Amman – The National Center for Human Rights, in collaboration with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, hosted a discussion session on Monday addressing the intersection of national human rights institutions and emerging digital technologies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
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The two-day discussion featured sessions on topics such as international human rights standards in the digital age, the role of technology in supporting human rights mandates, and strategies for national institutions to protect digital rights while fostering innovation.
The session aimed to foster dialogue on the evolving human rights landscape amid the rapid advancement of digital technologies, which present opportunities for progress but also pose challenges to protecting individual rights and freedoms.
Chairperson of the Center’s Board of Trustees, Samar Hajj Hassan, underscored the significance of the 76th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a milestone for safeguarding human rights. She highlighted the growing challenges within the digital space, calling for collective action to preserve fundamental freedoms.
Hajj Hassan referenced key international resolutions, including the Human Rights Council’s Resolution 20/8 of 2012, which recognized digital rights as integral to the global human rights framework. She stressed that while digital technologies facilitate communication and innovation, they also bring risks such as privacy violations, cybercrimes, misinformation, and internet censorship that undermine freedom of expression and social cohesion.
She emphasized the need for international cooperation and robust governance to strike a balance between technological innovation and human rights, adding that national institutions play a vital role in monitoring digital violations, analyzing technological impacts, and shaping policies that protect individual rights.
Head of the MENA Section at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mohammed Nsour, highlighted the region’s significant technological transformation over the past two decades, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence and internet technologies. While these innovations offer opportunities to enhance public freedoms and access to information, they also pose challenges in safeguarding personal data and freedom of expression.
Nsour called on national human rights institutions to adopt a dual approach: monitoring the effects of new technologies on individuals’ rights and ensuring their use aligns with international human rights standards. He stressed the importance of enacting legislation to address digital violations in collaboration with global bodies to establish guidelines for ethical technology use.
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