(AGENPARL) – mer 29 marzo 2023 You are subscribed to Collected Releases for U.S. Department of State. This information has recently been updated, and is now available.
03/29/2023 02:06 PM EDT
Office of the Spokesperson
We are pleased to share a variety of commitments that private sector actors have made in response to the Call or in connection with the Summit for Democracy. Companies – like governments – can do more to support democracy and human rights globally, especially at a time when malign actors often exploit corporations’ products to systematically undermine democracy around the world. The steps below could be helpful in addressing important challenges if implemented in earnest and matched with additional action.
Please note that the following information was provided by the companies directly. The Department does not necessarily endorse the views or information provided.
I. Advancing Technology for Democracy and Countering the Misuse of Technology
Over 150 Companies Endorse Principles to Counter Rising Threat Posed by Cyber Mercenaries, spearheaded by Microsoft, Meta, Cisco, and TrendMicro
Cloudflare: Working with Researchers to Better Document Internet Censorship and Shutdowns and Engaging Civil Society on Internet Protocols
Cloudflare commits to working with researchers to share data about Internet shutdowns and selective Internet traffic interference and to make the analysis of this data public and accessible. The Cloudflare Network includes 285 locations in over 100 countries, interconnects with over 11,500 networks globally, and serves a significant portion of global Internet traffic. Cloudflare provides alerts and data to help organizations like Access Now’s KeepitOn coalition, the Freedom Online Coalition, the Internet Society, and OONI monitor Internet censorship and shutdowns around the world.
In addition, Cloudflare commits to meaningfully consult civil society and human rights experts on standards and technologies to ensure future development and application of privacy-enhancing technologies and protocols are consistent with human rights principles and account for human rights impacts.
Google: Committing $2 million and 100,000 Security Keys to Support Human Rights Defenders
Human rights defenders around the globe play a critical role in the promotion and support of democratic institutions. They are consistently targeted for harassment and other attacks, threatening freedom of expression, privacy, and civic space. Building on the work of its Human Rights Program, Google.org is launching a $2 million fund to support human rights defenders. This $2 million new fund will support digital security and safety helplines, which provide help to human rights defenders and those vulnerable to doxxing, harassment, account hacking and more. Google also recently announced it is providing 100,000 security keys at no cost to individuals at high risk of cyber attacks such as journalists, human rights defenders and others. Google will also continue to provide strong security to those who need it most with its Advanced Protection Program (APP), Project Shield, and through its Online Safety and Security Partnerships with Defending Digital Campaigns and the International Foundation of Electoral Systems.
In addition, to help combat disinformation abroad and strengthen users’ resilience to it, Google’s Jigsaw will launch new prebunking campaigns in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region on several platforms, as well as publish its methodology and analytic findings to help other organizations working to strengthen information integrity abroad.
Meta: Enabling Secure, Private Connections and Countering Government Abuse of Digital Technology
II. Fighting Corruption
25 Companies Join the Global Initiative to Galvanize the Private Sector as Partners in Combating Corruption (GPS)
Amazon, Anglo American plc, APCO, Cementos Pacasmayo, Crescent Enterprise, Crowell & Moring, Ericsson, Google, Grundfos, Iberdrola, Johnson & Johnson, McDermott, McKinsey, Merck, Novartis, Paul Hastings, Refinitiv, RELX, Rolls-Royce, SABIC, SNC-Lavalin, Tesla, Ulula, Walmart, and Yara have committed to joining the Global Initiative to Galvanize the Private Sector as Partners in Combating Corruption (GPS). GPS, a key program under the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal, is a vehicle for 1) engaging the private sector as advocates for transparency and accountability and 2) identifying and disseminating innovative private sector practices and approaches to combating corruption. The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement at the Department of State (INL) has committed a minimum of $6.5M in funding to the initiative.
– Amazon, Novartis, and SNC-Lavalin will participate in Compliance Without Borders, an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and Basel Institute on Governance initiative, which matches compliance experts with State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) seeking to build capacity to address corruption- and integrity-related challenges.
– Amazon will leverage its proprietary compliance toolkits to support small- and medium-sized businesses and, alongside SNC-Lavalin, support the development and implementation of an INL-funded and OECD-developed Infrastructure Anti-Corruption Toolbox (IACT). IACT will empower actors across the infrastructure value chain to prevent, detect and report corruption.
– Novartis and SNC-Lavalin will provide independent support to Small- and Medium-size Enterprises.
– Using new tools it is developing to facilitate stakeholder agency, Walmart will provide regular anti-corruption input from its stakeholder base.
