News
In the digital age, access to the internet has become vital to the free flow of information.
Yet new data published by Access Now, points to a worrying increase in the number of internet shutdowns being carried out by governments around the world, with the goal of controlling public opinion. In 2022, recorded 187 instances of internet shutdowns in 35 countries around the world. And as of May 2023, they had already documented least 80 shutdowns across 21 countries.
In 2024 elections will be held in 81 countries. Voters in all regions of the world must be guaranteed access to online information as they prepare to elect new leaders.
As we head into a super-election year, UNESCO is appealing to governments to ensure that access to information is protected, including access to the internet. The ability to access information has never been more critical to the health of our democracies.
Event: On International Day of Universal Access to Information, 28 September, UNESCO is holding a global conference on the necessity of the importance of the online space for access to information.
When: Thursday 28 from 09.00-17.30
Where: @ The Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, Mansfield College, Oxford University
UNESCO’s Press Office proposes interviews either by Zoom in advance, or on the 28th September at the event with:
- Tawfik Jelassi, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Communication & Information
- And Mutali Mukerjee, Acting Director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
More on the Right to Access to Information and Internet Shutdowns:
- According to the , 138 nations currently have laws that safeguard access to information.
- 10% of UK Citizens have used Access to Information Laws to access information.
- defines internet shutdowns as “measures taken by a government, or on behalf of a government, to intentionally disrupt access to, and the use of, information and communications systems online”.
