The 2015/2016 chairmanship of the Freedom Online Coalition passes on to Costa Rica this summer, the Costa Rican Foreign Minister, Mr. Manuel González, confirmed earlier this week. As the new Chair of the Coalition, the Minister noted, “Costa Rica hopes to share its renewed commitment to defending, respecting, and promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms online”.
In assuming the role, Costa Rica will become the first Latin American country to chair the Coalition as it succeeds the government of Mongolia that served as the FOC Chair in 2014/2015. The chairmanship of the Coalition rotates among member states on an annual basis, and was previously held by the Netherlands, Kenya, Tunisia, Estonia, and most recently Mongolia.
The FOC member states unanimously welcomed Costa Rica as the incoming chair and expressed their support for the next annual Freedom Online Conference to be held in Costa Rica in 2016.
