How can a stronger policy framework for human rights online benefit all stakeholders? This is the challenge that this roundtable discussion seeks to address by exploring how initiatives such as the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms can benefit policy makers, the business and technical community, civil society and individuals. 2015 is a determining year for both the global development and Internet governance agendas; with decisions on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the future of multi-stakeholderism in Internet governance following the WSIS +10 review, due. Initiatives such as the African Declaration are example of how a rights-based Internet policy environment can be established. Using the Declaration as an example from the African continent of how this could be achieved, the roundtable invites participants from all stakeholder groups to present their perspectives on digital human rights and their impact on policy, the digital economy and innovation. The roundtable will open with a brief summary on the rights and principles that the Declaration covers, and the policy gaps that it seeks to address. Participants will then be invited to present their views, both on the Declaration itself and the broader question. We will seek to focus discussion on the opportunities and limitations that the Declaration, and similar initiatives, present.
