Emphasising that the Internet is an enabling space and resource for the realisation of all human rights, including the right to hold opinions without interference, the right to freedom of expression and information, the right to freedom of assembly and association, the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, the right to be free from discrimination in all forms, the right of ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practise their own religion, or to use their own language, and economic, social and cultural rights;
Emphasising that the Internet is particularly relevant to social, economic and human development in Africa;
Affirming that in order to fully benefit from its development potential, the Internet must be accessible, available and affordable for all persons in Africa;
Affirming further that the Internet is a vital tool for the realisation of the right of all people to participate freely in the governance of their country, and to enjoy equal access to public services;
Recalling that a number of regional standards are relevant to the protection of human rights on the Internet, in particular the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights of 1981, the Windhoek Declaration on Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Press of 1991, the African Charter on Broadcasting of 2001, the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression in Africa of 2002, the African Platform on Access to Information Declaration of 2011, and the African Union Convention on Cyber-security and Personal Data Protection of 2014;
Acknowledging the roles being played by many African and international organisations, including the African Union Commission, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency and UNESCO, in promoting access to and use of the Internet in Africa;
Mindful of the continuing efforts of international organisations and other stakeholders to develop principles that apply human rights to the Internet, particularly since the Joint Declaration of 2011 concerning Freedom of Expression and the Internet by the four Special Rapporteurs on Freedom of Expression: including the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution of 2012 on The promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the Internet; the UN General Assembly Resolution of 2013 on The right to privacy in the digital age; the UN Human Rights Council Resolution of 2014 on The Internet and Human Rights; the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights; the Johannesburg Principles on Freedom of Expression and National Security; The Right to Share Principles, The Necessary and Proportionate Principles; and the Manila Principles on Intermediary Liability;
Concerned by the continuing inequality in access to and use of the Internet, and the increasing use of the Internet by state and non-state actors as a means of violating individual rights to privacy and freedom of expression through mass surveillance and related activities;
Aware that some individuals and groups – in particular women and girls, people with disabilities, ethnic, religious and sexual minorities, and people living
in rural areas – might be threatened with exclusion and marginalisation in relation to exercising their human rights in relation to the Internet and digital technologies;
Emphasising the responsibility of states to respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of all people;
Convinced that it is critical for all African stakeholders to invest in creating an enabling and empowering Internet environment that truly serves the needs of Africans through the adoption and implementation of this Declaration.
Herein Declare:
