RightsCon | From Countering to Building: Finding the Keys to Promote Information Integrity Online
2025-02-25 14:00 - 15:00 (Asia/Shanghai) | Room 402A, Taipei International Convention Center, No. 1, Section 5, Xinyi Rd, Xinyi District, Taipei City, Taiwan 110
The following session will take place during the 2025 RightsCon Summit, 24-27 February, Taipei, Taiwan. For more information on the Summit, visit www.rightscon.com.
Roundtable discussion facilitated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, and the Wikimedia Foundation
Everyone, everywhere should be able to participate freely and safely in the creation, consumption, dissemination, and evaluation of information and ideas. A healthy information ecosystem should support and advance human rights, in particular freedom of expression. But recently, efforts to protect free speech and reliable information online – including with legitimate reason – risks undermining human rights. This includes both governments’ and companies’ active actions to control speech (including under the guise of countering disinformation), as well as their lack of addressing phenomena such as disinformation and hate speech to ensure people can safely access pluriform information without interference.
The right to freedom of expression and the global information ecosystem are complex topics. Global discourse as well as a majority of initiatives, and policies seem to primarily focus on the effects of the rapid spread of disinformation and misinformation that pollute the information ecosystem (which is accelerated by the developments of generative artificial intelligence). While disinformation is serious issue, overfocusing on content that needs to be removed may lead governments and companies to insufficiently address the essential ideas, values, and strengths of a healthy information ecosystem. Recent announcements from big tech platforms further underscore the need to refocus the conversation to what kind of global information ecosystem we wish to build and promote – rather than just focusing on what we would like to remove, block or take down.
Chaired by the Governments of Denmark and The Netherlands, and the Wikimedia Foundation, the Freedom Online Coalition’s (FOC) Task Force on Information Integrity Online launched a Blueprint on Information Integrity, which articulates a positive vision for a healthy online information ecosystem that supports the production and sharing of accurate, trustworthy and reliable information, and that protects and promotes human rights and democracy. The Blueprint presents three interconnected pillars: Agency – Trust – Inclusion.
During this roundtable conversation, the co-leads of the Task Force will briefly present this framework, and open up for a discussion about the key principles that underpin a healthy information ecosystem and how these manifest in different contexts. Participants are encouraged to contribute to this conversation on how we can utilize this framework to move forward this agenda, and to shift our attention towards the promotion of the key components needed to support a healthy, trustworthy, reliable, and inclusive information ecosystem.

RightsCon | Unlocking Progress through Inclusive and Rights-Respecting Digital Public Infrastructure
2025-02-27 09:00 - 10:00 (Asia/Shanghai) | Room 102, Taipei International Convention Center, No. 1, Section 5, Xinyi Rd, Xinyi District, Taipei City, Taiwan 110
The following session will take place during the 2025 RightsCon Summit, 24-27 February, Taipei, Taiwan. For more information on the Summit, visit www.rightscon.com.
Dialogue session featuring Sabhanaz Rashid Diya (Tech Global Institute), Rasmus Lumi (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia), Amy Colando (Microsoft), Liz Orembo (Research ICT Africa), and Shruti Narayan (Access Now) – Room 102, TICC
Digital technologies have the potential to significantly impact the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and offer unprecedented opportunities for development and innovation, with the potential to generate social and economic benefits. In this sense, Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) often understood as a key tool to achieve the SDGs, and has been recognised as such through various initiatives, including the UN SG’s Envoy on Technology and UNDP initiative at the 78th UNGA to develop the Universal Safeguards Framework for DPI leading up to the Summit of the Future, and the UN Global Digital Compact (GDC).
In general, DPI is any digital technology that can enable the delivery of public services. There are three functional categories of DPI: digital identity systems, digital payment systems, and data exchanges. While DPI is an important enabling component towards digital inclusion, certain examples have shown how implementation without proper safeguards can lead to negative outcomes, including adverse impacts on human rights.
This session will explore human rights-respecting approaches to the design and implementation of DPI systems, that account for contextual realities in terms of access, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and examine ways to meaningfully engage with communities throughout the lifecycle of DPIs. Various stakeholders from the FOC community and beyond, including government, civil society, and technical community, will share perspectives and insight into ensuring that DPIs work towards securing social and economic benefits for communities, while upholding human rights in an inclusive and collaborative manner with access to effective remedy and redress.

