Access to information
On 28-30 September, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa will host the eighth annual Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica), an event that convenes a wide spectrum of stakeholders from across the internet governance and digital rights arenas.
This UPR submission was co-authored by the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zimbabwe Chapter, Small Media and Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), and supported by APC and numerous other global and regional organisations.
Look back at the early days of digital enthusiasm, and you’ll find many assumptions. “Good things” (or opportunities) were often emphasised in digital literature back then; less good things (or risks) less so.
In recognition of the 250 organisations in the #KeepItOn Coalition against internet shutdowns, we urge all states to immediately and unconditionally cease shutting down, throttling, or blocking the internet.
Karisma, FLIP, ILEX, CEJIL, IFEX, Derechos Digitales and APC urge the Human Rights Council to call on the Colombian state to guarantee, respect and protect the exercise of human rights online and offline in the country.
The HRC will hold its 47th session in Geneva from 21 June to 13 July. APC considers the HRC sessions an important opportunity to influence the formulation of international standards on human rights online and to raise awareness regarding violations of human rights online in specific countries.
How are APC members improving their communities’ lives? For CITAD, this has manifested in the development of numerous projects aimed at bridging digital divides and empowering local communities in Nigeria.
As international, regional and national civil society organisations working at the intersection of technology and human rights, we call on the world's governments to lift the intellectual property barriers that hinder universal access to health care and free COVID-19 vaccination for all.
APC joins with other civil society organisations to denounce the escalating situation of digital authoritarianism in India, including the efforts to intimidate web platforms into compliance with the government's censorship measures.
APC joins in the condemnation of the suspension of Twitter services in Nigeria, and considers that this measure not only limits Nigerian citizens' exercise of their right to access information, but also other rights including freedom of expression, privacy, and freedom of assembly and association.

Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 2022
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