The day before the Arab Internet Governance Forum (Arab IGF) held this year in Lebanon, 26-27 November 2014, Hivos, in cooperation with the UNESCO and the Maharat Foundation organized a workshop at the American University of Science & Technology (AUST) in Beirut. The event entitled, “Internet Freedom: Rights and Responsibilities” was an opportunity to pinpoint some of the Internet policy challenges and practices in Lebanon specifically, and the Arab region in general.
 
During the event, internet policies, online activism, and digital freedoms were identified as major concerns to Arab netizens. Rights of citizens versus responsibilities of government represented a key challenge where more efforts and negotiations are still required to reach an agreement on how governments should safeguard their citizens’ rights, draft and enforce legislations, regulate remedies, and manage infringements. Raising awareness of all concerned stakeholders was also emphasized as a prerequisite for their engagement in the genuine Internet Governance process.

Read the complete write-up on this event on the IGMena website.