Artificial Intelligence Study Project
From 19 to 25 February 2021, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Commission) held a meeting to discuss the need to undertake a study on human and peoples’ rights and Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics and other new and emerging technologies in Africa, as stated in Resolution 473.
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Access to Information and Elections Project
This project assesses state compliance with the Guidelines on Access to Information and Elections in Africa (the Guidelines) that the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Commission) adopted during its 61st Ordinary Session in November 2017.
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Digital Rights in Southern Africa
The foundational instrument for this project is the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, with a focus on article 9, which provides for the right to freedom of expression and access to information. Soft law instruments that have been developed under article 9 of the African Charter provide an opportunity to work towards the enhancement of freedom of expression and access to information in the digital age.
Development of Normative Frameworks on Freedom of Expression
The EIDR unit has participated in the development of normative frameworks on freedom of expression in the African region. Activities include the revision of the 2002 Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression. The unit coordinated and participated in the drafting and validation of the Declaration of Principles of Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa.
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The Disinformation Project
This project is a collaborative initiative between the EIDR Unit and several partner organisations including Global Partners Digital (GPD), Article 19 West Africa, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), and PROTEGE QV. The project assesses government responses to disinformation in sub-Saharan Africa.
Enhancing Privacy and Data Protection Frameworks in Africa
The privacy and data protection in Africa project is divided into two components, Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on the right to privacy in the digital age in Africa and Advanced Human Rights Course on Data Protection in AfricaAdvanced Human Rights Course on Data Protection in Africa
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Strengthening Institutions on the Protection of Privacy and Data protection in Africa
The project is aimed at contributing to increasing advocacy and leveraging of multi-stakeholder approaches to privacy-related issues in African countries. This includes interactive sessions, hosted by the EIDR unit, among key stakeholders on the implementation of South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).
Children’s Rights to Privacy in the Digital Sphere
This was a collaborative project with the Children’s Rights Unit of the Centre for Human Rights. The project focuses on the protection of children’s rights to privacy in the digital sphere. It examines the intersection between children’s rights and the rapidly growing technological advances in African society. The output of the project was a study on children’s right to privacy in the digital sphere in Africa.
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Digital Rights Course - Data Protection in Africa
Between March and June 2021, the EIDR Unit offered a course on digital rights in Africa. The course was offered in partnership with Paradigm Initiative as part of the Digital Rights and Inclusion Media Fellowship (DRIMF). DRIMF is a twice a year program run by Paradigm Initiative that is aimed at enhancing the knowledge of its participants in the area of digital rights.
Tech4Rights Campaign
In 2020, the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria launched the Tech4Rights campaign. The campaign focuses on the impact of new technologies on different aspects of human interaction including businesses, democratic development, children’s rights, persons with disabilities, electronic evidence, strategic litigation, and other key areas of human rights that intersect with new technologies.
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Women’s Rights in the Digital Age
This multi-stakeholder research project maps the prevalence and impact of online gender-based violence (OGBV) in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The EIDR Unit worked jointly with the Gender Links, Collaboration on ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), Policy, and the Internet Society Namibia Chapter.
COVID-19, privacy and data protection in Africa
The Centre for Human Rights facilitated a discussion on data protection and privacy issues in Africa. Data protection authorities explored the status of privacy and data protection on the continent. They highlighted the milestones and challenges faced in the adoption and implementation of data protection legislation.
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Freedom of expression and access to information in Africa
The Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa in partnership with the Centre for Human Rights and ARTICLE 19 (Eastern and Western Africa) convened a webinar to introduce the revised Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa.
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