Session
Organizer 1: Civil Society, African Group
Organizer 2: Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 2: Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 1: Zaghdoudi Aymen, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 2: Cagatay Pekyorur, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Elonnai Hickok, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 4: Deborah Brown, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 5: Victor Omondi Kapiyo , Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 2: Cagatay Pekyorur, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Elonnai Hickok, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 4: Deborah Brown, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 5: Victor Omondi Kapiyo , Civil Society, African Group
Format
Theater
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: A theatre style setting will allow us to maximise space and include a range of speakers from different stakeholder groups. Having a full hour for the session will allow enough time for speakers to provide scene-setting remarks and their perspectives, before opening out to the participants, both in the room and online, to hear their questions, as well as learn from their insights and experiences in relation to the topic.
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: A theatre style setting will allow us to maximise space and include a range of speakers from different stakeholder groups. Having a full hour for the session will allow enough time for speakers to provide scene-setting remarks and their perspectives, before opening out to the participants, both in the room and online, to hear their questions, as well as learn from their insights and experiences in relation to the topic.
Policy Question(s)
What are the emerging trends in relation to the development and enforcement of voice-limiting cybercrime laws and content regulations across the AMET region?
How is the recent adoption of the UNCC likely to influence regulatory developments across the AMET region?
What role do different stakeholders groups play in tackling the rise in voice-limiting regulatory developments across the AMET region?
What will participants gain from attending this session? To build participants' understanding of the role of the UN Cybercrime Convention on the evolving cybercrime and content regulation landscape in the AMET region. The session will also provide an opportunity for speakers and participants to discuss advocacy strategies to push for rights-respecting regulations as well as exploring opportunities for collaboration and resource-sharing to enhance advocacy efforts. We will also introduce, for the first time, a new policy paper on cybercrime in the MENA region, presenting recommendations to promote a human rights-based approach to combating cybercrime.
Description:
In recent years, we have seen a proliferation of cybercrime laws and online content regulations across Africa, the Middle East, and Turkiye (AMET). Whilst many of these frameworks are well-intentioned and developed with a genuine aim to tackle online harms, there is also a growing number of regulatory developments that are misaligned with international human rights laws, and stifle free expression. This situation is further complicated by the recent adoption of the UN Cybercrime Convention (UNCC), which has been widely criticised for failing to include sufficient safeguards. During this session, speakers and participants will explore freedom of expression limiting elements of certain regulations from the region and potential impact of the UN Cybercrime Convention, as well as sharing advocacy strategies and best practices to support the development and implementation of rights-respecting regulations.
In recent years, we have seen a proliferation of cybercrime laws and online content regulations across Africa, the Middle East, and Turkiye (AMET). Whilst many of these frameworks are well-intentioned and developed with a genuine aim to tackle online harms, there is also a growing number of regulatory developments that are misaligned with international human rights laws, and stifle free expression. This situation is further complicated by the recent adoption of the UN Cybercrime Convention (UNCC), which has been widely criticised for failing to include sufficient safeguards. During this session, speakers and participants will explore freedom of expression limiting elements of certain regulations from the region and potential impact of the UN Cybercrime Convention, as well as sharing advocacy strategies and best practices to support the development and implementation of rights-respecting regulations.
Expected Outcomes
To build a multistakeholder community of interest in relation to voice-limiting regulations in the AMET region and the impact of the UNCC on such developments.
To provide a space for speakers and participants to share their advocacy efforts and experiences with one another in order to enhance their future efforts in relation to voice-limiting regulations in the AMET region.
To identify concrete areas of alignment across stakeholder groups and opportunities for collaboration and resource-sharing which can be leveraged post session.
Hybrid Format: We will facilitate interactive dialogue between participants in the room and online by clearly communicating the agenda, expected outcomes, and engagement modalities with participants (raising hands, questions in the chat etc.) at the start of the session, ensuring that all participants are aware of how the session will run and how they can contribute to the discussion. We will ensure real-time communication with both the onsite and online moderators to ensure questions and comments are fielded from both the room and online in an equal fashion so that both groups feel included in the discussion.