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03Dec

The AU Disability Protocol Comes Into Force: Implications for Digital Rights for Persons with Disabilities in Africa

Author CIPESA Posted on

By Paul Kimumwe & Michael Aboneka |

On this International Day for Persons with Disabilities, CIPESA reflects on the impact of the African Union (AU) Disability Protocol and its Implication on digital rights for persons with disabilities in Africa and calls upon the African Commission to establish a Special Mandate to enhance the respect for and protection of the rights for persons with disabilities in Africa

Six years after its adoption, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa came into force in May 2024 after securing the mandatory 15th ratification by the Republic of Congo. The other 14 African Union member states that have ratified the Protocol are Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Kenya, Mali, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Niger, Rwanda, South Africa, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, and Uganda. 

For disability rights activists, this was a defining moment as the protocol augments the rights of persons with disabilities to barrier-free access to the physical environment, transportation, information, and other communication technologies and systems. Specifically, under articles 23 and 24 of the protocol, States Parties should take “effective and appropriate measures” to facilitate the full enjoyment by persons with disabilities of the right to freedom of expression and opinion and access to information, including through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) has been a longstanding advocate for African governments to urgently ratify the protocol. However, CIPESA has also stated, including in submissions to the Africa Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR), that ratifying the protocol would be a major but insufficient step in ensuring that persons with disabilities access and use digital technologies and that there is sufficient disaggregated data to inform programme interventions.

Indeed, article 24(2) requires States Parties to put in place policy, legislative, administrative, and other measures to ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy the right to freedom of expression and access to information on an equal basis, including:

  1. Providing information intended for the general public as well as information required for official interactions with persons with disabilities in accessible formats and technologies appropriate to different kinds of disabilities in a timely manner and without additional cost to persons with disabilities. 
  2. Requiring private entities that provide services to the general public, including through the internet, to provide information and services in accessible and usable formats for persons with disabilities. 
  3. Recognising and promoting the use of sign language. 
  4. Ensuring that persons with visual impairments or with other print disabilities have effective access to published works, including by using information and communication technologies.

The protocol adds to the available digital rights advocacy tools for disability rights actors, including the 2006 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which places significant obligations on States Parties to take appropriate measures to ensure that persons with disabilities have equal and meaningful access to ICT, including the internet. 

The CRPD was the first international human rights treaty requiring the accessibility of digital tools as a prerequisite for persons with disabilities to fully enjoy their fundamental rights without discrimination. It highlights the inherent risks of exclusion of persons with disabilities from participating equally in society by defining ICT accessibility as integral to general accessibility rights and on par with access to the physical environment and transportation.

While there has been some progress in the enactment of disability rights-respecting and ICT-enabling laws for persons with disabilities in Africa, implementation is a challenge. Moreover, the Protocol comes into force when the digital divide and exclusion of persons with disabilities has worsened despite the exponential growth and penetration of digital technologies on the continent. Persons with disabilities have consistently remained disproportionately excluded from the digital society due to factors such as low levels of ICT skills, high illiteracy levels, and high cost of assistive technologies such as screen readers, screen magnification software, text readers, and speech input software.

It is against this background that CIPESA adds its voice to other calls to the African Commission to expedite the establishment of a special mandate at the level of Special Rapporteur for Persons with Disabilities. This elevated position will ensure that the rights of persons with disabilities in Africa are mainstreamed and upheld.

CIPESA recognises that as a regional human rights instrument, the protocol empowers disability rights actors to demand the enactment and full implementation of policies and laws that promote the rights of persons with disabilities, including in accessing and using digital technologies.

For example, disability rights actors, including civil society, activists, and Disability Rights Organisations (DPOs), should develop mechanisms to monitor the status of implementation of the protocol, including ensuring that the states parties submit their statutory reports as required by Article 34 of the protocol. The DPOs should also actively participate in developing shadow reports on the status of implementation of the protocol, especially on access to information and participation in public affairs.

In addition, disability rights organisations should work with policymakers and the executive to ensure that more countries ratify the protocol and domesticate it through national policies, laws, and practices. Both the protocol and the CRPD should become a reference point during any discussions of draft laws and policies that affect persons with disabilities.

