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ARTICLE 19’S ADVOCACY FOR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND PROTECTION OF
JOURNALISTS AT THE UN

As the violence in Israel and Palestine continues and the devastating
humanitarian crisis deepens, ARTICLE 19 emphasises the need to protect
freedom of expression and access to information for all.

Since the conflict began a reported 19 journalists [4] have been killed,
and many more face ongoing threats. We urgently call for both sides to
respect international humanitarian law [5], in particular, the protection
of civilians and the safety of journalists reporting on conflicts.

During this year’s United Nations Internet Governance Forum, CHANTAL
JORIS, Legal Officer at ARTICLE 19, moderated a session on the free flow of
information during conflict. [6]

Given that internet shutdowns, censorship requests, and disinformation
campaigns now play a key role in armed conflicts, the panel – digital
security and risk experts, campaigners, and disinformation researchers –
highlighted the importance of understanding the legal standards that can be
applied under international humanitarian and human rights laws. The panel
debated Big Tech’s responsibilities [7] during armed conflicts,
emphasising the importance of clear and robust policies [8] for governments
and companies when handling digital content, and the need for carefully
considered policy-making that takes account of local contexts.

Listen to the session

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ARTICLE 19 shapes and sets standards on freedom of expression at the UN
[10], informed by the local human rights priorities of our regional
offices. We leverage UN human rights mechanisms to hold states to account
for freedom of expression violations. This includes through the General
Assembly, the Human Rights Council, and the Office of the High Commissioner
for Human Rights. In turn, our national and international advocacy work
assesses states' obligations and commitments to drive local change.

‘It’s an extremely difficult time for the UN,’ notes ANNA
OOSTERLINCK, ARTICLE 19’s Head of UN. ‘We are seeing more players than
ever on the world stage vying for power and influence, while the rules
governing the multilateral game are increasingly being undermined and
weakened – not a great combination’.

MOREOVER, AS THE IGF CAME TO A CLOSE, THE UN ISSUED A TROUBLING
ANNOUNCEMENT: SAUDI ARABIA WILL HOST NEXT YEAR’S MEETING.

'By awarding the hosting of the annual IGF to Saudi Arabia, the United
Nations makes a mockery of its stated goals [11] of protecting press
freedom and combating impunity [12] for the killing of journalists,
including goal 16.10 [13] of the SDGs,’ a global network of civil society
organisations warned. ‘This decision normalises violence and tacitly
supports the shocking, repressive tactics used to keep people from
challenging the powerful.’ ARTICLE 19 joined the collective call [9] to
the UN Secretary General to reverse the decision.

The UN still offers a unique platform to bring together local and national
voices to find _global solutions._ But, it’s clear beyond a shadow of a
doubt that the UN has an incredible amount of work to do and is in need of
reform.

WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE?

As a part of these reforms, ARTICLE 19 will monitor negotiations of the
Global Digital Compact, the development of a voluntary Code of Conduct for
information integrity on digital platforms. In our response to the Open
Consultation [14], we set out that the Compact’s principles and
commitments must be firmly grounded in human rights and reaffirm the core
principle that the same rights that apply offline also apply online.

In particular, we are calling for all people to be connected to the
internet, including children in classrooms; the protection of data, for
restrictions on disinformation and hate speech to comply with existing
international human rights standards; and for active regulation of
artificial intelligence.

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With regard to global AI governance and in advance of the first meeting of
the Multi-stakeholder Advisory Body on AI, ARTICLE 19 is calling for the
body to consider a human rights-centred framework – particularly as it
relates to the right of freedom of expression.

Read the 10 points [15] ARTICLE 19 submitted in our analysis of existing
guidance, best practices, and risk areas on AI and freedom of expression

READ THE SUBMISSION

COMING SOON:

What resolutions did the UN Human Rights Council pass in the recent
session?

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