From 27-28 March, Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) Members, alongside the Coalition’s multistakeholder Advisory Network, Observers, and other stakeholders, convened in Washington, D.C. for the first Strategy & Coordination Meeting (SCM) of 2023.
Day 1 of the SCM provided an opportunity for Coalition Members to reflect on progress towards implementing the 2023 Program of Action, discuss ongoing coordination in multilateral processes and fora, and share recent developments relating to the promotion and protection of human rights online. In addition, Members participated in a joint roundtable meeting with civil society, academia, and private sector representatives from the FOC’s Advisory Network to explore thematic goals to guide the Coalition’s efforts and opportunities to engage in supranational and regional organisations.
In collaboration with Global Partners Digital (GPD), International Development Research Centre (IDRC), US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Global Network Initiative (GNI), Day 2 of the SCM facilitated a session focused on ‘Building an Inclusive, Multistakeholder Digital Future’. Participants discussed methods to advance inclusion both within the FOC and the broader Internet freedom and digital democracy space, in order to strengthen their shared vision for advancing a rights-respecting, democracy-affirming digital future. As part of this session, IDRC and USAID outlined plans to revitalise the FOC’s Funding Coordination Group, and discussed ongoing work to inform this activity through an inclusive stakeholder mapping of key funders in the digital democracy space and the development of donor principles for the digital age.
To view the full summary of the SCM sessions, visit the following link.
In addition to FOC convenings, the United States, 2023 Chair of the Coalition, co-organised a panel session with the Atlantic Council’s DFR Lab titled ‘Live from the FOC: How the FOC works for people around the world’. The session opened with remarks from U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman, who underscored the FOC’s commitment to creating a digital environment that expands people’s ability to exercise their human rights, and the importance of the Coalition in remaining a vehicle to keep the digital space safe, open, interoperable, secure, and reliable.
This was followed by a panel discussion with Alissa Starzak (CloudFlare), and Advisory Network Members Adeboye Adegoke (Paradigm Initiative) and Juan Carlos Lara (Derechos Digitales), who explored the state of human rights online and reflected on the role of the FOC in addressing the challenges and opportunities of digital technologies.
The SCM took place in advance of the second Summit for Democracy where U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, highlighted the publication of the FOC’s ‘Guiding Principles on Government Use of Surveillance Technologies’. The Guiding Principles illustrate how governments can maintain their commitment to respect and protect democratic principles, human rights, and fundamental freedoms, consistent with their international obligations and commitments, in the responsible use of surveillance technology. To learn more about the Guiding Principles, visit the following article.
For further information on the FOC’s activities and priority policy areas in 2023, view the Aims and Priorities page.