For the media, it is important that, through their reporting, they hold governments accountable for failure to ratify or to fully implement the provisions of the protocol.

Member countries can also demand for accountability of their peers on the status of implementation of the key provisions of the protocol through the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

Please read more about CIPESA submissions on policy actions governments should take after ratifying the protocol. See also The Disability and ICT Accessibility Framework for Monitoring the Implementation of ICT Accessibility Laws and Policies in Africa.

28Nov

African Commission Resolution to Bolster Data Governance

Author CIPESA Posted on

By Edrine Wanyama |

The Resolution adopted by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) during its 81st Ordinary Session held from October 17 to November 6, 2024 in Banjul, The Gambia potentially bolsters data protection and governance on the African continent.

The Resolution calls upon states parties to take all relevant measures to ensure transparent and accountable collection, processing, storage and access to data. It also underscores the importance of ethical principles in data usage, equitable access to data, and addressing biases to prevent structural inequalities while safeguarding privacy and combating discrimination.​

The resolution acknowledges the rapid advancement of technology and the increased dependence on data in governance and socio-economic development, and is in line with the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection, African Union’s Data Policy Framework, and the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (2020–2030).

Similarly, this timely resolution aligns closely with the vision of the Global Digital Compact (GDC), which calls for inclusive, rights-based governance of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI), and the ACHPR’s Resolution 473 on the need to undertake a study on human and peoples’ rights and AI, robotics and other new and emerging technologies. These frameworks emphasise the potential of data and digital technologies while cautioning against risks such as bias, inequities, unwarranted surveillance, and privacy violations.

By embedding human rights principles in digital governance, both the ACHPR’s Resolution 473 and the GDC advocate for responsibly leveraging digital tools to reduce inequalities and protect vulnerable populations. The ACHPR’s focus on equitable data access and capacity-building within African states resonates with the GDC’s call for global collaboration to address disparities in digital infrastructure and skills. Together, these initiatives present a unified agenda to ensure that digital technologies and AI are harnessed for equity, justice, and sustainable development that foster a shared vision for a more inclusive digital age.

The ACHPR Resolution further urges state parties to ensure open access to data which is in possession of public and private in public interest, in accordance with the prescribed regional and international human rights standards.

The Resolution reinforces the African Union’s Data Policy Framework which, among others, seeks to maximise the benefits of the data-driven economy for African countries. With common anticipated benefits, data governance systems will be harmonised to enable secure and free data flow on the continent which potentially contributes to a people-centred approach which is not inward-looking for individuals, institutions and businesses and, enhances data utility for accelerated attainment of Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

There is increasing recognition of the need for data governance frameworks that create a safe and trustworthy digital environment, foster intra-Africa digital trade, enable states’ cooperation on data governance, enable domestication of continental policies, and ensure free and secure data flows across the continent. As such, the  Resolution also calls for the establishment of collaborative mechanisms, coordinating data issues, enabling and facilitating competitiveness in the global economy, promoting sustainable data use and benefits to society, as well as facilitating innovative ways to promote and maximise benefits of data for the African peoples.

Besides, the Resolution will potentially grow the impetus of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to adopt harmonised data governance systems, which will quicken continental initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement whose growth and benefits depend on secure and free cross-border data flows. For instance, the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are set to develop regional data governance policy frameworks with the aim of harmonising data governance in the region for economic growth and regional integration.

The Resolution echoes sentiments shared in various panels at the September Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa 2024 (#FIFAfrica), which highlighted contemporary issues in data governance in Africa, including in collection, management, and processing of data. The Forum emphasised the role of national and regional actors in policy harmonisation, enabling greater cross-border data flows, maximising the benefits of data for all countries and all citizens, and the need for greater privacy protections over personal data. Among others, speakers at FIFAfrica singled out  national parliaments, RECs, civil society organisations, the African Union, and the private sector as having pivotal roles to play in promoting effective data governance.

06Nov

Explorer le paysage complexe des droits numériques au Sahel : Parole aux défenseurs

Author CIPESA Posted on

Par Simone Toussi |

Les pays de la région sahélienne, tels que le Burkina Faso, le Mali et le Niger, présentent un environnement périlleux pour les défenseurs des droits humains, au moment où des régimes militaires s’enlisent au pouvoir. L’espace numérique, autrefois perçu comme un symbole de liberté d’expression et d’accès à une information plurielle, est progressivement assiégé, les droits à la vie privée, à la liberté d’expression et à l’accès et au partage d’informations y étant de plus en plus restreints.

