Human Rights Council
APC joined together with over 160 civil society organisations to call on Human Rights Council member states to approve the resolution extending the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for three years during the 52nd session of the Council.
Inclusive participation of civil society actors helps ensure that the Council is informed and responsive to human rights priorities and needs on the ground, engagement of organisations based outside Geneva, as well as under-resourced civil society actors.
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.
APC considers the Human Rights Council (HRC) as a key mechanism for advancing human rights online. This overview includes some highlights of key outcomes and of APC’s engagement at the recently concluded 50th session of the HRC.
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.
APC's priorities at this session of UN Human Rights Council include gender-based violence online, in particular the issue of gendered disinformation and violence against women journalists; freedom of expression and association; and the human rights impact of the tech sector.
The Human Rights Council (HRC) held its 49th session in Geneva from 28 February to 1 April. During a long session that covered five weeks, the Council discussed important country situations and thematic issues on the intersections between human rights and technology.
APC has joined with over 30 other civil society organisations to send letters to member states of each of the five regional groups of UN member states, urging them to ensure competitive slates of candidates and further deepen the level of competition in the 2022 Human Rights Council elections.
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 2022
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