UNAMI HRO and INSM facilitate global brown bag discussion on digital rights and digital security (UNAMI)

Baghdad, 5 April 2022 - UNAMI’s Human Rights Office in cooperation with the Iraqi Network for Social Media (INSM), facilitated today a global “brown bag” discussion on digital rights and digital security for UN human rights presences around the world.

From December 2021 to March 2022, UNAMI’s Human Rights Office in cooperation with INSM implemented a cutting-edge project to enhance the online protection of Iraqi human rights defenders, bloggers, journalists and activists through a series of trainings on digital rights and online security, attended by approximately 200 participants. This was accompanied by the provision of a digital security guide, a digital help desk, and tailor-made digital security assessments for Iraqi NGOs. Moreover, the project provided a platform for dialogue between Iraqi authorities, private companies, and civil society representatives, outlining steps to strengthen rights in the online space.

The implementation of this project was met with enormous interest from civil society, given the increasing role cyberspace plays in the monitoring, reporting and advocacy of human rights, while recognizing the critical need to mitigate online risks, improve data protection and online communication, and adopt digital security policies. UNAMI HRO and INSM presented lessons learnt and outlined steps on how to expand activities on digital rights in Iraq. 21 participants from various UN field missions and OHCHR country offices joined the meeting, reflecting on their own experiences and highlighting the criticality of the fast-evolving field of digital security for the protection and promotion of human rights.