Statements and submissions
In this submission to the third substantive session of the UN Open-Ended Working Group on the security of, and in the use of, information and communications technologies (OEWG), APC addresses some of the recommended next steps outlined in the draft progress report.
These APC priorities were reiterated in a statement delivered at the informal dialogue with the Chair of the UN Open-ended Working Group on developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security (OEWG) 2021-2025.
APC and other civil society organisations from around the world share reflections on the key outcomes of the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council, as well as the missed opportunities to address key issues and situations.
This joint civil society submission focuses particularly on digital rights including freedom of expression, the protection of human rights defenders (HRDs), including women human rights defenders, violence against women and misinformation.
APC and other members of the Hold the Line Coalition condemn the Philippine Court of Appeals decision to uphold the conviction of Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa and former Rappler researcher Rey Santos Jr. on trumped-up charges of cyber libel.
During the high-level discussion on countering the negative impact of disinformation on the enjoyment of human rights, APC called for efforts to collect and study community-based responses to disinformation and improve the exercise of communication rights and tools by marginalised communities.
In its submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, APC stresses that online attacks against women and gender-non-conforming people are one of the most serious contemporary threats to their safety, to media freedom and to gender equality more broadly.
In its submission to the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, APC welcomed the concerns raised regarding defamation campaigns against legal professionals on social media, and highlighted the case of Tunisia, where women judges are the target of online gendered attacks.
In this submission, APC and other civil society groups call on the Indian Ministry of Electronics and IT to withdraw the amendments recently proposed to the country's IT Rules and to commence a process of consultation on the proposed amendments.
APC and other members of the Hold the Line Coalition condemn the shutdown order against Maria Ressa's Rappler media group, approved by the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission this week.
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 2022
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