WASHINGTON, D.C. /eNewsChannels/ — The United States, along with 22 other countries and other non-governmental participants, will take part in the Freedom Online conference hosted by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will kick off the conference with keynote remarks on December 8, and Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Michael Posner will lead the U.S. Government delegation on December 9. Coordinator for Cyber Issues Chris Painter and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Daniel Baer will be part of the senior-level delegation.
The conference will launch an international coalition of states committed to working with businesses, civil society, and relevant stakeholders to take concrete actions to advance Internet freedom worldwide. Twenty three countries will participate in the conference, as well as prominent activists and bloggers and representatives from leading NGOs, companies, and international organizations.
The Freedom Online conference and the creation of a global coalition of countries committed to Internet freedom is an important step in establishing international support and joint action for the protection of freedom of expression, assembly, and association online for people worldwide.
Secretary Clinton’s remarks will be live-streamed and available for viewing at: www.humanrights.gov. The Secretary’s speech will be rebroadcast at a 2:00 pm EST satellite event hosted by the Embassy of the Netherlands and Google at the Newseum in Washington, DC on Thursday, December 8, at which Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero will deliver keynote remarks. In addition, Ambassador Philip Verveer, U.S. Coordinator for International Communications & Information Policy, will participate in a panel discussion at the Newseum event.
For more information about the Freedom Online conference, visit: http://www.minbuza.nl/en/ministry/conference-on-internet-freedom. Follow the conversation on Twitter under the hashtag: #iFreedom.
