OHRC concluded its participation in the international conference “Social Media: Challenges and Ways to Support Freedom and Protect Activists”. More than 300 international organizations, universities, think tanks, and major companies specialized in social networking participated in the conference, which was held in the Qatari capital, Doha, under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Interior, and organized by the National OHRC for Human Rights of the State of Qatar, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the European Parliament, the International Federation of Journalists, and the Coalition of Universal Declaration of National Human Rights Institutions.
The conference included more than 40 working papers through five interactive sessions. It also included four parallel working groups that were divided onto two days. The working groups were presented by prominent figures from the European Union in the field of combatting terrorism and human rights. Deputies from the European Parliament, the United Nations special rapporteur on privacy, the United Nations special rapporteur on Minorities, the UN Special Rapporteur on Democracy, and representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, UN agencies, and international organizations also participated at the discussions.
The conference recommended the implementation of the human rights law as a reference for the protection of civil rights, and working mechanism in this field, especially with regards to transparency, and the application of recommendations related to United Nations licenses. The recommendations also called for respecting the right to receive compensation, resorting to the courts, and providing information about the right of some companies to delete or block content on the Internet. The participants also demanded providing the legal framework for the removal of defamatory content. Participants also emphasized the need to promote human rights under the Paris Principles, adhere to the human rights framework, and try to avoid discrimination and expand users’ choices when they want to access this information. They also stressed the importance of taking advantage of services provided by social media companies to ensure the safe use of this information. The recommendations called on the United Nations to provide advice to countries on legislative policies, enhance adherence to international conventions, and work with companies specialized in the field of social media networks to promote human rights.
OHRC was represented in this event by a led delegation by OHRC lawyer Maymouna bint Said Al-Sulaimani, Salem bin Khalfan Al-Rushdi, Head of the Awareness and Education Department, Amal bint Khalifa Al-Shammakhiya, media specialist, and Istiklal bin Matar Al Abri from the Office of the OHRC Secretary General .
Related Posts
