This post is a summary of a report with the title above published at http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/wsis-themes/humanrights/ICTs%20and%20HR.pdf
The common ground upon which Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can be analyzed was forged two years ago at the U.N. Millennium Summit, in a declaration the world's leaders resolved to "spare no effort to promote democracy and strengthen the rule of law, as well as respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms." The goal of such analysis is to adopt a rights-based perspective on major development goals, specifically the protection of human rights. The convergence between telecommunications, broadcasting multimedia and ICT that is driving the developmentof the 'Information Society' is responsible for the transformation of a variety of economic and political sectors, as well as the socio-cultural strata of nations around the world. The benefits of ICTs lie not purely in the range of their functionality but in the variety and versatility of their application. Much has been written about the potential of ICTs to 'revolutionaze' society, particularly in the context of their role as catalysts of the information. Much work remains to be done in analyzing and understanding how these technologies are utilized and applied to bring about expected societal and economic changes and improvements. Among the most important areas affected by ICTs are those of human rights and governance. The subject of how modern communications alter the way in which various entities of the private sector, the public sector and civil society interact has spurred much debate. In light of this generalization, it seems that where the lines of the dissemination of information, the diffusion of culture and activism, and access provision to new markets. It is vital that 'information society' imperatives are treated with diplomacy. ICTs facilitate the broadening of scope and perspective in a way that empower all those who utilize them, and a realistic discussion of the information society must be inclusive of this phenomena. In the human rights arena, there has been a clear shift in attitudes towards human rights protection. Once considered to be the sole territory of sovereign states, the protection of human rights is now viewed as a universal concern. The rise in transnational human rights networks has been referred to by some as the "third globalization," and has helped to developed a global civil society capable of working with governments, international institutions, and multinational corporations to promote accepted standards of human rights and democracy. They often represent the social interest of individuals and the protection of basic human rights, and are usually not motivated by profit or power. Civil society uses the same tools that commercial organisations and mass media institutions use to influence their audience. Examining the resonance of such voices in global fora is vital to the appraisal of shifting power dynamics in the international system. "The emergence of an international civil society seems to be taking place due to the so-labeled 'democratization' movements in Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia and ICTs seem to be giving the promotion of these ideas more force than might have been the case 50 years previously." All human rights: civil, political,economic,social and cultural are universal and interdependent, they comprise the foundations of human dignity. Human rights are a central part of U.N. reform, which emphasizes the centrality of human rights in all activities of the system. Where there are violations of human rights, there is also often a lack of democracy, poor governance, negligible rule of law, as well as general conflict and injustice. Pervasive poverty and broad disparities in the distribution of power also often go hand in hand with human rights violations. It has become evident over the past several decades how mechanisms of supranational governance collaboration have facilitated progress towards a universal system of human rights. The recent adoption of the International criminal court in June 1998 is an important step in the direction of enforcing and promotion the values agreed upon by the member nations. International organizations and committees are responsible for using the implementation of the international system for the protection of human rights, it is through them that it is possible to invoke a state's obligations under international law in order to obtain a formal or official response to allegations and obtain some form of remedy. Individuals, NGOs, governments, and supranational institutions have all been empowered insofar as they have the means to effectively communicate their stories, agendas, laws and agreements. Indeed, the ICTs facilitate the mobilizing functionsof many NGOs working across national borders, and may be even more effective as a force for human rights, providing a global platform for opposition movements challenging autocratic regimes and military dictatorships, despite government attempts to restrict access in certain countries. While ICTs have contributed greatly to the enhanced transparency and accessibility of information from the 'top', particularly as legal and administrative information is concerned, they have done even more to improve the organizational and management skills of the 'bottom', and thus to tip the scales of power slightly back toward an equilibrium. The growth of new, internet-based media did help facilitate public access to a wide range of information, but some governments continued to develop means to monitor internet use and restrict access to controversial, political, and human rights web sites. Other governments have chosen to prohibit internet access or limit it to political elites.
