@ohchr.org</span></font></i></a><i><font
color="navy" face="Arial"><span
style="font-family: Arial; color: navy; font-style: italic;">) </span></font></i><i><font
face="Arial"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic;">or
Marcelo Daher (+41 22 917 9431 / </span></font></i><a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:mdaher@ohchr.org"><i><font
face="Arial"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic;">mdaher@ohchr.org</span></font></i></a><i><font
face="Arial"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic;">)
or write to </span></font></i><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:ieculturalrights@ohchr.org"><i><font face="Arial"><span
style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic;">ieculturalrights@ohchr.org</span></font></i></a><i><font
face="Arial"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic;">.</span></font></i><br>
<br>
<font face="Arial"><span style="font-family: Arial;">For <b><span
style="font-weight: bold;">media inquiries</span></b> related to other
UN Special Rapporteurs:</span></font><br>
<font face="Arial"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Xabier Celaya, UN
Human Rights
– Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9383 / </span></font><a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:xcelaya@ohchr.org"><font
face="Arial"><span style="font-family: Arial;">xcelaya@ohchr.org</span></font></a><font
face="Arial"><span style="font-family: Arial;">) </span></font><br>
<br>
<b><font face="Arial"><span
style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold;">UN Human
Rights, follow us on social media: </span></font></b><br>
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<br>
<font face="Arial"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Join us to speak
up for human
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<br>
__________<br>
<br>
<i><font face="Verdana"><span
style="font-family: Verdana; font-style: italic;">For
use of the information media; not an official record</span></font></i><o:p></o:p></p>
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