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.
