International and regional instruments

This section contains a listing of various international and regional instruments, as well as declarations of various meetings that relate to the areas of access, freedom of expression, privacy and ethics.

United Nations

• The safety of journalists (UN Human Rights Council, 26 September 2016)
• Promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression (United Nations, 6 September 2016)
• Report of UN Special Rapporteur on privacy Right to UN General Assembly (United Nations, 30 August 2016)
• The promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the Internet (UN Human Rights Council, 27 June 2016)
• Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism: Report of the Secretary-General (United Nations, 24 December 2015)
• Outcome Statement of "CONNECTing the Dots: Options for Future Actions" (UNESCO, 4 March 2015)
• The Right to Privacy in the Digital Age (United Nations, 19 November 2014)
• UN Human Rights Council Resolution 26/13 “The promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the Internet” (UN Human Rights Council Resolution 26/13, June 2014)
• Paris Declaration (UNESCO, Declaration on World Press Freedom Day, 6 May 2014)
• Riga Guidelines on Ethics in the Information Society (UNESCO, Information for All Programme (IFAP), 17 October 2013)
• UNESCO and the ethical dimensions of the information society (UNESCO, 14 September 2012)
• The promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the Internet (Human Rights Council (A/HRC/20/L.13), 29  June 2012
• Reflection and Analysis by UNESCO on the Internet (UNESCO, 18 April 2011)
• Maputo Declaration (UNESCO, 3 May 2008)
• Tshwane Declaration on Information Ethics in Africa (UNESCO, 7 February 2007)
• International Mechanism for Promoting Freedom of Expression (UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, OSCE Repres. on Freedom of the Media, OAS Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, 21 December 2005)
• Recommendation on the Promotion and Use of Multilingualism and Universal Access to Cyberspace (UNESCO, 15 October 2003)
• Manila Declaration on Accessible Information and Communication Technology (ICT) (United Nations, 7 March 2003)
• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (OHCR, 1966, entry into force in 1976)
• International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (OHCR, 1966, entry into force in 1976)
• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UN Human Rights Council, 1948)

Intergovernmental

• The San José Statement of the Freedom Online Coalition regarding the outcome of the 2016 Strategic Review (Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), October 2016)
• Recommendations for human rights based approaches to cybersecurity (Freedom Online Coalition (FOC))
• Recommendation CM/Rec(2015)6 of the Committee of Ministers to Member States on the free, transboundary flow of information on the Internet (Council of Europe, 1 April 2015)
• African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (African Union, 27 June 2014)
• EU Human Rights Guidelines on Freedom of Expression Online and Offline (Council of the European Union, 12 May 2014)
• Recommendation on a Guide to Human Rights for Internet Users (Council of Europe, 16 April 2014)
• Communication on Internet Policy and Governance (European Commission, 12 February 2014)
• OECD Principles of Internet Policy Making (OECD, 2014)
• Seoul Framework for and Commitment to Open and Secure Cyberspace (Seoul Conference on Cyberspace 2013, 18 October 2013)
• Recommendation of the Council concerning Guidelines governing the Protection of Privacy and Transborder Flows of Personal Data (OECD, 11 July 2013)
• Recommendations from the OSCE Internet 2013 Conference (OSCE, February 2013)
• Council of Europe and Internet: Maximizing Rights, Minimizing Restrictions (Council of Europe, September 2012)
• Internet Governance - Council of Europe Strategy 2012-2015 (Council of Europe, 12 March 2012)
• Neelie Kroes on European Commission’s COMPACT concept (European Commission, September 2011)
• Declaration by the Committee of Ministers on Internet governance principles (Council of Europe, 21 September 2011)
• Joint Declaration on Freedom of Expression and the Internet (UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, OAS Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, ACHPR Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Inform., 1st June 2011)
• Deauville G8 Declaration (G8Summit, May 2011)
• Seoul Declaration for the Future of the Internet Economy (OECD, 18 June 2008)
• Declaration of the Committee of Ministers on Human Rights and the Rule of Law in the Information Society (Council of Europe, 13 May 2005)
• SADC Declaration on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) (Southern African Development Community, 14 August 2001)
• African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (African Union, 1998, came into effect in 2005)
• American Convention on Human Rights (Inter-Gamerican Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, 22 November 1969, came into effect in 18 July 1978)
• European Convention on Human Rights (Council of Europe, 1950, amended)

