[governance] Statement by IGC supporting rights and principles

[McTim]

This is a red letter day, not only does Carlos agree with me, but I
find that PJS formulation is ok!! Having said that, I prefer the CA
version.

rgds,
McTim

On Tue, Sep 8, 2009 at 10:47 AM, Carlos A. Afonso<ca at cafonso.ca> wrote:
> I agree with McTim's concern, and would suggest that "Of particular
> concern are the policies that many governments are pursuing at the
> national level" be replaced by "Of particular concern are the
> restrictive policies that several governments are pursuing at the
> national level."
>
> --c.a.
>
> Meryem Marzouki wrote:
>> This v.3 is fine with me. Thanks Lisa.
>> Best,
>> Meryem
>>
>> Le 8 sept. 09 à 13:03, Lisa Horner a écrit :
>>
>>> Hi all
>>>
>>> I agree that the original wording was too sweeping, but also think
>>> that Meryem's point that it's not just governments who are the
>>> culprits is an important one.  Companies are obviously involved in
>>> online censorship and privacy violations, whether wittingly or
>>> unwittingly, and many are pushing for overly restrictive copyright
>>> which can limit access to information and expression.  Organisations
>>> and individuals who are involved in technological design and standard
>>> setting also need to be aware of their impact on the nature of
>>> communications technologies and whether they support or undermine
>>> human rights.
>>>
>>> However, as has already been discussed, we need to strike a balance
>>> between a general, awareness-raising statement and being explicit
>>> enough so as not to confuse/mislead.  How about:
>>>
>>> "Fundamental human rights such as the rights to freedom of
>>> expression, privacy and education are threatened by some internet
>>> governance processes and practices.  Of particular concern are the
>>> policies that many governments are pursuing at the national level."
>>>
>>> New draft statement 3 pasted below, incorporating Meryem's
>>> suggestions about rights instruments.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> Lisa
>>>
>>> ---------------------------------------
>>>
>>> DRAFT STATEMENT (v.3)
>>>
>>> The Caucus [and undersigned DCs] repeat their request that the
>>> programme for IGF-4 in Egypt gives the required attention to human
>>> rights.  The WSIS Declaration and Tunis Agenda reaffirmed the
>>> centrality of human rights in the information society, but human
>>> rights and associated principles have received very little attention
>>> at the IGF so far.  This is problematic as:
>>>
>>> *    Fundamental human rights such as the rights to freedom of
>>> expression, privacy and education are threatened by some internet
>>> governance processes and practices.  Of particular concern are the
>>> policies that many governments are pursuing at the national level.
>>> *    The internet presents new opportunities for upholding and
>>> advancing human rights, for example through enhancing access to
>>> knowledge and resources. It is vital that we build on and enhance
>>> these opportunities.
>>> *    International human rights instruments are legally binding.
>>> Governments who have signed these covenants have a legal obligation
>>> and responsibility to uphold their citizens' human rights actively,
>>> in the Internet era as before.
>>> *    The human rights framework is an internationally agreed set of
>>> standards that has also has practical as well as ethical value.  It
>>> balances different rights against each other to preserve individual
>>> and public interest.  In addition to its legally binding
>>> implications, the framework is therefore a useful tool for addressing
>>> internet governance issues, such as how to deal with security
>>> concerns on the internet in compliance with the rights to freedom of
>>> expression and privacy.  Besides stating the obligations of states
>>> and governments, the framework also allows us to derive the rights
>>> and responsibilities of other stakeholders.
>>>
>>> The Internet Governance Caucus [and undersigned DCs] call for human
>>> rights standards to be included in the planning and implementation of
>>> all IGF sessions, so that they are given the attention they deserve
>>> as cross-cutting issues.  This should include explicit consideration
>>> of how global, regional and national policies affect fundamental
>>> rights, and the development of positive policy principles to build an
>>> open and accessible internet for all.  The Caucus [and undersigned
>>> DCs] would like to offer assistance to the organisers of the main
>>> plenary sessions to do this, and would like to support all
>>> stakeholders through providing access to relevant guidelines and
>>> experts.
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: William Drake [mailto:william.drake at graduateinstitute.ch]
>>> Sent: 08 September 2009 11:07
>>> To: governance at lists.cpsr.org; Meryem Marzouki
>>> Subject: Re: [governance] Statement by IGC supporting rights and
>>> principles
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sep 8, 2009, at 11:49 AM, Meryem Marzouki wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> Le 8 sept. 09 à 11:38, William Drake a écrit :
>>>>
>>>>> Hi Meryem,
>>>>>
>>>>> On Sep 8, 2009, at 11:15 AM, Meryem Marzouki wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Such a short statement, which purpose is to put the HR issue on
>>>>>> the table at IGF -- and nothing more -- should remain general
>>>>>> enough.
>>>>>> If there is real and shared insistance that the sentence be
>>>>>> watered down, then we could says "... threatened by SOME current
>>>>>> IG processes and practice". Although this seems obvious..
>>>>>> Finally, a statement should be read in its globality. The final
>>>>>> paragraph mentions "global, regional and national policiies",
>>>>>> showing that the statement makes a difference between these
>>>>>> policies at different levels.
>>>>>
>>>>> My suggestion pertained to the examples Ginger gave, which were of
>>>>> national level government censorship.  If you'd like to suggest
>>>>> more encompassing yet differentiated language and try to get
>>>>> consensus on it feel free, but as McTim notes, "are threatened by
>>>>> current internet governance processes and practice" seems too
>>>>> sweepingly totalizing.
>>>>
>>>> If it seems totalizing, then let's make sure there is no
>>>> misunderstanding, and have the statement simply says "... threatened
>>>> by SOME OF THE current IG processes and practice". Is that agreeable
>>>> to you and Mc Tim?
>>>
>>> Sure it's agreeable, but I doubt it ensures there'll be no
>>> misunderstanding.
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>>
>>> Bill____________________________________________________________
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