India joins G7, 4 others to protect free speech, ‘online and offline’

India joins G7, 4 others to protect free speech, ‘online and offline’

Context: India, along with G7 countries and four invited countries, Monday signed the ‘2022 Resilient Democracies Statement’ in which they committed to “guarding the freedom, independence and diversity of civil society actors

What they said in the statements?

• Democracies enable “open public debate, independent and pluralistic media” and the “free flow of information online and offline
• Democracies fostering legitimacy, transparency, responsibility and accountability for citizens and elected representatives alike
• Protecting the freedom of expression and opinion online and offline and ensuring a free and independent media landscape through our work with relevant international initiatives
• Ensuring an open, free, global, interoperable, reliable and secure internet.
• Increasing the cyber resilience of digital infrastructure, including by improving and sharing awareness of cyber threats and expanding cyber response cooperation.
• Countering hybrid threats, in particular information manipulation and interference, including disinformation.
• Cooperating to counter information manipulation, promote accurate information, and advocate for our shared democratic values worldwide.
• Promoting affordable access to diverse sources of reliable and trustworthy information and data, online and offline, including through a multi-stakeholder approach, and by strengthening digital skills and digital literacy.
• Enhancing transparency about the actions of online platforms to combat violent, extremist and inciting content online.
• Guarding the freedom, independence and diversity of civil society actors, speaking out against threats to civic space, and respecting freedom of association and peaceful assembly.
• Building resilience against malign foreign interference and acts of transnational repression that seek to undermine trust in government, society and media, reduce civic space and silence critical voices.
• Advancing programmes for the protection of human rights defenders and all those exposing corruption.

G4 Nations

• The G4 nations comprising Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan are four countries which support each other’s bids for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council.
• Formed in 2004

Basis for these demands:

• Each of these four countries have figured among the elected non-permanent members of the council since the UN’s establishment.
• Their economic and political influence has grown significantly in the last decades, reaching a scope comparable to the permanent members (P5)