FW: [governance] 2010 Asia Declaration on Internet Governance
Lisa Horner
LisaH at global-partners.co.uk
Fri Jun 25 05:32:35 EDT 2010
From: Lisa Horner
Sent: 25 June 2010 10:27
To:; 'SAMUELS,Carlton A'; Robert Guerra; bill-of-rights at ipjustice.org
Cc: coalition at mailman.thepublicvoice.org
Subject: RE: [governance] 2010 Asia Declaration on Internet Governance
Just to let you know that the IRP dynamic coalition is gathering information on discussions relevant to human rights from all of the regional IGFs with a view to producing a report for Vilnius, comparing perspectives and emphasising the human rights dimensions of internet governance. If anyone would like to participate or share their perspectives, please do let us know!
All the best,
Lisa
From: SAMUELS,Carlton A [mailto:carlton.samuels at uwimona.edu.jm]
Sent: 24 June 2010 11:25
To: governance at lists.cpsr.org; Robert Guerra; bill-of-rights at ipjustice.org
Cc: coalition at mailman.thepublicvoice.org
Subject: RE: [governance] 2010 Asia Declaration on Internet Governance
Thanks for this, Robert. Latin America/Caribbean will have a regional IGF plenary soon and I know much if not all of the agenda identified in Asia is shared. It would be good if we could organize to have a congruent declaration from LAC to the same channel.
Carlton Samuels
From: Robert Guerra [mailto:lists at privaterra.info]
Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 4:31 PM
To: bill-of-rights at ipjustice.org
Cc: coalition at mailman.thepublicvoice.org; governance at lists.cpsr.org
Subject: [governance] 2010 Asia Declaration on Internet Governance
I just came across the following that thought could be of interest to those on the mailing list. Apologies for cross-posting.
Regards
Robert
--
http://bit.ly/aQaaAm
2010 Asia Declaration on Internet Governance <http://bit.ly/aQaaAm>
"[The IGF is] multilateral, multi-stakeholder, democratic, and transparent."
- 2005 Tunis Agenda
"[We call for] a people-centered, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society...full respect and upholding of universal human rights including freedom of opinion and expression; and "The universality, indivisibility, interdependence and interrelation of all human rights and fundamental freedoms"
- 2003 Declaration of Principles of World Summit on Information Society.
On the occasion of the first Asia-Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF) Roundtable in Hong Kong on June 15-16, 2010, we, civil society representatives from eight Southeast Asian countries, call on the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and its Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) to fully uphold these aforementioned commitments and principles, as mandated by the United Nations Secretary-General.
We applaud the work of the first APrIGF towards building multi-stakeholder discussion on internet governance. In this vein of inclusive dialogue, we offer the following perspectives and recommendations to the MAG meeting in Geneva at the Palais des Nations on June 28-29, as well as for the fifth annual IGF meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania on September 14-17, 2010.
Key Observations of the APrIGF
In response to the first Asia-Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum<http://rigf.asia> (APrIGF) Roundtable in Hong Kong on June 15-16, 2010, we, netizens, journalists, bloggers, IT practitioners and nongovernmental representatives from across Southeast Asia, offer the following observations from the Roundtable:
1. Critical issues of internet governance in Asia should guide future discussions on internet governance policy:
Openness
Open access to information is the right of every individual, a right that servers as a fundamental venue for one's knowledge- and capacity-building. Access to information ultimately helps foster creativity and innovation, thus promoting sustainable human and economic development. Openness is key to a democratic and open society. Restrictions on freedom of opinion and expression online, such as state censorship which blocks Internet intermediaries, is one of the threats to open societies. Intimidation and state censorship facilitate self-censorship, a hazardous social phenomenon that further undermines democracy and openness.
Access
The internet is for everyone; it is a public good. Yet a Digital Divide between those countries and communities with internet access and those without persists, and has not been sufficiently addressed in discussions on internet governance. Proceedings at the APrIGF indicated a higher priority must be placed on addressing not only the global digital divide, but also regional and national ones. While Singapore enjoys high Internet access rates (70% penetration), countries like Burma and Cambodia are at the other end of the spectrum (0.22% and 0.51% penetration, respectively), ranked the lowest of 200 countries studied in the World Bank.
Internet access is fundamental for progress. Various factors, such as political, economic and social development, poverty levels, and technological infrastructure affect whether and how often people can access the internet. Internationally coordinated efforts must be made to address domestic policies that contribute to the digital divide in Southeast Asia and find solutions to bridge the gap.
Cyber Security
Definition of cyber security must include elements that address right to privacy and civil and political freedom.
An individual’s right over his/her own privacy, including personal data and information, must not be sacrificed. Information technology, such as IPv6, ZigBee, RFID, when used without transparent and accountable oversight, could pose threats to individual rights.
Today's information society connects personal IT devices directly to the outside world, no longer storing personal data on a single server. Given the involvement of the government and businesses (especially state-owned enterprises) in running such technologies, surveillance and identity theft remain a constant threat against Internet users.
In this regard, any national security policy must not deviate from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and all international human rights covenants to which states are parties.