Digital Rights & Inclusion Forum (DRIF) 2025
2025-04-29 - 2025-05-01 | Lusaka, Zambia
Estonia, 2025 Chair of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), will host a multistakeholder dialogue session as part of the 2025 Digital Rights & Inclusion Forum (DRIF). The session will explore rights-respecting approaches to the design and implementation of DPI systems that account for contextual realities in terms of access, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and examine ways to meaningfully engage with communities throughout the lifecycle of DPIs.
The dialogue will also serve as a consultation between stakeholders from the FOC community and beyond, including government, civil society, private sector, and technical community, to support the development of ‘Rights-Respecting Digital Public Infrastructure Principles’. The principles will establish a common understanding within the FOC of rights-respecting and inclusive DPI, and will draw on global best practices and frameworks, including the Universal DPI Safeguards and the GovStack Principles.
Further information on the session will be available shortly on the DRIF event page. The forum will take place in Lusaka, Zambia from Tuesday 29 April to Thursday 1 May. For more information, and to register your attendance, visit the following link: https://drif.paradigmhq.org/.

EuroDIG 2025: Multistakeholder Consultation on the FOC's Rights-Respecting Digital Public Infrastructure Principles
2025-05-12 13:00 - 14:15 (Europe/Helsinki)
Estonia, 2025 Chair of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), will host a multistakeholder consultation on the FOC’s draft Rights-Respecting Digital Public Infrastructure Principles during the 2025 EuroDIG Conference, taking place in Strasbourg, France from 12 – 14 May. For more information on EuroDIG and to register your attendance, visit the following link: https://www.eurodig.org/.
Session Overview:
Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) are digital technologies that can enable the delivery of public services. There are three functional categories of DPI: digital identity systems, digital payment systems, and data exchanges. It is crucial for such systems to have built in safeguards that ensure human rights commitments are adhered to in their design and implementation. During the session, we want to hear perspectives from the community on how the design and implementation of DPI can balance the benefits of digital innovation with the protection of fundamental human rights and freedoms. Whether through examples of successful approaches or lessons learned. We will explore the most critical safeguards that should be in place to prevent DPI from exacerbating discrimination, exclusion, or other human rights harms. We also seek to discuss how governments, civil society, the private sector and technical experts can collaborate to ensure accountability within DPI processes and how these can include access to redress. Lastly, we invite EuroDIG participants to look ahead and provide suggestions on the emerging risks and opportunities that stakeholders, especially governments, should anticipate as DPI continues to evolve, and what steps can be taken to proactively start addressing the potential human rights challenges on the horizon.

Yerevan Dialogue: FOC Panel Discussion on DPI for Resilience & Inclusion - Advancing Human Rights Online
2025-05-26 16:30 - 18:00 (Asia/Dubai) | Seven Visions Resort & Places, The Dvin, Yerevan, Armenia, 40 Paronyan St, Yerevan, Armenia
Join the FOC during the 2025 Yerevan Dialogue (May 26-27) for a panel session on “Digital Public Infrastructure for Resilience and Inclusion: Advancing Human Rights Online”.
As digital technologies reshape every aspect of our social, economic, and political lives, ensuring equitable access and meaningful participation in the digital ecosystem has become a pressing global priority. The panel will bring together policy makers and civil society to explore how DPI can be designed and deployed to advance digital inclusion and uphold human rights online. For more information on the Yerevan Dialogue, visit www.yerevandialogue.com/agenda/.

