[WSIS CS-Plenary] Fwd: UN EXPERT SAYS HUMAN RIGHTS INTEGRAL TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ISSUES

[Rik Panganiban]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: UNNews at un.org
> Date: December 15, 2005 3:01:01 PM EST
> To: <news5 at list.un.org>
> Subject: UN EXPERT SAYS HUMAN RIGHTS INTEGRAL TO INFORMATION  
> TECHNOLOGY ISSUES
> Reply-To: <UNNews at un.org>
>
> UN EXPERT SAYS HUMAN RIGHTS INTEGRAL TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ISSUES
> New York, Dec 15 2005  3:00PM
> Critizing the emphasis on commerce and politics at the November  
> world summit on information technology in Tunis, a United Nations  
> expert on freedom of expression said today that human rights should  
> take priority in any future discussions of information technology  
> and development.
>
> “Access to information, freedom of speech and freedom of expression  
> should be at the heart of any further discussion on the information  
> society,” said Ambeyi Ligabo the Special Rapporteur on freedom of  
> opinion and expression of the United Nations Commission on Human  
> Rights, in a critique of the second phase of the World Summit on  
> the Information Society (<"http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/ 
> huricane.nsf/view01/6DEF29EFCA3691C3C12570D80039BF73? 
> opendocument">WSIS), which took place from 16 to 19 November.
>
> “Too many governments are still putting obstacles to people's  
> exercise of freedom of opinion and expression, and particularly  
> media freedom,” he said.  “The intensity of this fight may vary  
> from harassment to indiscriminate killings of journalists, trade  
> unionists, students, human rights defenders and opinion leaders,  
> crimes that are often not adequately punished.”
>
> He said he realized that equitable access to information technology  
> for poor communities is necessary to fight poverty and to extend  
> economic and social development to future generations.   He  
> maintained, however, that there could be no fair development  
> without promotion of human rights.
>
> “Without these fundamental elements, the building of a global  
> information society and its governance will become an obstacle for  
> the development of human progress and will hamper dissemination of  
> knowledge and education,” he said.
>
>  He said the "Tunis Commitment,” one of the Summit's main outcomes,  
> did not fully reflect the fervent debate over human rights issues  
> that took place around the Summit, promoted particularly by civil  
> society organizations, nor provide guidance for internet governance  
> anchored in rights norms and standards.
>
> In addition, he said that the final phase of the Summit did not  
> provide an opportunity to address the situation of human rights in  
> Tunisia itself, especially freedom of media and of association.
>
> Special Rapporteurs are unpaid experts serving in an independent  
> personal capacity who receive their mandate from the UN Human  
> Rights Commission.
>  2005-12-15 00:00:00.000
>
>

===============================================
RIK PANGANIBAN       Communications Coordinator
Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United  
Nations (CONGO)
web: http://www.ngocongo.org
email: rik.panganiban at ngocongo.org
mobile: (+1) 917-710-5524

* Information on the WSIS at http://www.ngocongo.org/wsis
* Submit NGO Events to http://www.ngoevents.org


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