2. Opportunities exist to continue to improve the IGF Process:
Awareness of the IGF in Southeast Asia and at the ASEAN level is presently lacking. Furthermore, Asia-Pacific-wide representation of civil society at the APrIGF Roundtable was incomplete. There exists a need not only to develop awareness about the IGF, but also to provide learning materials to make the IGF accessible to all. Greater access to the IGF would help make it more inclusive with various stakeholders, including those from the least developed nations and marginalized and vulnerable groups in Asia-Pacific.
During the APrIGF Roundtable, an open dialogue and two-way exchange of information and ideas was not fully facilitated. Open space to discuss and articulate criticism and suggest solutions must be guaranteed in all IGF events. Such an effort provides practical benefit to Internet users, both present and future, when the outcome of the APrIGF Roundtable is developed into a roadmap. Clarifying and planning the roles of local, national, regional and international multi-stakeholders, will help promote and protect transparent and democratic Internet governance and hence information society in the region.
Requests to the IGF
The first APrIGF presented a valuable opportunity to analyze both the issues upon which the IGF focuses and the process by which it is governed. With respect to these priority issues and opportunities for improved processes, we therefore recommend the following:
1. Immediately address as an urgent global internet governance issue the increasing implementation of law that suppress and restrict freedom of expression and access to information, especially within developing countries;
2. Fully integrate the universal human rights agenda into IGF program and engage systematically and regularly with the UN Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights, in particular the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression and the UN Human Rights Council;
3. Ensure that the IGF policy proposals and recommendations are in line with international human rights principles and standards;
4. Strengthen the IGF's multilateralism and openness in the upcoming fifth annual IGF meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania in September and future national and sub-regional level IGF meetings in Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific;
5. Extend the mandate of IGF for another five years;
6. Conduct wider outreach to civil society actors in Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific and allocate financial resources to encourage and support their participation in the fifth annual meeting and subsequent global IGFs, and organize national and sub-regional level IGFs;
7. Ensure active remote participation in the annual meeting and subsequent IGFs, utilizing digital technologies such as live-streaming webcast, video conference, twitter and other social media tools;
8. Guarantee that technical discussions during IGFs fully accommodates new constituents and stakeholders and incorporate an assessment of policy implications on the rights of Internet users and society;
9. Develop a plan of action in order to facilitate follow-up and monitoring of IGF outcomes; and
10. Conduct an impact study by an independent organization to assess the effectiveness of IGF, in accordance with the principles set out in the 2005 Tunis Agenda and the 2003 Declaration of Principles of the WSIS.
Hereby signed by:
Yap Swee Seng
Executive Director Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
E-mail: yap at forum-asia.org Mobile (Bangkok): +66.81.868.9178 Web: www.forum-asia.org
Chiranuch Premchaiporn Executive Director Prachatai Online Newspaper
E-mail: chiranuch at prachatai.co<mailto:chiranuch at prachatai.co>m Mobile (Bangkok): +66.81.6207707 Web: www.prachatai.com<http://www.prachatai.com>; www.prachatai.org/englis<http://www.prachatai.org/englis>h
Ernesto G. Sonido Jr
Blogger TechTanod, the Blog and Soul Movement, the Philippine Blog Awards
E-mail: 1fishtank at gmail.co<mailto:1fishtank at gmail.co>m Phone: +63.917829.8090 Web: http://baratillo.net/; http://techtanod.com/
Ndaru
Blogger (Indonesia)
http://politikana.com/
Ou Virak
President Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR)
E-mail: ouvirak at cchrcambodia.org Mobile (Phnom Penh): +855.12.404.051 Web: www.cchrcambodia.org
Phoutthasinh Phimmachanh
Senior Knowledge Management Officer Swiss Association for International Development (Helvetas-Laos)
Email: phoutthasinh.phimmachanh at helvetas.org<mailto:phoutthasinh.phimmachanh at helvetas.org> Phone (Laos): +856.21.740.253
Sean Ang
Executive Director Southeast Asian Center for e-Media (SEACeM)
E-mail: sean at seacem.co<mailto:sean at seacem.co>m Mobile (Kuala Lumpur): +60.166.533.533 Web: www.seacem.co<http://www.seacem.co>m
Chuah Siew Eng
Publicity Officer Centre for Independent Journalism
Email: sieweng.cij at gmail.com<mailto:sieweng.cij at gmail.com> Phone (Kuala Lumpur): +60.340.230.772 Web: cijmalaysia.org<http://cijmalaysia.org>
Leang Delux
Active member Club of Cambodian Journalist
E-mail: deluxnews at gmail.com<mailto:deluxnews at gmail.com> Mobile (Cambodia): +855.15.523.623 Web: www.ccj.com.kh<http://www.ccj.com.kh>
Oliver Robillo
Founder Mindanao Bloggers Community
E-mail: blogie at dabawenyo.com<mailto:blogie at dabawenyo.com> Mobile (Davao): +63.918.540.0878 Web: www.mindanaobloggers.com<http://www.mindanaobloggers.com>
Phisit Siprasatthong
Coordinator Thai Netizen Network
E-mail: freethainetizen at gmail.com<mailto:thainetizen at gmail.com> Phone (Bangkok): +66.2691.0574 Web: thainetizen.org<http://thainetizen.org>
Civil Society Representatives from Burma and Vietnam
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