Good morning Mr. Foreign Minister. Mongolia is to host the Fifth Freedom on line Coalition’s Conference. Could you talk about it if possible?
Thank you. Internet is a powerful and useful device in the light of today’s exponential development of communication and technology and becomes a need for everyman’s day-to-day life. On the other hand, our thoughts and thinking, lifestyle, culture, economy and society as well as international relations are strongly being influenced by the Internet. It brings peoples of afar and near more closer regardless, geographic distance and time constraints. This favorable opportunity can be also handy in delivering a transparent and prompt public services to community.
For instance it is obvious that any individual can run successful businesses via internet using their knowledge and skills without any hindrances. Besides that each and everybody has the level playing opportunity to enjoy the fundamental human rights and freedom on internet such as to obtain information, get education, express opinion, assembling and be accessible and get involved in social life.
Although, as we all welcoming every new online development and hasty to personalize it one should not underestimate in some ways its potential adverse effects like hacking, organized crimes swindling and possible threats are becoming notorious in virtual environment nowadays.
Of course peaceful living is pivotal; however the rights for free expression, association and assembly should not exclude but complement it. In other words the reliable internet should be a prerequisite for free and accessible internet.
Five years aback in December 2011, in the Hague, as initiated by Mr. Uri Rosenthal, Foreign Minister of the Netherland, gathered representatives from 15 countries and discussed the governmental responsibilities and duties on the security of online freedom and formed up the “Freedom Online Coalition (FOC)”, which grows into a significant international movement today.
How big is the family of FOC today?
The movement that aims to promote Internet freedom – free expression, association, assembly, privacy online and support those individuals whose human rights online are violated, consists of Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Costa Rica, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, the Republic of Maldives, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Tunisia, the United Kingdom, the United States of America. Since its inception in 2011 in The Hague, the Netherlands, the coalition has grown from 15 to 24 member countries; and is working together within the intergovernmental organizations like UN Human Rights Council, UNESCO, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and with civil society organizations - Internet Governance Forum, Stockholm Internet Forum and Global Digital Partners and other numerous business organizations are in collaboration. Australia and Norway joined as its members recently so there are 26 countries in this familyhood.
Freedom Online Coalition, FOC, hosts numerous formal and informal conferences and meetings with active participation of member states’ governments, civil society and the private sector, namely, in Kenya, 2012; in Tunisia, 2013 and in Estonia, 2014 that aim to deepen the discussion and exchange opinions on a wide range of issues from the state policy matters in the information and communication field, internet expressions, free and secure internet, online transparency and privacy, the value of internet in socio-economic and cultural development, future perspectives of internet, e-governance etc. up to the consequences of restricted online. Also, the Coalition has a key role play for having coordinated positions at International Telecommunication Union and its World Conference. Mongolia joined in its last conference at the Foreign Minister’s level in 2014 in Estonia.
Is FOC Conference held only at Ministerial level?
The coalition, besides annual ministerial Conference, forms up a 15 - 20 member working group and other friends groups to work over the issues on free and secure internet, internet transparency and privacy, and also supports those individuals, threatened bloggers and online activists; and to solve other pressing issues in the internet world as well as to mobilize funds from donors and other supporters. The groups have introduced “Online Freedom Recommendation”, “Digital Defenders Partnership” initiative and undertook measures to organise trainings for bloggers, human right defenders and civil servants even for hackers.
In the timeframe where government policy in telecommunications sector and values of democratic society, public information and expression, the press, right for association, attract intense discussions of international society, Mongolia is taking the lead of "Freedom Online Coalition”. During its tenure, 2014 – 2015, Mongolia is hosting the fifth conference that will take place in the capital city Ulaanbaatar on 4 – 5 May, 2015. According to advance information there will be participants such as high level government officials, world prominent IT companies, and civil societies representatives.
How important it is for the Mongolian Government?
To organize this internationally recognized event successfully for the first ever time in our region, series of measures are being already undertaken. Certain members of Parliament formed up Caucus in support of FOC at the State Great Khural, Mongolia and are actively working for adopting or amending laws of online freedom issues. As planned, soon after the forthcoming conference an “Information communication technology - 2015” exhibition and student scientific conference will be organized by Information Technology, Post and Telecommunications Department, Technical University of Mongolia and Communications Colleges so far.
For a proper preparation of the conference a joint working group consisting of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Information Communications and Post Department, National Information Technology Park, and non-governmental organizations, Silk Road Foundation and Tsakhim Ortoo holboo, is being established aiming to ensure the multi-stakeholder participation, and on the other hand considering that not only communications also human rights, civil society and media organizations would be the potential stakeholders for a successful outcome . Series of discussions on FOC is being organized these days amongst ICT companies and NGO’s and Insider magazine is devoting special edition for the Conference.