IGF 2025: Shaping Global AI Governance Through Multistakeholder Action
2025-06-25 10:45 - 11:45 (Europe/Helsinki)
Join the FOC’s Task Force on AI & Human Rights for the following IGF Open Forum taking place in Workshop Room 4 / Online on Wednesday, 25 June from 10.45 – 11.45 CEST.
Session Description:
This session launches the 2025 Joint Statement on AI and Human Rights, which reaffirms the need for international AI governance to be grounded in international human rights law and developed through inclusive, multistakeholder processes. As AI systems are increasingly used in ways that suppress dissent, enable arbitrary surveillance, amplify discrimination, and erode democratic participation, the statement highlights the urgent need to embed human rights protections throughout the entire AI lifecycle, from design and development to deployment and oversight. The session will explore how global governance efforts can uphold these principles and advance a human-centric, accountable, and rights-respecting approach to AI.
Moderator: Zach Lampell, Senior Legal Advisor & Coordinator, Digital Rights, ICNL
Opening remarks: Ernst Noorman, Ambassador for Cyber Affairs, the Netherlands
Speakers:

Maria Adebahr, Director for Cyber Foreign and Security Policy, Germany
Divine Selase Agbeti, Director-General, Cyber Security Authority of Ghana
Erica Moret, Director UN & International Organisations, Microsoft

Closing remarks: Rasmus Lumi, Director General, Department of International Organisations and Human Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia

IGF 2025: How Do Technical Standards Shape Connectivity and Inclusion?
2025-06-27 09:00 - 10:00 (Europe/Helsinki)
Join the FOC during the following IGF Open Forum taking place in Workshop Room 2 / Online on Friday, 27 June from 9.00 – 10.00 CEST.
Session Description:
Technical standards are the backbone of global connectivity, enabling data to flow seamlessly across borders and ensuring access to digital services. Yet, standard-setting processes often lack inclusive participation—particularly from the Global South, civil society, and marginalized communities. This session will examine how open and interoperable standards can improve connectivity, reduce digital inequalities, and enhance access to affordable digital services, especially in underserved regions.
A key focus will be the role of standards in global communication infrastructure, such as undersea cables, and in areas like data transmission, network compatibility, and cybersecurity. As technologies evolve (optical fiber, wavelength division multiplexing, quantum communications, etc.) standards must adapt to ensure reliability and resilience.
Despite their importance, bodies like the ITU, IETF, IEEE, and W3C often operate with limited stakeholder input. This session will explore barriers to participation in standard-setting and propose strategies to enhance transparency, accessibility, and representation. It will also highlight how inclusive digital cooperation can align technical standardization with broader goals—such as human rights, digital inclusion, and the SDGs—supporting WSIS Action Lines C2 (Information and Communication Infrastructure), C3 (Access to Information), and C11 (International and Regional Cooperation).
Through expert insights and interactive dialogue, participants will identify actionable steps to make standard-setting more open, collaborative, and equitable, advancing a secure, inclusive, and resilient global digital ecosystem.
Moderator: Laura O’Brien, Senior International Counsel, Access Now
Opening Remarks: Rasmus Lumi, Director General, Department of International Organisations and Human Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Speakers:

Divine Agbeti, Director-General of the Cyber Security Authority of Ghana
Stephanie Borg Psaila, Director for Digital Policy, Diplo Foundation
Natálie Terčová, At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC), ICANN / Founder and Chair of IGF Czechia
Alex Walden, Global Head of Human Rights, Google
Rose Payne, Lead, Policy and Advocacy, Global Partners Digital

