Global Partners Digital (GPD)
Global Partners Digital (GPD) is a social purpose company dedicated to fostering a digital environment underpinned by human rights and democratic values. They do this by making policy spaces and processes more open, inclusive and transparent, and by facilitating strategic, informed and coordinated engagement in these processes by public interest actors. In 2016, GPD supported APC for the implementation of the “Africa regional workshop, “The Internet as a Driver of Free Expression in Africa”.
More than 2,000 participants are expected at RightsCon 2018, which will explore pressing issues including innovation, free expression, gender diversity and digital inclusion, encryption and cybersecurity, and many other topics relevant to keeping the internet free, open and secure worldwide.
This joint statement from the Association for Progressive Communications and Global Partners Digital focuses on how states can raise awareness of the gender dimensions of security of and in the use of ICTs and promote gender-sensitive capacity building at the policy level.
APC and the other signatories of this open letter stress that India – as the world’s largest democracy, and second largest base of internet users – has an opportunity to draft an exemplary legislation that ensures the protection of human rights in the digital age.
The toll of unrestrained cyber operations on human security mounts daily and as such, discussions and decisions arising from the relevant UN processes need to address them more effectively. These efforts should be guided by human-centric and rights-based approaches.
The 10th edition of the African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG) will take place from 16 to 18 July and will focus on international cybersecurity. It will be held as a pre-event to the African Internet Governance Forum to be held in Lilongwe, Malawi.
Although multilateral forums including the United Nations have made some progress in identifying norms, rules and principles to guide responsible state behaviour in cyberspace, applying agreed norms to "real life" throws up challenges of interpretation and enforcement.
APC and other organisations believe the draft regulations are inconsistent with the international human rights framework, imperil people’s freedom of expression and right to privacy, and could put journalists, dissidents, activists and vulnerable communities, in particular, at greater risk.
In this letter, APC and a diverse range of organisations from around the world reiterate what they consider the key characteristics of the UN Tech Envoy profile based on their experience and mandates as civil society groups working to improve inclusive internet governance and digital cooperation.
A joint letter urges members of the UN Ad Hoc Committee drafting a potential Cybercrime Treaty to ensure that human rights protections are included at every step and global civil society is provided opportunities to participate in the development process.
The aim of this brief is to support the implementation of the agreed language in the United Nations Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) resolution pertaining to stakeholder engagement.

Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 2022
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