Cambodia Hosts IFEX Strategy Conference, General Meeting

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The International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) will hold its bi-annual General Meeting (GM) and Strategy Conference (SC) on June 17 – 20, 2013 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  The meeting is hosted by IFEX member organisation Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR).

The weeklong activity will start with the GM on June 17 and 18, 2013 which is open only to IFEX members and will focus on how collaboration and engagement in the network adds value to the work of each IFEX member.  The GM provides the democratic space for important debates and developing strategies to address issues and priorities identified by the networks members.

The SC titled Overcoming Obstacles to Defending and Promoting Free Expression which will come up on June 19 and 20, 2013 is open to all donors, local stakeholders and other special guests. The SC provides capacity-building opportunities to participants in a variety of areas, including campaigns and advocacy, fund-raising, monitoring and evaluation, programme development, organizational management, among others.

One of the identified sessions will highlight stories from Southeast Asia by giving participants a critical overview of Freedom of Expression (FoE) related challenges in the region. It will create an opportunity for organizations working in this region to connect with IFEX colleagues and forge relationships to support future joint actions and other campaigns.

Another session at the SC will provide participants the opportunity to develop a shared understanding of areas where the right to free expression overlaps with, or even conflicts with, other freedoms, specifically freedom of assembly, religious freedom and artistic freedom. It also has an additional session on improving participants understanding of free expression in cyberspace with particular focus on Privacy, Digital Security and Digital Policy.

Other sessions include: ‘Clicktivism’ and Beyond; Speed Dating: Digital Tools; Content Development – Editorial Output; Communications Strategy – Audience, Content Mix, and Social Media ; Meet the “Specialist”; Regional Networking in Africa ; and Tackling Impunity. The conference will close with a Rock Concert at the Cambodia Space Project.

IFEX, has its secretariat in Toronto, Canada, and is the largest global network for defending and promoting FoE. With over 80 members worldwide, no other network brings together in one location such a broad range of international, regional and national free expression groups to discuss emerging network issues, develop  FoE strategies for the future, plan joint activities with other advocates, and network with partner groups from around the world.

For more information on the conference, kindly click here.