We are pleased to announce that the chairmanship of the Freedom Online Coalition will pass to the government of Germany, commencing from January 2018, as confirmed by German State Secretary, Walter J. Lindner.
Walter J. Lindner noted, “engagement on behalf of Internet freedom and continued endeavours to implement the principle that human rights apply online as they apply offline are as important as ever, so I look forward to Germany’s chairmanship of the Freedom Online Coalition for 2018.”
Having joined the Coalition in 2013, the government of Germany has a long history with the Coalition and its work, and is looking forward to driving the Coalition forward in its work in global norm building and diplomatic coordination regarding human rights online and internet freedom.
Germany will take over from the FOC Friends of the Chair Group who have been acting as interim Chair since the chairmanship of Costa Rica ended at the close of the 6th Annual Conference in San José last year. The chairmanship of the Coalition rotates among member states on an annual basis, and was previously held by the Netherlands, Kenya, Tunisia, Estonia, Mongolia, and most recently, Costa Rica.
The FOC member states unanimously welcomed Germany as the incoming chair and expressed their support for the next annual Freedom Online Conference to be held in Germany in 2018.