IGF 2025: Universal Principles, Local Realities: Multistakeholder Pathways for DPI
2025-06-27 11:00 - 12:30 (Europe/Helsinki)
Join the FOC for the following co-organised IGF Workshop taking place in the Conference Hall / Online on Friday, 27 June from 11.00 – 12.30 CEST.
Session Description:
We are witnessing a global movement toward the adoption of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), with countries all over the world deploying systems such as digital identity, payments, and data exchanges. While DPI has emerged as a driver of inclusive digital transformation and innovation, its design and implementation must respect and promote human rights to avoid risks such as exclusion, surveillance, and discrimination.
This workshop aims to examine how DPI systems are being shaped by diverse political, societal, and economic factors across regions. The session will explore the intersection between global DPI frameworks (like the UN Global Digital Compact and the Universal DPI Safeguards Framework) and country-level realities that influence DPI outcomes, and examine the importance of ensuring rights-respecting approaches to the design, development, and deployment of DPI systems. Building on regional outreach by the FOC, this session will draw insights from stakeholder experiences in India, Estonia, Brazil, South Africa, and the Dominican Republic, with speakers highlighting how DPI design choices reflect local political economies, the roles of state and market actors, and the implications for digital inclusion, civic participation, and human rights. The FOC will also highlight its efforts to develop “Rights-Respecting Principles for Digital Public Infrastructure”, and use the session as an opportunity to hear recommendations from the IGF community on how to strengthen the principles.
This conversation is particularly timely in light of the WSIS+20 Review Process, where DPI may feature prominently in revising the WSIS Action Lines. Furthermore, DPI has become a central element in international cooperation, with the Indian and Brazilian G20 Presidencies prioritizing it, and its relevance to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is widely acknowledged.
Moderator: Sabhanaz Rashid Diya, Executive Director, Tech Global Institute
Speakers:

Rasmus Lumi, Director General for International Organisations and Human Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Estonia
Armando José Manzueta Peña, Vice Minister for Public Innovation and Digital, Ministry of Public Administration of the Dominican Republic
Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
Bidisha Chaudhury, University of Amsterdam
Luca Belli, FGV Law School
Keith Breckenridge, University of the Witwatersrand

WSIS+20 High-Level Event | Global Digital Governance & Multistakeholder Cooperation for WSIS+20
2025-07-10 10:00 - 10:50 (Europe/Helsinki)
Date & Time: 10:00 – 10:50 CEST, Thursday, 10 July

Location: Plenary Room C, Palexpo, and online
As the global community approaches the 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20), inclusive and ethical digital governance remains critical to upholding human rights and advancing sustainable development. This roundtable will examine how to strengthen multistakeholder engagement—across civil society, the academic and technical communities, the private sector, and end users—to advance WSIS Action Lines C10 (Ethical Dimensions of the Information Society) and C11 (International and Regional Cooperation).
Recognizing the inextricable link between human rights and equitable global progress, the session will focus on best practices, challenges, and strategies for rights-based digital governance and enhanced international collaboration. A central theme will be the role of artificial intelligence (AI)—particularly generative and decision-making systems—in shaping the integrity of online information and public discourse. Participants will explore how AI influences trust, democratic participation, and human rights, and how governance frameworks can promote transparency, accountability, and equity while safeguarding freedom of expression, privacy, and non-discrimination. As AI technologies increasingly amplify existing trends, such as the spread of disinformation and the erosion of trust, the session will also consider to what extent current international agreements, human rights frameworks, and platform regulations remain adequate to address these compounded challenges.
The session will also highlight practical, collaborative approaches to bridging the digital divides through inclusive and rights-respecting strategies. Emphasis will be placed on how responsible AI governance and the promotion of healthy, trustworthy information ecosystems contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while preventing emerging technologies from deepening existing inequalities.
By fostering meaningful engagement and generating concrete policy recommendations, particularly around the WSIS+20, this session aims to help shape a more inclusive, sustainable, and human rights-based digital future.
Moderator: Ernst Noorman, Cyber Ambassador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Speakers:

Rasmus Lumi, Director General, Department of International Organisations and Human Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Dan York, Chief of Staff, ISOC
Gitanjali Sah, Strategy and Policy Coordinator, ITU
Isabel Ebert, Strategic Adviser, B-Tech Project, OHCHR
Jan Gerlach, Public Policy Director, Wikimedia Foundation

