Press Statement by the minister of Foreign Affairs Conference Freedom Online
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands mr. Uri Rosenthal will host a ministerial conference on internet freedom in The Hague on December 8th and 9th, 2011. The key purpose of the conference is to facilitate a global dialogue about the responsibilities of governments from around the world with an interest in pro-actively furthering human rights on the internet, thereby engaging closely with companies, NGOs, and representatives of international organizations to develop an active agenda to further internet freedom through concrete commitments.
Press Statement
First, I want to welcome Secretary of State Clinton to the Netherlands, after a long trip through Europe. You have shown great leadership in defending online freedom. This issue perfectly fits the agenda of our trans Atlantic relationship. I’m very pleased to have you here with us.
Before our conference on internet freedom, we will have bilateral consultations on issues such as the recent developments in Burma, the need to enhance pressure on Iran, and our cooperation with the US to achieve peace in the Middle East.
As to the conference: For centuries we have been struggling to achieve freedom of speech - whether spoken, written or broadcasted. Nowadays it’s also an online battle. Freedom of speech online surely is as crucial as freedom offline.
More and more countries are trying to regulate and control the internet. It is unacceptable that web sites are blocked, internet use filtered, content manipulated and bloggers attacked and imprisoned. Bloggers and other voices deserve our support. Not only from civil society, but also from governments, the private sector and the academic community.
At this conference we shall establish a Coalition of States which will work to ensure that the internet is open, free, innovative and accessible to all. Self-evidently, the Coalition will engage with ICT companies, NGO’s, the academic community and members of the public. Together we will promote the cause of human rights via the internet.
The Dutch government will step up its efforts to help voices online in repressive environments around the globe. We will provide funding for mesh networks to those who cannot access the internet when communication infrastructure is going down. Next year we will contribute one million euros to these and other initiatives. And from 2012 to 2015 we are allocating almost five million more euros from our Human Rights Fund to freedom online.
We will continue to raise the issue of internet freedom bilaterally and multilaterally.
Let me now give the floor to Secretary Clinton. Thank you.