I believe that realizing human rights is the essential first step to building just societies. When people are empowered to pursue their own destinies and have a voice in shaping solutions to problems they experience, they are better equipped to overcome poverty, live with dignity and transform the lives of others.

“Millions of people are suffering enormously at the hands of states, while governments are shamelessly painting the protection of human rights as a threat to security, law and order or national ‘values.'"

There is an insidious and creeping trend undermining human rights which has come from governments deliberately attacking, under funding or neglecting institutions that have been set up to help protect our rights.

“Not only are our rights under threat, so are the laws and the system that protect them. More than 70 years of hard work and human progress lies at risk,”

The United Nations’ human rights bodies, the International Criminal Court, and regional mechanisms such as the Council of Europe and the Inter American Human Rights system, are being undermined by governments attempting to evade oversight of their domestic records.

As I speak Amnesty international has stated in their 2015 – 2016 report that  governments are  broken international law in their national contexts: more than 98 states tortured or otherwise ill-treated people and 30 or more illegally forced people to do things against their will where they would be in danger. In at least 18 countries, war crimes or other violations of the “laws of war” were committed by governments or armed groups.

Amnesty International has warn of a worrying trend among governments increasingly targeting and attacking activists, lawyers and others who work to defend human rights and we are not excluded from this

“Instead of recognizing the crucial role these people play in society, many governments have deliberately set out to strangle criticism in their country. They broken their own laws in their crackdowns against citizens,”

 

My question now is:

1.   Is there any charter of human right and principles for the internet?   If yes to what extent has it influence human right policies on the internet. and if no is there any plans from ICANN to lead the process of bringing to the attention of the international bodies responsible for human right issues in relation to the internet from our part of the world (THE INTERNET)?

WISDOM DONKOR

ICANN 55 FELLOW/ COACH