United Nations
The fifty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 4 to 15 March 2013 under the theme “Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls.” The APC Women’s Rights Programme has a full agenda at the event as part of its advocacy efforts supporting women’s and internet rights.
APC’s Internet Rights Are Human Rights project has developed a draft checklist for civil society groups to monitor legislation, raise awareness, defend internet rights, and influence policy in relation to freedom of expression on the internet.
It’s short, but it matters. In no more words than a Twitter message, Brazil made many internet rights activists happy in September. It’s worth revisiting this message and putting in context.
Though Rio has a long history with ICTs, dating back to the original Earth Summit in 1990 when APC set up “communications centres” for the UN, there was very little reflection at the summit 20 years later. APC’s Shawna Finnegan and Lisa Cyr report on their observations at the conference.
“As an international network and non-profit organisation that believes the internet is a global public good, we would like to extend our congratulation to the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association for this work,” said APC in reference to a landmark report discussed at the UN in May 2012.
<p>Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/harshilshah/3680427729/sizes/m/in/photostre... Shah</a></p>
Efforts to mitigate violence against women online can backfire explains a report presented at the UN Human Rights Council. APC covered women’s issues and the internet at the HRC in a special edition of the policy and gender bulletin GenderIT.org.
Major international decisions are being made about the internet in the coming weeks – decisions that could affect the internet as we know it forever. This week the United Nations Human Rights Council will receive its first ever official report on freedom of expression online – and APC is helping deliver the message to the UN in Geneva.
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 2022
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