Good morning Mr. Foreign Minister. Mongolia is to host the Fifth Freedom on line Coalition’s Conference. Could you talk about it if possible?
Thank you. Internet is a powerful and useful device in the light of today’s exponential development of communication and technology and becomes a need for everyman’s day-to-day life. On the other hand, our thoughts and thinking, lifestyle, culture, economy and society as well as international relations are strongly being influenced by the Internet. It brings peoples of afar and near more closer regardless, geographic distance and time constraints. This favorable opportunity can be also handy in delivering a transparent and prompt public services to community.
For instance it is obvious that any individual can run successful businesses via internet using their knowledge and skills without any hindrances. Besides that each and everybody has the level playing opportunity to enjoy the fundamental human rights and freedom on internet such as to obtain information, get education, express opinion, assembling and be accessible and get involved in social life.
Although, as we all welcoming every new online development and hasty to personalize it one should not underestimate in some ways its potential adverse effects like hacking, organized crimes swindling and possible threats are becoming notorious in virtual environment nowadays.
Of course peaceful living is pivotal; however the rights for free expression, association and assembly should not exclude but complement it. In other words the reliable internet should be a prerequisite for free and accessible internet.
Five years aback in December 2011, in the Hague, as initiated by Mr. Uri Rosenthal, Foreign Minister of the Netherland, gathered representatives from 15 countries and discussed the governmental responsibilities and duties on the security of online freedom and formed up the “Freedom Online Coalition (FOC)”, which grows into a significant international movement today.
How big is the family of FOC today?
The movement that aims to promote Internet freedom – free expression, association, assembly, privacy online and support those individuals whose human rights online are violated, consists of Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Costa Rica, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, the Republic of Maldives, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Tunisia, the United Kingdom, the United States of America. Since its inception in 2011 in The Hague, the Netherlands, the coalition has grown from 15 to 24 member countries; and is working together within the intergovernmental organizations like UN Human Rights Council, UNESCO, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and with civil society organizations - Internet Governance Forum, Stockholm Internet Forum and Global Digital Partners and other numerous business organizations are in collaboration. Australia and Norway joined as its members recently so there are 26 countries in this familyhood.
Freedom Online Coalition, FOC, hosts numerous formal and informal conferences and meetings with active participation of member states’ governments, civil society and the private sector, namely, in Kenya, 2012; in Tunisia, 2013 and in Estonia, 2014 that aim to deepen the discussion and exchange opinions on a wide range of issues from the state policy matters in the information and communication field, internet expressions, free and secure internet, online transparency and privacy, the value of internet in socio-economic and cultural development, future perspectives of internet, e-governance etc. up to the consequences of restricted online. Also, the Coalition has a key role play for having coordinated positions at International Telecommunication Union and its World Conference. Mongolia joined in its last conference at the Foreign Minister’s level in 2014 in Estonia.
Is FOC Conference held only at Ministerial level?
The coalition, besides annual ministerial Conference, forms up a 15 - 20 member working group and other friends groups to work over the issues on free and secure internet, internet transparency and privacy, and also supports those individuals, threatened bloggers and online activists; and to solve other pressing issues in the internet world as well as to mobilize funds from donors and other supporters. The groups have introduced “Online Freedom Recommendation”, “Digital Defenders Partnership” initiative and undertook measures to organise trainings for bloggers, human right defenders and civil servants even for hackers.
In the timeframe where government policy in telecommunications sector and values of democratic society, public information and expression, the press, right for association, attract intense discussions of international society, Mongolia is taking the lead of "Freedom Online Coalition”. During its tenure, 2014 – 2015, Mongolia is hosting the fifth conference that will take place in the capital city Ulaanbaatar on 4 – 5 May, 2015. According to advance information there will be participants such as high level government officials, world prominent IT companies, and civil societies representatives.
How important it is for the Mongolian Government?
To organize this internationally recognized event successfully for the first ever time in our region, series of measures are being already undertaken. Certain members of Parliament formed up Caucus in support of FOC at the State Great Khural, Mongolia and are actively working for adopting or amending laws of online freedom issues. As planned, soon after the forthcoming conference an “Information communication technology - 2015” exhibition and student scientific conference will be organized by Information Technology, Post and Telecommunications Department, Technical University of Mongolia and Communications Colleges so far.
For a proper preparation of the conference a joint working group consisting of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Information Communications and Post Department, National Information Technology Park, and non-governmental organizations, Silk Road Foundation and Tsakhim Ortoo holboo, is being established aiming to ensure the multi-stakeholder participation, and on the other hand considering that not only communications also human rights, civil society and media organizations would be the potential stakeholders for a successful outcome . Series of discussions on FOC is being organized these days amongst ICT companies and NGO’s and Insider magazine is devoting special edition for the Conference.