Si ces pays font face à des problématiques numériques communes à d’autres pays francophones d’Afrique – interruptions d’Internet, surveillance étatique, censure en ligne et instrumentalisation des lois sur la cybersécurité et la désinformation –, le renversement des gouvernements civils par l’armée y a aggravé le niveau d’autoritarisme.

Lors du Forum sur la liberté de l’Internet en Afrique – organisé par la Collaboration sur les Politiques Internationales des TIC pour l’Afrique de l’Est et Australe (CIPESA) et AfricTivistes en septembre 2024 à Dakar, Sénégal – des experts se sont réunis pour discuter des défis croissants et des opportunités en matière de droits numériques dans la région. Le panel a élucidé la position précaire des défenseurs des droits humains et le rôle ambivalent des technologies numériques, qui exacerbent autant qu’elles offrent des solutions à ces défis.

Dans le cadre des efforts de CIPESA pour lutter contre les troubles de l’information en Afrique subsaharienne et équiper les acteurs au plaidoyer pour de lois numériques plus justes, le panel a abordé des questions critiques relatives aux droits numériques ainsi que des problématiques sociales pressantes comme l’inégalité de genre, les conflits armés et la détérioration de la liberté de la presse, tout en examinant le cadre réglementaire émergent y afférent.

Les défenseurs des droits humains au Sahel, notamment les activistes pour les droits des femmes et les journalistes, rencontrent d’immenses difficultés en raison de l’instabilité politique, de la violence armée et des régimes autoritaires, qui imposent de sévères restrictions à la liberté de la presse, à la circulation de l’information et aux activités de la société civile.

Djibril Saidou, de International Media Support (IMS), a souligné que les défis des droits numériques au Sahel vont au-delà de la protection de la liberté d’expression. « Il s’agit de garantir l’accès à l’information sur des questions urgentes comme les droits des femmes et les conflits armés », a-t-il déclaré. Dans ces contextes difficiles, il a affirmé que les efforts d’intervention devraient se concentrer sur la résistance à la censure et le renforcement de la résilience des défenseurs des droits numériques et de la démocratie.

Chantal Nare, blogueuse féministe de Bloggueuses226 et activiste burkinabè, a partagé son expérience de militante pour les droits des femmes dans un environnement aussi fragile. Elle a évoqué la peur constante de représailles et de surveillance, qui entrave l’expression libre, même sur les plateformes numériques. Chantal a soulevé une question cruciale : « Comment les plateformes numériques comme WhatsApp ou les blogs peuvent-elles être utilisées pour protéger et autonomiser les femmes sans les exposer à davantage de risques face aux acteurs étatiques ou extrémistes ? »

Urbain Yameogo, du Centre d’Information et de Formation sur les Droits Humains en Afrique (CIFDHA), a cité l’abus des lois sur la cybercriminalité et le terrorisme pour restreindre la liberté d’expression. « La loi antiterroriste de 2015 au Burkina Faso permettait aux journalistes un certain accès à des informations sensibles liées au terrorisme. Cependant, les révisions du Code pénal en 2019 ont supprimé ces exemptions, exposant les journalistes à des poursuites pour des actes qu’ils exerçaient dans le cadre de leur travail, comme l’accès aux sites liés au terrorisme. Cette modification a créé une zone grise juridique qui rend les journalistes et les défenseurs des droits humains vulnérables à des persécutions. »

Les panélistes ont souligné que les journalistes de la région, rapportant sur des sujets sensibles comme le terrorisme et les violations des droits humains, sont de plus en plus poursuivis sous des lois sur la cybercriminalité, plutôt que sous les lois traditionnelles sur la presse, qui offraient historiquement plus de protection. Ce changement compromet les droits des journalistes à rapporter librement, car les lois sur la cybercriminalité, souvent mal définies, peuvent être interprétées de manière extensive pour réprimer un travail journalistique légitime.

Face au défi de défendre les droits numériques dans un climat de peur des représailles des régimes militaires, certains participants ont souligné la nécessité d’exercer une prudence extrême et d’adopter une approche conciliatrice dans leur travail. Cheikh Fall, de l’organisation régionale des droits humains AfricTivistes, a affirmé : « Parfois, il faut choisir entre la vie et la liberté. Dans les pays du Sahel sous régime militaire, les droits numériques sont éclipsés par le besoin immédiat de survie. Cette réalité souligne que la lutte pour les droits humains fondamentaux est indissociable du combat pour la liberté. »

Des propositions ont été faites pour créer des lois unifiées traitant à la fois des enjeux numériques et médiatiques. Cependant, étant donné les craintes que ces lois puissent renforcer la répression plutôt que protéger les libertés, un dialogue inclusif et des processus politiques participatifs ont été jugés cruciaux. Cela permettrait de garantir une meilleure protection non seulement pour les journalistes et les défenseurs, mais aussi pour les femmes et d’autres groupes vulnérables. À cet égard, Chantal Nare a appelé à une législation englobant les formes de répression physique et numérique.

Outre les réformes juridiques, les panélistes ont également insisté sur la nécessité d’une formation renforcée à la sécurité numérique et d’une collaboration accrue entre les acteurs locaux et internationaux.

30Jul

East and Southern African National Human Rights Commissions Trained in Digital Rights Protection

Author CIPESA Posted on

By CIPESA Writer |

As part of its ongoing efforts to enhance the ability of African National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) to monitor, protect, and promote digital freedoms, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) last month conducted a two-day capacity-building training that attracted NHRI representatives from Lesotho, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Zambia.

The two-day training that was held in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 25 and 26, 2024, sought to empower staff of NHRIs in the region to engage with the opportunities and challenges that digital technology poses for human rights protection and monitoring of digital rights. In his opening remarks, CIPESA Executive Director Dr. Wairagala Wakabi noted that NHRIs play a critical role in the protection and promotion of human rights, and given the deteriorating state of digital rights in the region, it was important that they are equipped to deal with the intersection between the digital and the traditional human rights. According to the Paris Principles, NHRIs are required to have a broad mandate that allows them to effectively execute their mandate of promoting and protecting human rights, both offline and online.

The Nairobi training followed a similar training that CIPESA conducted in Ethiopia for staff of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), who identified key actions the commission could integrate in its annual work plans, such as digital rights monitoring, advocacy for enabling laws to be enacted, and developing tools for follow up on implementation of recommendations on digital rights by treaty bodies and the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Digital Rights as Human Rights

Digital rights have been recognised at both international and regional levels. For example, in 2018, during its 38th session, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted resolution A/HRC/RES/38/7 that reaffirmed that “the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online.” In 2016, the United Nations General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution on “the promotion, protection, and enjoyment of human rights on the Internet,” condemning any measures taken by state parties to prevent or disrupt internet access and calling upon them to refrain from and cease any such measures.

In March 2024, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights passed resolution ACHPR.Res.580 (LXXVIII)2024 on Internet Shutdowns and Elections in Africa “reaffirming the importance of access to the internet in the digital age and its implication for the realisation of human rights”. The resolution called upon member states to “refrain from ordering the interruption of telecommunications services, shutting down the internet, and/or disrupting access to any other digital communication platforms before, during or after the elections.”

Challenges Facing NHRIs

In many cases, African NHRIs have found themselves operating in an increasingly hostile environment with limited funding and hostility from state agencies, who sometimes view their role as countering and incriminating the government in human rights violations. In addition, because of the limited funding, many NHRIs are not in a position to recruit or improve the level of expertise among their staff members, especially when it comes to new and emerging technologies and how they affect the enjoyment of human rights. Participants acknowledged that, in many cases, they are always playing catch-up when it comes to legislation, yet they are supposed to be the primary advisors and reviewers of draft laws related to human rights.

In his remarks, Victor Kapiyo, one of the trainers, noted that the adoption of digital technologies has brought up new human rights issues, particularly as governments have reacted by enacting laws that have, for the most part, served to stifle human rights as opposed to facilitating their enjoyment. On the other hand, digital technologies have also facilitated the spread of hate speech, disinformation, and technology-facilitated gender-based violence. It is important that NHRIs keep enhancing their capacity to monitor, investigate, and protect against violations of digital rights by both governments and private actors, including big tech companies.

