RIGHTS EXPERT SAYS FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION LARGELY NEGLECTED

AT WORLD INFORMATION SUMMIT

The following statement was issued today by the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights:

The Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Ambeyi Ligabo, welcomed the adoption of the draft Declaration of Principles and the draft Plan of Action by the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, held in Geneva from 10 to 12 December 2003.

However, the Special Rapporteur wishes to note that, in spite of the efforts of many participants in the Summit, human rights issues, especially the right to freedom of opinion and expression, were largely neglected.  The Special Rapporteur underlines that fundamental human rights such as the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and other basic human rights should be a constituent part of any declaration on the right to information.

In the view of the Special Rapporteur, the mere reiteration of a few well-established principles and commitments on human rights is not sufficient; human rights concepts should be integrated meaningfully in the draft Declaration.  Moreover, the Special Rapporteur also observes that the draft Plan of Action appears deprived of any human rights strategy.  The absence of an in-depth analysis of a number of crucial matters like media concentration, safeguards to press freedom on the Internet and obstacles to accessing it, may gravely hamper the good work done so far by international institutions and non-governmental organizations on these key documents.

The Special Rapporteur hopes that the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, to be held in Tunis in 2005, will take remedial action on this shortcoming and human rights organizations working on freedom of opinion and expression are fully implicated in the preparation of the second phase of the Summit.  The Special Rapporteur remains at the disposal of the information community so as to provide a substantive contribution and further advice.

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