[bestbits] IG on the 24th HRC session

[Valeria Betancourt]

If I am not wrong, it is the first time this issue is raised at the  
HRC by a group of countries.

Valeria


On 20/09/2013, at 10:39, Valeria Betancourt wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> Sharing this information with you all.
>
> Pakistan, speaking on behalf of Cuba, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Uganda,  
> Ecuador, Russia, Indonesia, Bolivia, Iran, and China, highlighted at  
> HRC24 the need to protect the right to privacy as an essential  
> element of free expression, citing the International Covenant on  
> Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and La Rue’s report. The  
> statement explicitly criticized the role of major international  
> internet and telecommunication technology companies in violating  
> privacy. It also explicitly made the links between the allegations  
> of mass state surveillance and the need for reforming global  
> internet governance. To quote the statement directly:
>
> "The existing mechanisms like the Internet Governance Forum  
> established under paragraph 72 of the World Summit on Information  
> Society- Tunis Agenda have not been able to deliver the desired  
> results. A strategic rethinking of the global internet governance  
> mechanism is inevitable. Further development of an international  
> mechanism in the context of ‘Enhanced cooperation’ within the WSIS  
> Tunis Agenda can be a concrete way forward. However we will need to  
> be sincere in our efforts to ensure a transparent, free, fair and  
> respectful international intergovernmental mechanism of internet  
> governance and one that also ensures the right to privacy."
>
> The full intervention by Pakistan is available at http://www.apc.org/en/system/files/HRC24_Pakistan_20130919.pdf
>
> Best,
>
> Valeria