Structure

The day-to-day political coordination of the Coalition rests in the hands of the Coalition Chair. The Chair of the Coalition rotates among Member States on an annual basis. The Chair provides diplomatic support and coordinates the overall FOC activities and meetings alongside the international conferences. Past chairs have also hosted the Freedom Online Conference in The Hague, Nairobi, Tunis, Tallinn, Ulaanbaatar, San Jose, Accra and a virtual Conference in 2021.

The Chair is assisted by the Steering Committee, a group of Member States renewed annually through a process of self nomination, and currently comprising Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The group provides support to the Chair to assist with the diplomatic work, the preparation of the Strategy & Coordination Meetings and the periodic Freedom Online Conference, and ensure continuity from year to year.

On a monthly basis, the Steering Committee holds a call to discuss Coalition activities and next steps. To view the minutes of these calls, click here.

The FOC’s diplomatic networks enable and enhance diplomatic cooperation and engagement between FOC Members in relevant multilateral and regional fora and processes, as well as in non-Member countries. The FOC diplomatic networks consist of FOC Members’ working-level representatives stationed in the respective location of the network.The work of each network is led and coordinated by the active Chair and, if appropriate, a designated co-lead government, with assistance from the Support Unit, as appropriate.

Diplomatic networks serve as primary vehicles for ensuring the joint positions and strategies coordinated on capital level are leveraged and implemented in international fora and processes. Current active FOC diplomatic networks include: Geneva, Paris, and New York.

The FOC Advisory Network (FOC-AN) is an independent multistakeholder group composed of civil society, academia and private sector representatives who provide advice on aims, objectives and activities, as well as support the FOC’s mission of promoting and protecting human rights, both online and offline, worldwide. FOC-AN Members widely contribute to the Coalition’s activities and events, and regularly engage with the FOC through Strategy & Coordination Meetings and other convenings.

The FOC Funding Coordination Group (FCG) aims to ensure the financial sustainability of the Coalition and coordinate donor activity to support Coalition aims and objectives. Any Member may volunteer to serve on the FCG.

In 2023, the FCG is co-Chaired by the United States and Canada, and serves as a multinational and multistakeholder coordination, strategic planning, and global norms setting mechanism specific to donor coordination. The FCG works to enhance knowledge sharing and strategic coordination with priority setting on foreign engagement and assistance related to Internet freedom and digital democracy issues.

The Steering Committee may establish a subordinate entity, such as a Task Force or Working Group, at any time by publishing its mandate and a call for participation on the FOC website. The FOC’s ad hoc Task Forces and Working Groups provide a mechanism for focused and issue-based engagement, supporting the implementation of FOC statements and recommendations. They are led by FOC Member States, often in collaboration with Advisory Network representatives, and facilitate capacity building, coordination on key policy issues, and a channel for regular communication with a variety of stakeholders.

The FOC Support Unit is a neutral, third party secretariat that provides administrative, substantive and coordination assistance to the Coalition and its Members. It maintains and strengthens the Coalition’s structure, processes and institutional capacity to support diplomatic coordination, multistakeholder engagement, and the smooth running of the FOC’s programmatic work. It also acts as the main point of contact for anyone wishing to know more about the work of the Coalition. Since 2014, this function has been held by Global Partners Digital, a UK-based organisation working to ensure human rights underpin the development, use and governance of digital technologies.