New accreditation with the UN Economic and Social Affairs Council (ECOSOC) will help the digital rights organization bring Palestinian rights violations to the world's attention.
This statement was originally published on 7amleh.org on 15 August 2022.
7amleh – The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media is honored to receive consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Affairs Council (ECOSOC), which was decided through a vote on 22nd July 2022 at the council meeting in New York. 7amleh would like to thank all the members of ECOSOC who voted in favor of this decision.
ECOSOC is the UN body responsible for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, and the three areas of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental. This accreditation to consultative status will allow 7amleh to bring the world’s attention to Palestinian digital rights, and the human rights violations they are exposed to, such as surveillance, online censorship and online hate speech.
As a consultative member of ECOSOC, 7amleh will provide insights and expertise with regards to Palestinian digital rights, the MENA region, and how Palestinians are impacted by digital policy both online and offline. This will bring 7amleh closer to its goals of creating a safe, fair and free digital space through building the civil society organizations’ capacities in the field of digital advocacy, digital safety and activism, monitoring and documenting digital rights violations against Palestinians carried out by various perpetrators in online spaces, including technology companies and different governments.
Nadim Nashif, co-founder and director of 7amleh said, “It’s a huge honor for 7amleh to receive this accreditation. We are looking forward to working together with ECOSOC members to advance the protection of digital rights and advocate for oppressed and marginalized communities at the highest levels. This is a decisive win for Palestinian civil society and demonstrates the UN’s commitment to ensuring that Palestinian voices are heard.”
7amleh congratulates the other NGOs who were also granted consultative status by ECOSOC, and looks forward to working together as part of this important initiative.
