civil society
The following two reports, which are included in the GISWatch 2024 Special Edition, are thoughtful analyses on the vision and agenda set up at the WSIS summit twenty years ago, and reflections on its value and need in civil society advocacy as we move forward.
The upcoming NETmundial+10 meeting will be an important space to ensure that civil society priorities and perspectives are strongly represented and build on APC’s historical engagement in key internet policy and governance processes.
APC believes that civil society has a key role to play in the implementation of cybersecurity norms through research grounded in local and national contexts, and increasing awareness and building capacity of stakeholders for norms compliance.
In its contribution to this round of consultations, APC stressed the vital importance of ensuring the effective consideration of civil society voices in the Global Digital Compact negotiation phase.
Organisations spanning civil society, industry and the technical community, including APC, urge governments to consider withholding support for the draft UN cybercrime treaty in its current incarnation. If adopted without major changes, this treaty's risks far outweigh its potential benefits.
Over 200 organisations including APC sent a joint letter to UN representatives calling on them to ensure live online modalities of participation for UN human rights bodies and mechanisms, in light of concerns regarding civil society access and participation in these spaces.
The statement's signatories, including APC, stress that the proposed UN Cybercrime Convention must be narrowly focused on tackling cybercrime, and not used as a tool to undermine human rights. Unless meaningful changes are made to address current shortcomings, the Convention should be rejected.
APC and other civil society organisations marked the conclusion of the UN General Assembly's 78th Third Committee session with observations on both thematic and country-specific outcomes, and urged all states to implement the commitments made during this session to their full extent.
Arsène Tungali, executive director of the DRC-based APC member organisation Rudi International, shares his takeaways from this international learning and exchange experience made possible with support from APC's Member Engagement and Travel Fund.
The input to the progress report of the UN Open-ended Working Group on developments in the field of ICT in the context of international security (OEWG) makes recommendations to ensure implementation of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace in a human-centric and rights-respecting manner.
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 2022
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