Finland to lead the Freedom Online Coalition in 2021

Finland has been elected as the Chair of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), a partnership committed to supporting internet freedoms and promoting respect for human rights, FOC members for the year 2021. The decision was announced on Friday 7 February at the Annual Freedom Online Conference in Accra.

 

FOC members(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window) are governments of more than 31 countries, whose mission is to protect and promote online freedoms and the safe use of the internet. Its Advisory Network (FOC-AN) consists of international internet stakeholders representing businesses and human rights organisations as well as researchers. 

The FCO mandate covers such matters as protection of human rights defenders' activities, equal access to the internet, questions related to new technologies and cyber security, and the fight against disinformation.

During Finland’s Chairmanship of the FCO, a large international conference will be held in Finland in autumn 2021.

Finland joined the Coalition in 2012 and is currently a member of the Friends of the Chair.

More information: Rauno Merisaari, Ambassador for Human Rights, tel.  +358 295 350 974 and Tarja Kangaskorte, Director of the Unit for Human Rights Policy at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 295 350 292.

The Foreign Ministry's email addresses are of the format [email protected].