Today, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, announced the publication of the Freedom Online Coalition’s Ottawa Agenda, a new set of recommendations to forge a pathway forward for the promotion of Internet freedom in the coming decade.
The Ottawa Agenda reflects the evolution of the Coalition’s vision and scope of work since its inception in 2011. The recommendations underscore the FOC’s collective vision of democracy in the digital age, through the lens of digital inclusion, whereby informed and engaged societies can participate meaningfully and equitably in all aspects of society, both online and offline.
The development of the Ottawa Agenda was led by Canada as Chair of the FOC in 2022, with input from Coalition Members, Advisory Network representatives, and external stakeholders through domestic and regional consultations. The regional consultations, held in North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East & North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Asia-Pacific, invited civil society, academia, media and industry representatives to input into the drafting process by sharing regional and sub-regional insight into the pressing challenges and opportunities associated with digital technologies and the Internet.
The publication of the Ottawa Agenda follows a year of action in 2022 rooted in multilateralism and multi-stakeholder engagement to counter the greatest digital threats to human rights worldwide. As the United States assumes the Chairship of the FOC in 2023, Coalition Members continue their commitment to strengthen digital inclusion and to promote and protect fundamental freedoms both online and offline globally, as outlined in this year’s Program of Action.
The Ottawa Agenda can be viewed below, or downloaded in English and French via the following links:
