Digital rights are a top priority to rebuild civic space amid recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. A fireside chat discussion covered "Protecting digital civic space: the role of technology in supporting democracy." An expert panel of seven with civil society, government and tech industry discussed the challenges and opportunities for the online activities of civil society, and the roles of states, the international community, and the tech industry in promoting and safeguarding digital civic space. In human rights policy, they have "explicitly recognized the risk faced by human rights defenders and explicitly seek to support them." It introduced a fund to assist human rights defenders facing critical threats and support new digital security efforts.

Source: Manila Times June 12, 2021 13:18 UTC