Summary:
The Greater Internet Freedom (GIF) program is a four-year, global program that works to preserve an open, interoperable, reliable and secure Internet – and by extension, protect individuals, civil society organizations, media outlets and vulnerable groups who rely on it to realize fundamental freedoms. Through its dual objective of enhancing digital security for civil society and media and increasing citizen engagement in Internet government, GIF supports a diverse range of elements that impact Internet freedom.
The core of GIF’s approach centres on putting regional and local organizations at the forefront of this work. By enabling local and regional partners to lead this work, GIF helps local actors to build stronger trusted networks with peer organizations in their regions and around the world – and gain technical expertise from expert international organizations and share lessons learned.
Donor:
USAID
Main objectives:
Increased Citizen Engagement in Internet Governance.
Main Activities:
- Working with local advocacy partners, to promote and advance policies to protect an open, interoperable, reliable, and secure Internet
- Identify and build relationship with key stakeholders to safeguard internet freedom, IF, at regional and national levels
- Expand and mainstream IF issues regionally, by training and mentoring human rights CSOs to integrate internet freedom advocacy into their advocacy programs.
- Coordinating with local advocacy partners to analyze and respond to policies that risk closing civic space
- Raise awareness among regulators, policy makers, service providers / private sector, and government actors on challenges and opportunities to uphold internet freedoms
- Pursue locally and regionally relevant innovative approaches to spreading digital rights awareness, including working with universities to expand curricula; documentation of violations by both private and public sectors, etc.
- Sharing best practice responses to the above approaches
- Play a leading role in regional and international Internet governance forums
Target Groups:
- General public
- CSOs
- Journalists
- Human rights defenders
Regional partner for Western Balkans:
BIRN Hub
Implemented by:
Local Partners [2020-2024]:
BIRN Albania (Albania), Center Science and Innovation for Development (Albania), Youth Centre KVART (BiH), CA Why not (BiH), Levizja FOL (Kosovo), Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (Kosovo), Open Data Kosovo (Kosovo), Independent Journalism Center (Moldova), Helsinki Committee for Human Rights (N. Macedonia), IMPETUS (N. Macedonia), Metamorphosis (N. Macedonia), Da se zna (Serbia), Belgrade Centre for Human Rights (Serbia), Belgrade International Law Circle (Serbia). SHARE Foundation (Serbia).