At the Internet Governance Forum in Instanbul, Turkey, the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms was unveiled.  The result of one year of discussions among NGOs, stakeholders, and interested parties, including through online comments, the Declaration is "a Pan-African initiative to promote human rights standards and principles of openness in Internet policy formulation and implementation on the continent. The Declaration is intended to elaborate on the principles which are necessary to uphold human and people’s rights on the internet, and to cultivate an Internet environment that can best meet Africa’s social and economic development needs and goals."  For more visit: africaninternetrights.org.

The Declaration recognizes 12 Key Principles and then later explains what is required for each principle:

1. Openness
2. Internet access and affordability
3. Freedom of expression
4. Right to information
5. Freedom of assembly and association on the Internet
6. Cultural and linguistic diversity
7. Right to development
8. Privacy
9. Security on the Internet
10. Marginalised groups
11. Right to due process
12. Democratic Internet governance framework

[Click here for Text of African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms]