Joint statement on the promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the Internet during the Covid-19 crisis

Madame President,

I deliver this statement on behalf of the core group of the Human rights and Internet resolution: Brazil, Nigeria, Tunisia and Sweden.

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed us further into a digitalized world, enhancing online medicine, work and education as well as data and information exchanges for research.

However, the crisis also exposes the wide gap between the connected and unconnected. More than ever, internet access is a lifeline. Those without access risk being left further behind, not least in least developed countries.

The crisis may exacerbate digital divides, including the gender digital divide, that exist between and within countries and within already marginalised and discriminated groups. We call upon states to increase efforts to bridge these divides as well as to enhance support for and access to open, free and secure information and communications technologies.

We note with concern certain measures used during the pandemic, such as Internet shutdowns and online surveillance and censorship. We urge states to refrain from and cease such measures, that are not in line with their obligations under international human rights law.

We are also concerned with the increased spread of online disinformation and misinformation as well as advocacy of hatred in the tracks of the pandemic. Fact- and science-based information and education can help counter these phenomena. Access to information, online and offline, as well as free and independent media play an indispensable role in this regard.

We call upon all states to promote and respect all human rights online and offline, in crisis and beyond.