Activists and key stakeholders in digital rights have convened for a day-long seminar in Blantyre to discuss digital under the theme ‘Internet Universality Indicators: Gateways to Action’.
The conference has drawn participants from various Ministries, Civil Society Organisations, Law Society, Human Rights Defenders, Media, Academia and Researchers within and outside Malawi.
The hybrid conference has also roped in facilitators from Ghana, Cameroon and Somalia among others.
In his remarks, Board Member of Youth Net and Counselling (YONECO) Dr Immaculate Chamangwana, said the advent of the internet and exponential growth of access to it and other Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), have made digital rights become essential to the way people around the world exercise and enjoy their fundamental human rights.
“Malawi, like other African countries, has enacted several laws that contain provisions on digital rights. These provisions recognise that the same rights that people have offline, must also be protected in digital spaces. We, therefore, believe that the Internet Universality Indicators (IUI) is central to the growth and evolution of the Internet, and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Chamangwana.
The conference has been organised in collaboration with key stakeholders including International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), YONECO and UNESCO.
