Human rights

Call for Applications | The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) is calling for applications from suitably qualified individuals interested in the nuts and bolts of digital rights advocacy to apply for a two-day virtual training. The training, which is scheduled for August 25th and 26th 2021, targets human rights defenders, […] Read more

By Ashnah Kalemera | The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) together with Small Media last week made joint stakeholder submissions on digital rights in South Sudan, Uganda and Zimbabwe to the United Nations Human Rights Council. The submissions were made as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism which […] Read more

By Victor Kapiyo | In recent years, disruptions to the internet and social media applications have emerged as a common and growing trend of digital repression especially in authoritarian countries in Africa. Since 2019, countries such as Algeria, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), Ethiopia, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra […] Read more

Press Release | The Principles on Identification for Sustainable Development (the Principles), the creation of which was facilitated by the World Bank’s Identification for Development (ID4D) initiative in 2017, provide one of the few attempts at global standard-setting for the development of digital identification systems across the world. They are endorsed by many global and […] Read more

By Apolo Kakaire | The outbreak of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) could not have come at a worse time for Uganda, as the country prepares for what is being referred to as a “scientific election”, where physical rallies are severely restricted, with candidates advised to rely more on the media to canvass support. Various measures adopted by […] Read more

CIPESA Writer | Since the first case of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) was announced in Tanzania on March 16, 2020, the government has been in the spotlight for its handling of the pandemic. It has denied the severity of the pandemic, suspended media houses, and criminalised Covid-19-related speech through enactment and enforcement of repressive regulations.  […] Read more

Joint Statement | The COVID-19 pandemic is a global public health emergency that requires a coordinated and large-scale response by governments worldwide. However, States’ efforts to contain the virus must not be used as a cover to usher in a new era of greatly expanded systems of invasive digital surveillance. We, the undersigned organizations, urge […] Read more

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is an open discussion platform for the United Nations. It deals with current legal, political, social and technical issues of the Internet. Click here for more details on the event […] Read more

Indeed, spreading the physical footprint of FIFAfrica across different regions of the continent ensures that the Forum lives up to its goal of unpacking internet freedom challenges and opportunities in sub-regions of Africa and developing responses that are collaborative, and informed by insights from the experience of other sub-regions of the continen. See our FIFAfrica […] Read more

The digital space is a powerful enabler for more inclusive democratic discourse, participation and policy-making. A free and open internet means simplified access to information, knowledge, culture and education, among other things, and it can also facilitate the exercise of fundamental rights. At the same time, digitisation comes with new challenges.   You can click […] Read more