GENEVA — The United Nations' main human rights body has for the first time backed people's right to freedom of expression on the Internet in the wake of the massive role that social media networks played in the Arab Spring.
In a landmark resolution, the UN Human Rights Council's 47 members states agreed yesterday that this right should be protected by all states and access to the Internet should also be guaranteed.
Both China and Cuba have tried to limit access to the Internet and voiced some reservations but joined the consensus recognising "the global and open nature of the Internet as a driving force in accelerating progress towards development".
"This outcome is momentous for the Human Rights Council," said US ambassador Eileen Donahoe, whose country co-sponsored the Swedish-led motion with countries including Brazil and Tunisia.
"It's the first ever UN resolution affirming that human rights in the digital realm must be protected and promoted to the same extent and with the same commitment as human rights in the physical world," she told reporters.
Tunisia's envoy Moncef Baati said the Internet had played a vital role in mobilising people in his country's "revolution" last year.
UN officials said it was the first UN resolution on the issue, but noted that the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN agency, had affirmed the principle since 2003.
China's envoy backed the motion but said Internet users, especially youth, also needed to be protected from harmful websites.
"We believe that the free flow of information on the Internet and the safe flow of information on the Internet are mutually dependent," Xia Jingge told the Geneva forum, which ends a three-week session today.
Donahoe said China has had "difficulty" in joining consensus on civil and political rights linked to freedom of association.
"The fact that they found a way to be part of this is a significant, important move in their thinking," she said. "It must reflect an awareness that the Internet is here to stay, is an essential part of everyone's economy and will be a linchpin of development for all countries and they have to be part of it."