WSIS+20 High Level Event | Embedding Human Rights in AI Standards: From Principles to Practice
2025-07-10 16:00 - 16:45 (Europe/Helsinki)
AI Governance Dialogue at WSIS+20

Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) – International Telecommunication Union (ITU) – Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

Date & Time: 16:00 – 16:45 CEST, Thursday, 10 July
Location: Room E, Palexpo, and online
Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming societies at an unprecedented pace. While they offer vast opportunities, they also pose risks to the enjoyment of human rights. Technical standards, as foundational elements of digital infrastructure, can either safeguard or undermine these rights depending on their design and implementation.
In the Global Digital Compact, Member States call on standards development organizations (SDOs) to collaborate in promoting the development and adoption of interoperable artificial intelligence standards that uphold safety, reliability, sustainability, and human rights. In line with this vision, the Compact also recommends establishing an AI Standards Exchange to maintain a register of definitions and applicable standards for evaluating AI systems. Moreover, the Freedom Online Coalition’s 2024 Joint Statement urges SDOs and all stakeholders to embed human rights principles in the conception, design, development, and deployment of technical standards.
Thus, this side event will explore how such standards and tools can be developed to uphold human dignity, equality, privacy, and non-discrimination throughout the AI lifecycle.
Moderator: Ernst Noorman, Ambassador at Large for Cyber Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands
Speakers:

Tomas Lamanauskas, Deputy Secretary-General, ITU
Peggy Hicks, Director of Thematic Engagement, OHCHR
Karen McCabe, Senior Director of Technology Policy, IEEE
Caitlin Kraft-Buchman, CEO & Founder, Women at the Table
Dr. Florian Ostmann, Director of AI Governance and Regulatory Innovation, Alan Turing Institute

UNGA 80 | Building on the Foundations: Securing the Future of the Open Internet
2025-09-25 10:00 - 11:30 (America/New_York) | New York
On the margins of the UNGA 80 High-Level Week in New York, the Republic of Estonia, 2025 Chair of the FOC, will convene representatives from government, the technical community, civil society, academia, and the private sector for the side-event “Building on the Foundations: Securing the Future of the Open Internet”.
As the global community marks the 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20) and advances efforts toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring that the Internet remains free, open, globally connected, accessible, interoperable, secure, and rights-respecting has never been more critical.
This side-event will examine how to strengthen resilience, mitigate risks such as Internet shutdowns and attacks on critical infrastructure, and promote meaningful connectivity, particularly for marginalized communities. Together, speakers will examine how technical, policy, and rights-based approaches can protect the architecture of the Internet and support a digital environment that upholds human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The event will commence with opening remarks from the 2025 FOC Chair, followed by interventions from high-level representatives of FOC Member States, Members of the Advisory Network, and other key stakeholders. Nabiha Syed, Executive Director, Mozilla Foundation, will provide a keynote address in advance of a multistakeholder panel discussion moderated by Lea Kaspar, Executive Director, Global Partners Digital, and featuring:

H.E. Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia
Dr. Jamal Tonzua Seidu, Deputy Director-General, Regulatory Affairs, Cyber Security Authority of Ghana
Alex Walden, Global Head of Human Rights, Google; Member of the FOC Advisory Network
Avri Doria, Principal Researcher, Technicalities; Member of the FOC Advisory Network
Sabhanaz Rashid Diya, Executive Director, Tech Global Institute; Member of the FOC Advisory Network

Please note attendance at this event is by invitation. If you would like more information, please contact events@freedomonlinecoalition.com.

Tallinn Digital Summit | FOC Engagements
2025-10-09 - 2025-10-10 | Tallinn, Tallinn, Estonia
Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) Member States, Observers, and the FOC Advisory Network will convene on the margins of the upcoming Tallinn Digital Summit (TDS), taking place from 9 – 10 October 2025.
Further information on FOC engagements at TDS will be shared in the coming weeks. Should you have any enquiries, please reach out to events@freedomonlinecoalition.com.
