Letter to the United Nations on Inclusive Civil Society Participation

11 July 2022

H.E. Ms. Faouzia Boumaiza Mebarki 
Chairperson
Ad Hoc Committee to Elaborate a Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communication Technologies for Criminal Purposes

Your Excellency,

We, the undersigned, represent NGOs accredited to the Ad Hoc Committee to Elaborate a Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communication Technologies for Criminal Purposes (hereafter, AHC). Thus far, many of us have participated in both the first and second sessions of the AHC, as well as the intersessionals, whether remotely or in-person. We have also provided our expertise through written and oral input. At this point, we write with regard to the question of hybrid participation, and the ability to make oral interventions during future substantive sessions. 

We welcome the AHC Secretariat’s information circular, dated 5 July, 2022, inviting multistakeholders to participate in the third session of the Ad Hoc Committee. In particular, we appreciate the opportunity for hybrid participation since it has been critical for diverse participation so far, allowing many of the NGOs accredited to the AHC to contribute to discussions in person or remotely. 

We also welcome the provision of guiding questions in advance to inform and drive the deliberations. However, in order to be able to meaningfully contribute to the AHC discussions, we request clarification and timely information on the specific time and approximate duration of the slots allotted for accredited NGOs to deliver their statements and make interventions in response to the guiding questions. This will allow us to prepare our inputs and to provide our expertise so that it is relevant to the discussions at-hand. To make participation more effective and meaningful, we respectfully recommend that accredited NGOs are given the opportunity to intervene on each cluster of questions.

Finally, as a means to promote wider and meaningful civil society participation, we respectfully request the re-opening of the accreditation process for stakeholders that missed the opportunity to register at the start of the AHC discussions.   

Thank you for your attention and understanding. We would be highly appreciative if you could kindly circulate the present letter to the Ad Hoc Committee Members and publish it on the website of the Ad Hoc Committee.

Yours sincerely,

1. Access Now
2. ARTICLE 19
3. Association for Progressive Communications 
4. Center for Democracy & Technology
5. Data Privacy Brasil Research Association
6. Derechos Digitales
7. Electronic Frontier Foundation 
8. Eticas Foundation
9. Global Partners Digital 
10. Hiperderecho
11. Human Rights Watch
12. Igarapé Institute
13. IPANDETEC
14. The Kenya ICT Action Network – KICTANet
15. Privacy International
16. Red en Defensa de los Derechos Digitales A.C.