Multi-stakeholder

• Recommendations on Terms of Service & Human Rights (IGF Dynamic Coalition on Platform Responsibility, November 2015)
• Nairobi Declaration on the Post 2015 Development Agenda (Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD), 13 November 2014)
• Global Network Initiative Principles on Freedom of Expression and Privacy (Open Government Guide, 10 November 2014)
• African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms (Pan-African initiative to promote human rights standards and principles of openness in internet policy, 28 August 2014)
• Bali Road Map: The Roles of the Media in Realizing the Future We Want for All (Global Media Forum, 28 August 2014)
• Joint Declaration on Universality and the Right to Freedom of Expr. (UN, OSCE, OAS, ACHPR, 6 May 2014)
• Towards a Collaborative, Decentralized Internet Governance Ecosystem (Report by the Panel on Global Internet Cooperation and Governance Mechanisms, May 2014)
• NETmundial Multistakeholder Statement (Global Multistakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance, 24 April 2014)
• Internet Rights & Principles Coalition Charter of Human Rights and Principles for the Internet (mostly Civil Society and academia, with some representatives of the technical community and private sector, 2014, 3rd edition)
• Final Statement: Information and Knowledge for all (WSIS+10, 5-20 November 2013)
• Montevideo Statement on the Future of Internet Cooperation (ICANN, IETF, IAB, W3C, Internet Society, five RIRs, 7 October 2013)
• 10 Internet Rights and Principles (Internet Rights and Principles Coalition, March 2011)
• Code of Good Practice on Information, Participation and Transparency in Internet Governance (Association for Progressive Communications (APC), Council of Europe, UNECE, June 2010)
• CGI.br Principles for the Governance and Use of the Internet (2009)
• Tunis Agenda for the Information Society (WSIS, 18 November 2005)
• Geneva Declaration of Principles (WSIS, 12 December 2003)
• Geneva Plan of Action (WSIS, 12 December 2003)
• Open Internet Policy Principles (the Open Society Institute, 1997)

Civil society

• Lyon Declaration on Access to Information and Development (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), 18 August 2014)
• Delhi Declaration for a Just and Equitable Internet (Just Net Coalition, April 2014)
• Community Informatics Declaration: An Internet for the Common Good - Engagement, Empowerment, and Justice for All (CIRN Commons, 28 December 2013)
• Declaration of Internet Freedom (a broad coalition of civil society organizations, December 2013)
• International Principles on the Application of Human Rights to Communications Surveillance / Necessary and Proportionate (Privacy International, Access and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, 10 July 2013)
• Ethics in the Information Society: The Nine 'P's (Global Ethics Network for Applied Ethics, 5 May 2013)
• PEN International Declaration on Digital Freedom (PEN (Poets, Essayists, Novelists), September 2011)
• Open Stand Principles (IEEE, IAB, IETF, Internet Society, W3C, 29 August 2012)
• Declaration of Internet Freedom (Free Press, 2012)
• African Platform on Access to Information (APAI) Declaration (African Platform on Access to Information (APAI), 19 September 2011)
• Asia Declaration on Internet Governance (Centre for Policy Initiatives, 25 June 2010)
• Madrid Privacy Declaration (The Public Voice, 3 November 2009) 
• Erice Declaration on Principles for Cyber Stability and Cyber Peace (World Federation of Scientists, August 2009)
• Final Recommendations of the European Conference on "Ethics and Human Rights in the Information Society" (Internet Society, 14 September 2007)
• APC Internet Rights Charter (Association for Progressive Communications, November 2006)
• Civil Society Declaration to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS, 8 December 2003)
• Global Internet Policy Initiative Policy Principles (Center for Democracy and Technolgy & Internews, early 2000s)

Private Sector

• ICC Policy statement on the freedom of expression and the free flow of information on the Internet (ICC, June 2012)

Early predecessor documents

• A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace (John Perry Barlow, 1996)
• RFC 1855 - Netiquette Guidelines (S. Hambridge, Intel, 1995)
• Ethics and the Internet (Internet Activities Board, January 1989)

Others

• Wuzhen Declaration (First World Internet Conference, 21 November 2014)
• Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities (Open Access Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, 22 October 2003)
• Ethics Guidelines for Internet-mediated Research (The British Psychological Society, 2013)