(OHCHR)
Deadline: 15 October 2019
Issued by: OHCHR
Purpose: Thematic Report
Resolution: Human Rights Council resolution 38/11
Presented to: Human Rights Council
When: 44th session, June 2020
Why this call for input? At its thirty-eighth session, the Human Rights Council adopted resolution 38/11 in which it requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a report on new technologies, including information and communications technology, and their impact on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of assemblies, including peaceful protests, and to submit it to the Human Rights Council prior to its forty-fourth session.
Scope of study and key questions: The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in line with Council resolution 38/11, seeks the views of all States and relevant partners, such as United Nations agencies, regional organizations, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations, and relevant special procedures of the Human Rights Council. In this regard, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights would be most grateful to receive any relevant information with regard to the preparation of the report, including information concerning the following:
1. Laws, policies and programmes that have been developed to address the impact of new technologies, including information and communications technology, on human rights in the context of assemblies, including peaceful protests;
2. Effective uses of such technologies as enablers of the exercise of human rights in the context of assemblies, including peaceful protests (e.g. how new technologies have facilitated the organisation of assemblies, including peaceful protests);
3. The human rights challenges posed by interferences with the availability and use of such technologies in the context of assemblies, including peaceful protests (e.g. through networks disruptions, blocking of internet services or restrictions on secure and confidential communications);
4. The human rights challenges posed by the use of new technologies, including information and communications technology, in the context of assemblies, including peaceful protests (e.g. the use of surveillance and monitoring tools by the authorities, including biometrics-based recognition technology to identify protestors).
5. The impact on human rights of the use of new less-lethal weapons and ammunition technology in the context of assemblies, including peaceful protests.
Any additional information regarding the topic of the resolution would be welcome.
Format, length and languages: There are no restrictions on format and length and submissions may be sent in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Russian.
How and where to submit: Please send any information to: registry@ohchr.org.
Please note that, unless requested otherwise, the information provided will be made available for consultation on the Office’s website at www.ohchr.org .