Some 30
countries have confirmed participation at the forthcoming 2017 Internet Freedom Forum (IFF),
holding in Lagos, reports ITRealms.
The 2017
edition is organised by the Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN), and has been
scheduled between 25 and 27 April, 2017 at the Sheraton Hotel, Lagos, Nigeria.
Confirming
this, the Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, Mr. ‘Gbenga Sesan,
said the forum which has participants registered from over 30 countries will
bring together stakeholders working on digital rights in Africa including the
academia, civil society representatives, media, technology companies, government
agencies and active citizens.
He also
said that at IFF 2017, participants
will engage in important conversations on how to safeguard the digital rights
and freedoms of citizens in Africa and beyond.
According
to him, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), in its 32nd session in
June 2016 had declared that “the rights that people enjoy offline should also
be protected online.”
He
stressed that the UN declaration is a forceful reminder to governments, telecommunications
companies, civil society and all stakeholders that human rights across digital
platforms must be upheld.
“As we
spend more of our time online across digital platforms, protecting the same
rights and freedoms people enjoy offline such as freedom of opinion, expression
and association on online platforms becomes increasingly important; especially set
against the background of recent Internet shutdowns, the arrests of ordinary
citizens for expressing their right to freedom of expression online, the
enacting of legislation which curtails free speech on digital platforms, and
government mandated surveillance of citizens in Africa,” Sesan said.
He noted
that there were at least 11 cases of Internet/Internet applications shutdowns in
Africa in the year 2016, maintaining that the Internet has been shut-down in Anglophone
speaking areas of Cameroon for about 2 months.
ICT
Policy Programme Manager, PIN, Adeboye Adegoke, re-echoed the words of David
Kaye, the UN Special Rapporteur for the protection of freedom of expression who
described the shutdown as “an appalling violation of the right to freedom of
expression and a violation of international law.” IFF has been a pre-eminent forum
where the most important stakeholders in digital rights converge to shape
conversations and policy direction to ensure that the digital rights of
citizens are upheld.
Director
of Programmes, Paradigm Initiative, Ms Tope Ogundipe, said that as they expect
some 200 stakeholders from 35 countries, proceedings at IFF 2017 will be bilingual –
in English and French.
“Panellists
and participants have been drawn using a multi-stakeholder approach. The
Keynote will be delivered by Anriette Esterhuysen, the Executive Director of
Association for Progressive Communications (APC),” she said.
Ogundipe
gave the list of stakeholders from 35 countries to include 26 African countries;
while others are Canada, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom and the United States among
others.
She said
that supporting the 2017 Internet Freedom Forum are Ford Foundation, Google,
Facebook, AccessNow, Heinrich Böll Stiftung Nigeria, Mozilla Foundation, World
Wide-Web Foundation and Internews, whereas official Media partners include ITRealms, TechCabal, RedMedia, NewsWire
and TechWithCFA.
Nonye Dom/GEE
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