Digital Didi Changing Mindsets, Practices and Narratives
On June 21-22, 2017, DEF participated in a two-day consultation on Freedom of Expression and Religion. The consultation, held in Bangkok (Thailand), aimed at bringing civil society organisations and individuals together to highlight issues related enhancing the exercise of expression, opinion and religious freedoms in Asia. With the decline of freedom of expression online and a growing number of countries introducing online censorship, monitoring practices are becoming more aggressive. Discrimination against religious minorities and in effect the curbs on their freedom of expression are constitutionalised and systematized in some Asian countries like Pakistan and Indonesia.
Without informed and strategic civil society engagement for enhanced understanding of the nuances, reversing this negative trend on expression, opinion and religious freedoms and securing policy change will be extremely challenging.
The main objectives of the consultation were to work towards implementation of Jakarta Recommendations (Consultation held in Jakarta in 2015); Brainstorm and plan for the UNSRs roundtable on Freedom of Expression and Religion to be held in October 2017; Strengthen strategic and consistent UN advocacy of Asian civil society on the issues related to Expression, Opinion and Religious Freedom in Asia; Identify ways and forums to engage for better protection of Freedom of Expression, religion and belief; Forge linkages among the CSOs on the shared goals; and Form a regional network to advocate on these issues and inform/develop key messages to bring to the relevant UN mechanisms.
The consultation was organised by Bytes for All, Pakistan, and was attended by civil society organisations representing Pakistan, Burma, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
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