Practical Strategies for NHRIs

During the training, participants discussed an array of strategies that they can adopt to monitor, document, and protect digital rights, including the use of practical legal and policy guidance set out in the Rabat Plan of Action, as well as Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights when engaging with governments and business entities especially technological companies in regards to their obligations to respect, protect and promote human rights.

Participants also noted the need to engage with security agencies, the justice department, and policymakers on issues of digital rights. It was noted that because the concept of digital rights in Africa is new and evolving with limited understanding and jurisprudence, NHRIs need to constantly retool themselves on the emerging issues if they are to execute their mandates effectively. Other strategies included building coalitions and collaborations with civil society actors, the media and academia to help unpack and create awareness about digital rights.

The training was facilitated by trainers from CIPESA, Internews, the International Centre for Non-Profit Law, and the Kenya National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC).

04Jun

Job Opportunity: Project Assistant

Author CIPESA Posted on

Call for Applications |

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) is seeking a Project Assistant to support implementation of activities under the USAID/Uganda Civil Society Strengthening Activity (CSSA).

Job Title: Project Assistant

Location: Kampala, Uganda

Duration: Two (2) years Full time with a possibility of renewal

Reports to: Project Officer

Job Summary:

The Project Assistant will support in the planning, execution, monitoring and reporting of the Civil Society Strengthening Activity at CIPESA. Duties include assisting in research, capacity building/training, outreach and advocacy. The position is based at CIPESA’s offices in Kampala, Uganda, with frequent travel within the country.

About CIPESA

Established in 2004, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) is a leading centre for research and analysis of information aimed to enable policy makers in the region to understand ICT policy issues, and for various multi-stakeholders to effectively use ICT to improve governance and livelihoods. CIPESA works to defend and expand the digital civic space to enable the protection and promotion of human rights and to enhance innovation and sustainable development. We  focus on disparate actors including government, the private sector, civil society, media, policy makers and multinational institutions.

The Project

The Uganda Civil Society Strengthening Activity (CSSA) is a five-year  USAID-funded Activity (now in the Fourth year of implementation) that is implemented by East-West Management Institute (EWMI) in partnership with the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL). Under the project, CIPESA works to contribute to Component 3, whose goal is to promote a more supporting enabling environment that sustains a vibrant civil society in Uganda; increased in-country resources and capacity of CSOs to navigate government requirements and restrictions; and Ugandan-led initiatives to improve the CSO enabling environment. Activities include providing legal technical assistance, assisting CSOs to navigate and adapt to the restrictive environment and enhancing multi-sectoral CSO collaboration to promote and defend the enabling environment.

Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Assist in organising trainings in media and information literacy, digital safety, digital rights.
  • Organise stakeholder engagements at national and regional levels.
  • Produce information, education and communication materials for awareness raising and advocacy on the project including through blogs, briefs, commentaries and impact stories.
  • Support research undertakings including data collection and analysis.
  • Conduct field visits and follow up meetings with project beneficiaries.
  • Liaise with CSSA partners on activity progress, deliverables and opportunities for collaboration.
  • Assist with strategic planning, reporting as well as monitoring and evaluation.
  • Perform any additional admin and project related activities as assigned that will enhance CIPESA’s work.

Qualifications and Skills:

  • A bachelor’s degree in law, project planning and management, social sciences, communication, social work and social administration, or related disciplines.
  • Two or more years of experience in programming with a reputable institution, preferably in civil society.
  • Understanding of the digital civic space in Uganda.
  • Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills.
  • Knowledge of project management principles, practices, techniques and procedures including planning and project implementation.
  • High level of motivation, integrity, and commitment to teamwork.
  • Strong work ethic with an unwavering commitment to quality and professionalism.
  • Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office Suite and all applications including Excel and PowerPoint.
  • Great team player with capacity to establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff, partners and the public.

How to Apply:

Applications including a cover letter outlining how you fit the job requirements and your areas of expertise; a CV; two writing samples (or alternative samples of your work); salary expectations, names and contacts of two referees should be submitted to [email protected].

The deadline for submissions is June 14, 2024, at 18.00 East African Time.

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