The UN and Freedom of Expression and Information: Critical Perspectives

EXPERT CONFERENCE

25.2.2010

Date: Friday, 23 April 2010, Amsterdam

Organised by the Amsterdam Center for International Law (ACIL) & the
Institute for Information Law (IViR), University of Amsterdam, & the Human
Rights Centre, University of Essex.

Background to the Conference

Article 19 ICCPR has become a standard reference point for safeguarding the
right to freedom of expression and has served as a model for comparable
provisions in other treaties. This Conference aims to examine UN standards
and to stimulate critical thinking about how the standards and mechanisms
can be put to better effect, to ensure that the right to freedom of
expression is more effective in practice. The work of the Special Rapporteur
on freedom of expression is of central importance in this regard. The
timeliness of this Conference is underscored by the fact that the UN Human
Rights Committee is currently drafting a new General Comment on Article 19,
ICCPR, with the aim of clarifying the scope of the right to freedom of
expression under the Covenant.

Professor Michael O'Flaherty, member of the UN Human Rights Committee and
rapporteur for the new General Comment, will introduce the draft text of the
General Comment at the conference.


The key aims of the conference are to:


* Engage with pressing current issues concerning freedom of
expression and information, in particular by examining how they are dealt
with by relevant UN standards and mechanisms;
  *   Examine the extent to which the role of the (traditional and new)
media in democratic society informs the interpretation of UN standards on
freedom of expression and information;
  *   Contribute to the (ongoing) process of drafting a new General
Comment on Article 19, ICCPR, by providing an expert public forum in which a
draft version of the new General Comment will be discussed by a wide range
of interested parties from relevant professional backgrounds.

The Conference brings together experts from the UN system, including the
Human Rights Committee and other UN treaty bodies, UNESCO, and the Special
Rapporteur on freedom of expression, as well as experts from Ministries,
NGOs and academic institutions.

Information & Registration

For information (including the Programme) & registration, please visit the
ACIL website under “Events”.

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