The Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), a group of countries working together to advance human rights and fundamental freedoms online, has welcomed Luxembourg into its Coalition as its 34th member. Luxembourg has pledged to work collaboratively with the Coalition’s membership as well as uphold and advance the FOC’s shared goals and values as stated in the Founding Declaration and the Tallinn Recommendations for Freedom Online.
The FOC finds Luxembourg to have demonstrated respect for human rights online both in its domestic record and through its engagement in key multilateral and other relevant international forums and initiatives. The country has also over the years, been an active participant in Internet-related discussions and debates, and is a fervent advocate for digital equality, human rights, and press freedom.
Expressing the excitement of the country at joining the Coalition, Mr. Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg’s Minister for Foreign and European Affairs said: “We are excited to join the Freedom Online Coalition, a group of partners promoting human rights and democracy online. Within the Coalition, we want to promote a free, open, safe, and accessible Internet. Leaving no one behind also means leaving no one offline.”
Domestically, Luxembourg has launched various initiatives such as ‘Digital Luxembourg’ to strengthen ongoing digitization efforts through enabling new projects and supporting existing initiatives. The body recently supported the drafting process of Luxembourg’s AI strategy, which reiterated the nation’s vision of being ‘among the most advanced digital societies in the world’ and fostering a human-centric approach when implementing AI technologies.
Through these initiatives, Luxembourg demonstrated a commitment to multistakeholder engagement, consulting with various bodies to form policies and strategies, in line with the FOC’s prioritization of collaborating with academia, civil society and the private sector.
Luxembourg, joining the Coalition, will become a key participant in the FOC’s working groups, taskforces and diplomatic networks to promote the values of democracy and human rights online globally.
The FOC expressed its delight at welcoming Luxembourg and looks forward to working collaboratively to support Internet freedom and protect human rights online worldwide.
The Coalition was established in 2011 at the inaugural Freedom Online Conference in The Hague, the Netherlands at the initiative of the Dutch Foreign Ministry. Today the Coalition has 33 members, spanning from Africa to Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East. It
is a group of countries deeply committed to the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Its members believe that the human rights that people have offline must also be protected online and are therefore committed to working together, and with all others who share these views, to support Internet freedom and protect human rights online worldwide.
The FOC aims to be a proactive Coalition that ensures Internet freedom issues are on the international policy agenda as a way to drive concrete policy changes and outcomes.
To read more about the Freedom Online Coalition’s priorities and ongoing activities, please visit www.freedomonlinecoalition.com/about-us/.
Source: https://mediarightsagenda.org/freedom-online-coalition-welcomes-luxembourg-as-its-34th-member/