Underpinning Documents
FOC Documents
By joining the Coalition, its members commit to upholding and advancing the Coalition’s shared goals and values, as stated in its foundational documents.
The Terms of Reference (ToR) outline the Freedom Online Coalition’s aims and priorities, membership, structure, and operational procedures.
The current ToR were adopted by the Coalition in August, 2023, following consultations with FOC Member States and the multistakeholder Advisory Network. The FOC ToR replaced the previous Stockholm Terms of Reference, which were revised in an effort to improve clarity on how the Coalition functions and ensure the document is future-proof to enable the Coalition to remain agile.
The Program of Action 2023 outlines the FOC’s priority areas and activities for this year, and was developed by the United States as the FOC 2023 Chair, following consultations with FOC and FOC Advisory Network Members. The activities outlined below will be carried out over the course of the United States’ term as Chair from January 1 to December 31, 2023.
The Ottawa Agenda provides a new set of recommendations for freedom online to reflect the evolution of the Coalition’s vision and scope of work since its inception in 2011, replacing the decade-old Tallinn Agenda. The recommendations were developed with input from FOC Members, Advisory Network representatives, and external stakeholders through domestic consultations in Canada and regional consultations held in North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East & North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Asia-Pacific.
The FOC 10th Anniversary Helsinki Declaration was announced during the Freedom Online Coalition Ministerial Meeting hosted by the Government of Finland in December, 2021.
The Declaration reaffirms the FOC’s commitment to protect and promote human rights for all, both online and offline, and encourages all stakeholders to work together towards a rules-based, democratic and digitally inclusive world where the use of the Internet and digital technologies reinforces human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
The founding declaration of the Freedom Online Coalition was drafted by the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Uri Rosenthal and endorsed by all FOC member states.
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At the 4th Freedom Online Conference in Tallinn, FOC members unanimously adopted a set of “Recommendations for Freedom Online”, also referred to as the “Tallinn Agenda”. They were drafted through a multistakeholder process and reaffirm the Coalition’s commitment to respect and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms.
In anticipation of discussions at the 6th Freedom Online Conference on the future of the Coalition, the FOC issued the San Jose Statement and Work Plan to share the results of its fifth year anniversary strategic review and collective decisions about the Coalition’s path forward. In addition to this combined document, the FOC has also shared the Final Report of the FOC Strategic Review Working Group, titled “Looking Back to Move Ahead”. These materials together are meant to provide the evidence base for the San Jose Statement and will inform continued discussion at the Costa Rica Conference and beyond, including with all stakeholders, on strengthening the Coalition’s role in promoting and protecting human rights online.
The Final Report of the FOC Strategic Review Working Group, titled “Looking Back to Move Ahead”, presents the culmination of 15 months of extensive consultations and in-depth assessment of the FOC development and its current processes and procedures. In addition, the FOC has issued the San Jose Statement and Work Plan to share the results of its fifth year anniversary strategic review and collective decisions about the Coalition’s path forward.
These Terms of Reference have now been updated, in the Stockholm Terms of Reference. Adopted at the FO Conference in Nairobi in 2012, these Terms of Reference of the Freedom Online Coalition built on the founding principles of the Coalition and the developments of previous annual conferences.
