Ratify the Malabo Convention, a call to Government of Uganda as we mark the Human Rights Day, 2019
Ratify the Malabo Convention, a call to Government of Uganda as we mark the Human Rights Day, 2019
Kampala, 10TH/Dec/2019, as Uganda joins the rest of the world to commemorate international human rights day, the Unwanted Witness Uganda is calling upon government to urgently sign and ratify the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (Malabo Convention) as a commitment towards the state’s sub-regional, regional and international human rights obligation of building a credible digital space for electronic transactions, personal data protection and combating cybercrime across the continent.
In June 2014, Uganda with other 54 African union member states adopted the convention in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, addressing the development of information and communication technologies while upholding fundamental rights and freedoms. Unfortunately, 5 years after its adoption, the convention has been ratified by only 5 countries and unfortunately, Uganda is not among them.
“Government needs to complement its recent achievement of enacting the domestic data protection law by ratifying the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection as a step towards building trust and regional trade,” says Dorothy Mukasa, the Unwanted Witness Chief Executive Officer.
The current technological trends and innovation, free intra-regional digital trade involves the collection of personal data, requiring unification of cybersecurity and data protection regulations across the continent.
We are concerned that further delay by the 54 African Union member states, including Uganda to ratify the convention will not only affect regional trade but heighten privacy violations and cybercrime.
The theme for this year’s Human Rights Day is, ‘Youth Standing up for Human Rights.’
We would like to remind the government that it has an obligation to protect the Human Rights of all Ugandans and also create a safe and conducive working environment.
Unwanted witness Uganda is a civil society organization that advocates for the right to privacy; safe, open and accessible Internet that contribute to the realization of human rights and good governance
For more information contact;
THE UNWANTED WITNESS – Uganda
Plot 41 Gadaffi Road, Makerere- Kampala
P. O. Box 71314 Clock Tower K’la
Telephone: +256 414 697 635
Email: info@unwantedwitness.org
Website: www.unwantedwitness.org
Skype: unwantedwitness
Twitter: @unwantedwitness
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