 |
| President Dilma Rousseff United Nations General Assembly |
Excerpt by Carolyn Bennett
Harnessing the full potential of
the Internet requires responsible regulation that ensures freedom of
expression, security, respect for human rights
The UN General Assembly Debate offers the opportunity to
reiterate the fundamental principles which guide my country’s foreign policy
and our position with regards to pressing international issues.
We are guided
by the defense of a multilateral world, ruled by international law, by the
primacy of peaceful solutions to conflicts and by the quest for a more
compassionate and just order – both economically and socially.
U.S. Spying
R
|
ecent revelations concerning the activities of a global
network of electronic espionage have caused indignation and repudiation in
public opinion around the world.
In Brazil, the situation was even more serious, as it
emerged that we were targeted by this intrusion.
Personal data of citizens was
intercepted indiscriminately.
Corporate information - often of
high economic and even strategic value - was at the center of espionage
activity.
Also, Brazilian diplomatic
missions, among them the Permanent Mission to the United Nations and the Office
of the President of the Republic itself, had their communications intercepted.
Tampering in such a manner in the affairs of other countries
is a breach of International Law and is an affront to the principles that must
guide the relations among them, especially among friendly nations.
Breach of Sovereignty, Privacy Rights
A sovereign nation can never establish itself to the
detriment of another sovereign nation. The right to safety of citizens of one
country can never be guaranteed by violating fundamental human rights of
citizens of another country.
The arguments that the illegal interception of information
and data aims at protecting nations against terrorism cannot be sustained.
Brazil
|
…knows how to protect
itself. We reject, fight, and do not harbor terrorist groups.
We are a democratic country surrounded by nations that are
democratic, pacific and respectful of International Law. We have lived in peace
with our neighbors for more than 140 years. As many other Latin Americans, I
fought against authoritarianism and censorship; and I cannot but defend, in an
uncompromising fashion, the right to privacy of individuals and the sovereignty
of my country.
In the absence of the right to privacy, there can be no true
freedom of expression and opinion, and therefore no effective democracy.
In the absence of the respect for sovereignty, there is no
basis for the relationship among Nations.
We face … a situation of grave violation of human rights and
of civil liberties; of invasion and capture of confidential information
concerning corporate activities, and especially of disrespect to national
sovereignty.
We expressed to the Government of the United States our
disapproval, and demanded explanations, apologies and guarantees that such
procedures will never be repeated.
Friendly governments and societies that seek to build a true
strategic partnership, as in our case, cannot allow recurring illegal actions
to take place as if they were
normal. They are acceptable.
Brazil
|
… will redouble its efforts to adopt legislation,
technologies and mechanisms to protect us from the illegal interception of
communications and data.
My Government will do everything within its reach to defend
the human rights of all Brazilians and to protect the fruits borne from the
ingenuity of our workers and our companies.
The problem, however, goes beyond a bilateral relationship.
It affects the international community itself and demands a response from it.
Information and telecommunication technologies cannot be the new battlefield
between States.
T
|
ime is ripe to create the conditions to prevent cyberspace
from being used as a weapon of war, through espionage, sabotage, and attacks
against systems and infrastructure of other countries.
Multilateralism a must –not 3 or 5 but 193 member-nation
multilateralism
The United Nations must play a leading role in the effort to
regulate the conduct of States with regard to these technologies.
For this reason, Brazil will present proposals for the
establishment of a civilian multilateral framework for the governance and use
of the Internet and to ensure the effective protection of data that travels
through the web.
We need to create multilateral mechanisms for the worldwide
network that are capable of ensuring principles such as:
1 - Freedom of expression, privacy
of the individual and respect for human rights.
2 - Open, multilateral and
democratic governance, carried out with transparency by stimulating collective
creativity and the participation of society, Governments and the private
sector.
3 - Universality that ensures the
social and human development and the construction of inclusive and non-discriminatory
societies.
4 - Cultural diversity, without the
imposition of beliefs, customs and values.
5 - Neutrality of the network,
guided only by technical and ethical criteria rendering it inadmissible to
restrict it for political, commercial, religious or any other purposes.
 |
| UN General Assembly |
Harnessing the full potential of the Internet requires,
therefore, responsible regulation, which ensures at the same time freedom of
expression, security and respect for human rights.
T
|
he history of the twentieth century shows that forsaking
multilateralism is a prelude to wars and the consequent human misery and
devastation. It also shows that the promotion of multilateralism brings
benefits on ethical, political and institutional levels.
Thus I renew an appeal in favor of a wide and vigorous
convergence of political wills to sustain and reinvigorate the multilateral
system, which has its main pillar in the United Nations.
At its creation, much hope was raised that humanity could
overcome the wounds of the Second World War. That it would be possible to rebuild,
from the wreckage and bloodshed, a new world of freedom, solidarity and
prosperity. . . We all have the responsibility of keeping this fertile and
generous hope alive.
Sources and notes
BRAZIL: STATEMENT BY H. E. DILMA ROUSSEFF, PRESIDENT OF THE
FEDERATIVE REPUBLIC OF BRAZIL, AT THE OPENING OF THE GENERAL DEBATE OF THE 68TH
SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, New York, 24 September 2013, http://gadebate.un.org/sites/default/files/gastatements/68/BR_en.pdf
A long history of political activism, Dilma Vana Rousseff acceded
to Brazil’s presidency on January 1, 2011, the first woman elected to this
office. Before the presidency, Rousseff was Chief of Staff to President Luiz
Inácio Lula da Silva (2005-2010).
The Brazilian politician and economist took undergraduate
and advanced credentials in economics at the Minas Gerais Federal University School of Economics, the Rio Grande do
Sul Federal University, and the Campinas State University. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilma_Rousseff
“At UN debate, Brazilian President urges protection of Internet users,” September 24, 2013, http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?ewsID=45955&Cr=General+Debate&Cr1=#.UkHyk2zD-1t
Top Image: President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil addresses the
General Assembly. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas; bottom image: Wikipedia
UN General Assembly 68th Session September 2013, http://www.un.org/en/ga/
______________________________________________________
Bennett's books are available in New York State independent bookstores: Lift Bridge Bookshop: www.liftbridgebooks.com [Brockport, NY]; Sundance Books: http://www.sundancebooks.com/main.html [Geneseo, NY]; Mood Makers Books: www.moodmakersbooks.com [City of Rochester, NY]; Dog Ears Bookstore and Literary Arts Center: www.enlightenthedog.org/ [Buffalo, NY]; Burlingham Books – ‘Your Local Chapter’: http://burlinghambooks.com/ [Perry, NY 14530]; The Bookworm: http://www.eabookworm.com/ [East Aurora, NY] • See also: World Pulse: Global Issues through the eyes of Women: http://www.worldpulse.com/ http://www.worldpulse.com/pulsewire http://www.facebook.com/#!/bennetts2ndstudy
______________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment