The international conference on "Social Media: Challenges and Ways to Promote Freedoms and Protect Activists" will kick off in Doha Feb. 16 and 17.

The conference is organized by the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) in cooperation and coordination with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the European Parliament, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI).

In press remarks on Sunday, HE Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al Marri said that the Conference will discuss more than 40 working papers and different axes through interactive discussion panels and four working groups over two days.

HE Dr. Al Marri noted that the conference will bring together more than 300 international organizations, universities, think tanks and major specialized companies and social networks, in addition to a strong and qualitative participation of journalists' unions around the world and representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the United Nations agencies, international organizations and social media networks.

The Conference will also see wide participation of prominent personalities from the European Union countries, some of whom will present working papers, such as the EU representative for the fight against terrorism, the EU representative for Human Rights, along with representatives of the European Parliament and a number of UN special rapporteurs. Each of the Special Rapporteur on Privacy, the Special Rapporteur on Minorities and the Special Rapporteur on Democracy will present working papers at the conference.

HE the NHRC Chairman added that the Committee also paid great attention to the Gulf, Arab and African participation, noting that organizations from the Gulf countries - Kuwait and the Sultanate of Oman - and Arab, African and European countries, in addition to the United States of America, Russia and Latin America, will take part in the Conference.

Moreover, 100 media outlets from inside and outside Qatar will cover the activities of the international conference for various parts of the world, including approximately 30 international media outlets, 25 journalists from the local media and 50 social media activists, he added.

HE Al Marri noted that the Opening Plenary will address the topic "Social Media: Challenges and Ways to Promote Freedoms and Protect Human Rights Defenders and Professional Contents Creators", while other interactive plenary debates will be held under the themes: Creating an enabling environment for online civic space: Legal and institutional perspectives; and Responses by social media companies to protect civic space.

Meanwhile, parallel working groups will discuss the legislative frameworks regulating freedom of expression and social media; human rights implications of blocking access to communications and social media; regulating big tech transparency and accountability in content moderation; and identification of future activities to broaden civic space in the social media.

Source: Qatar News Agency

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