The following summary was developed with support from Berhan Taye, a member of the Freedom Online Coalition’s Advisory Network, who attended the consultation on behalf of the FOC.
As the United Nations marks the 10th anniversary of the endorsement of the UN Plan of Action (UNPA) on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, UNESCO, in cooperation with Tech for Democracy platform, International Media Support, and with the support of OHCHR, the Danish National Commission for UNESCO, and the Global Network Initiative (GNI), organised a consultation on safety issues emerging from the intersection between technology and freedom of expression.
The consultation brought together representatives from government, the media, civil society and industry to discuss the new dimension of threats and opportunities that technology introduces to the work of journalists, with a particular focus on the safety and security of journalists online.
Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) Advisory Network member Berhan Taye participated in the consultation on behalf of FOC, highlighting the Coalition’s publication of joint statements on priority issues including Internet censorship, the spread of disinformation and other state and non-state sponsored threats to the protection of freedom of expression online.
Through the FOC’s Joint Statement on Defending Civic Space Online, Coalition member states have expressed concern in regard to shrinking civic and democratic spaces online as a result of state sponsored obstruction of free expression, peaceful assembly, and free association, notably as it relates to human rights defenders and other members of civil society.
The Coalition has also called on governments to refrain from discrediting criticism of their policies and stifling freedom of opinion and expression under the guise of countering disinformation, including blocking access to the Internet, intimidating journalists and interfering with their ability to operate freely.
The consultation addressed how the UNPA can better incorporate and mitigate technology-related safety issues. Participants identified new digital threats impacting the safety of journalists that have emerged since the UNPA was adopted in 2012, explored existing transparency frameworks, investigated risk assessment frameworks for the safety of journalists, introduced new sources of data that could help shed light on the state of journalist safety, and identified ways forward.
In addition, the consultation invited representatives from the private sector to discuss their current practices in relation to the protection of journalists, facilitated a discussion with journalists and civil society organisations on the impact of gendered digital violence and disinformation, and proposed new indicators for the risk assessment of the safety of journalists.
Findings from the consultation will inform the process towards the High-Level Ministerial Conference in Vienna, Austria, from 3-4 November 2022. For further information on the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, please visit the following link.
