This report is an overview of the IRP Coalition’s activities and output for 2013. The key activities and outcomes of the Coalition’s work in 2013 included, in chronological order:
1. Organization November 2012-Feburary 2013
Re-establishment and upgrading of the coalition website (www.internetrightsnandprinciples.org) after it was taken down last year during the 2012 IGF (causes unknown), and social media outlets. The IRP list now hosted at Electronic Frontier Finland (EFFi). The website, Facebook page and Twitter accounts are maintained by Minda Moreira, with support from the SC and Co-Chairs.
2. Charter 2.0 Project
The Steering Committee met at the UNESCO First WSIS +10 Review Meeting in Paris and moved to get the Charter 2.0 project got underway for the Bali IGF meeting in October. The main aim of this project is to promote the current Charter (Version 1.1) much more vigorously, develop ways to develop and deepen individual sections, translate the current version, and open consultations on an updated version for the 2014 IGF in Istanbul. For more details, see Section 4 below.
3. Activities and Output
The Coalition, and individual members were active in the following meetings and spaces where human rights and the internet were on the agenda:
a. The UNESCO hosted WSIS+10 Review Meeting, Paris, 26-28 February 2013; https://www.unesco-ci.org/cmscore/events/51-rights-based-principlesand-internet-taking-stock-and-moving-forward.
b. Markus Kummer from the IGF Secretariat commended for the record the coalition’s work through the Charter of Human Rights and Principles for the Internet during the IGF Multistakeholder Group meeting, 29 February 2013, Paris.
c. The European Dialogue on Internet Governance, Lisbon, 21-22 June 2013 where the IRP Coalition organized a workshop on Rights and Responsibilities (Workshop 4), http://www.eurodig.org/eurodig-2013/programme/workshops/workshop-4 as well as a Flash Panel on Human Rights and Internet Surveillance, http://www.eurodig.org/flash-7-2013
d. Presentation of the IRP Charter work on Panel (B) of the UK IGF meeting in London, 10 September 2013; http://ukigf.org.uk/uk-igf-2013-draft-agenda/
e. In partnership with the International Federation of Librarians and Association for Progressive Communications, the coalition organised two workshops at the 2013 IGF in Bali: WS 99 Charting The Charter: Internet Rights And Principles Online and WS 276 Rights Issues For Disadvantaged Groups: Coalition members were also panel members in the Opening (Internet Governance Principles) and Closing Focus Sessions (Human Rights) at the Bali IGF. Transcripts and reports available on http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/igf-2013-transcripts. The two workshop reports are also available at www.internetrightsnandprinciples.org
f. Members of the IRP Charter Expert Group and a co-Chair were invitees at the Council of Europe Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Expression and Democracy in the Digital Age, Belgrade, 7-8 November 2013, http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/standardsetting/media/Belgrade2013/. At this conference the Council of Europe Draft Guide on Existing Rights for Internet Users, an initiative that included 4 IRP Coalition members from the IRP Charter Expert Group, was released for consultation. The Council of Europe Guide (http://www.coe.int/t/informationsociety) and the IRP 2 Charter Booklet (http://internetrightsandprinciples.org/site/the-irp-charter-is-now-available-in-print) are two milestones this year for the coalition.
4. IRP Charter Booklet
In September 2013 a working group compiled and edited the IRP Charter Booklet (http://internetrightsandprinciples.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/IRP_booklet_final1.pdf). The booklet includes the main Charter and 10 Principles as well as key elements from the original website background documents, and selected references and resources. The Booklet was designed by a professional graphic designer, paid for and printed with funds raised through an online fundraiser: https://www.razoo.com/br/causes/Charter-Of-Human-Rights-And-Principles-For-The-Internet-Irp-Coalition-At-The-Un-Internet-Governance-Forum. A total of US$1172 was raised for the design and printing costs of the 1st Edition. The 2nd Edition of the booklet is online in January 2014 and an Arabic translation through the HIVO IGMENA project is underway. Other translations are also in progress (Spanish, Portuguese, Finnish, Hebrew, Bahasa Indonesian). Guidelines for translators and a text-only version of the 2nd Edition are available online at www.internetrightsnandprinciples.org.
Summary
This year of activities and output around human rights for the online environment confirm the
(i) Formative work being done by the coalition on addressing Internet Governance Principles in a Human Rights framework that is based on international legal standards;
(ii) Proactive and substantive contributions to multistakeholder meetings on topics of the day such as surveillance and privacy (Lisbon EuroDIG Flash Panel), disability rights, and access issues for disadvantaged groups at the EuroDIG and 2013 IGF meetings
(iii) IRP Coalition’s substantive contributions to the first part of the WSIS+10 process as part of the UNESCO meeting outcomes (http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/CI/CI/pdf/wsis/WSIS_10_Event/wsis10_outcomes_en.pdf)
(iv) Cumulative positive effects of outreach and collaborative work the coalition has undertaken with other IGF Dynamic Coalitions (Gender DC, Public Access in Libraries DC, Accessibility and Disability DC) and other actors such as ICANN, the Council of Europe, eco (Germany), civil society networks such as the Internet Governance Caucus, Best Bits, Global Partners, and Hivos, and research networks such as Giganet and the Danish Institute for Human Rights.
(v) Increasing recognition of the role that the IRP Coalition has played and can continue to play in ongoing negotiations and consultations around internet governance principles and human rights in established UN based multistakeholder venues, and other domains such as regional IGFs, the Council of Europe, and ICANN.
In December 2013 an open election/endorsement process for a new co-Chair and two new steering committee members was held. The new Steering Committee met on 19th December 2013. Details of committee members are available on www.internetrightsandprinciples.org