– Walmart will contribute to GPS capacity building efforts through ongoing work on Digital Tools for Rule of Law & Recovery and channel ongoing workstreams to boost the SDG33 model as a leadership opportunity for corporate public policy functions.
Microsoft: Expanding Support for Journalists Investigating Corruption
Tintra: Supporting Innovative Solutions through USAID’s Countering Transnational Corruption Grand Challenge for Development (CTC Grand Challenge)
Tintra will provide financial and in-kind support to co-create along with USAID and other partners activities under the CTC Grand Challenge to creatively harness the power of data to more easily and effectively expose and prevent corruption. As part of this effort (or separately if so requested), Tintra will host a hackathon/datathon in its offices with USAID’s key partners, advancing solutions toward a problem identified by USAID. In addition, Tintra will offer a paid three-month mentorship to a promising early-stage finalist identified through the CTC Grand Challenge, which will include accommodations, training with Tintra’s coders, and support in developing, validating, and piloting their solution.
III. Protecting Civic Space and Human Rights Defenders
AIG Insurance Management Service: Providing Design and Structural Support to Program to Provide Legal Support Against Vexatious Lawsuits
The Business & Democracy Initiative: Serving as a Point of Connection for the Private Sector to Engage in the Work of Defending Democracy
The Business & Democracy Initiative is a coalition of business leaders and organizations organized by the Black Economic Alliance, Leadership Now Project, and Public Private Strategies. It is committed to defending democracy, with a focus on the United States’ elections and democratic institutions, and learning from peers working in the private sector and civil society across the globe. The Business & Democracy Initiative commits to convening business leaders in at least five states in 2023 to provide unbiased education on the state of democracy and opportunities for engagement; to convene private sector leaders on the need to protect businesses from government interference in their ability to conduct business and speak freely; and to amplify business leaders’ voices on the mutually beneficial connection between a strong democracy and a strong, stable economic climate, and the risks to the private sector when civic space is weaponized by those who would undermine democratic institutions.
Cloudflare: Democratizing Post-Quantum Cryptography by Delivering it for Free, by Default
Ford Foundation, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Google News Initiative, Luminate, Microsoft, MacArthur Foundation: Supporting Public Interest Media
The International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM) is a multinational fund run by leading international media experts to support independent media – especially in resource-poor and fragile settings. IFPIM will provide core operational support to vital public interest media, as well as support the development of new business models that enable these media to survive.
Managed by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc., IFPIM is finalizing grants to a diverse group of fourteen finalists in independent media from ten countries to help them experiment with new audience engagement, foster increased diversity in the newsroom, improve representation in coverage, and increase production of fact-based quality news content.? These grants will help these digital natives and other organizations continue to produce independent journalism; inform the public with fact-based data; enable public debate and dialogue across society; and hold those in power to public account. Of $50 million raised by IFPIM to date (which includes $20 million from USAID), close to $8 million comes from the philanthropic and corporate organizations mentioned above.
Hedera: Convening Democracy Roundtable on How Blockchain Technologies Support Human Rights, Transparency, and Sustainability
Hedera commits to convening a democracy roundtable on how blockchain technologies can and are supporting human rights, transparency, and sustainability. Current democracy-related applications of blockchain include government systems accountability, fighting misinformation, reducing data manipulation, and tracking financial flows. Hedera will invite companies, trade associations, advocacy groups, academics and government officials, publicly share a summary of the discussion, and make recommendations for next steps.
Meta: Expanding the Availability of Security Protections and Publishing First Annual Human Rights Report and Human Rights Defenders Policy
Microsoft: Helping Independent Media Outlets become Financially Self-Sufficient – A Joint USAID, Microsoft, and Internews Initiative
Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights Initiative: Committing to Launch Human Rights Defenders Guidance for 31 corporate members and the Initiative as a whole
The Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights Initiative – a multistakeholder initiative that guides companies on how to conduct their security operations in a manner that respects human rights – commits to launching guidance on human rights defenders and the wider civic space in which they work. The initiative includes 31 major multinational companies from around the world including BP, Chevron, Dinant, Exxon, Shell, Total, Vale, and others. The guidance will offer an analytical and operational framework to identify and address risks to human rights defenders across key elements of Voluntary Principles implementation; risk assessment and due diligence; stakeholder and community engagement; and relationships with security forces and host country governments. It will outline practical ways in which those that implement the VPs and the Initiative as a multistakeholder platform can play a proactive conflict prevention role.
IV. Advancing Labor Rights
American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) / Fair Labor Association (FLA): Committing to Make Workers Whole as part of Responsible Recruitment
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