Topic: 2024-Balancing Human Rights
Country: Australia
Delegate Name: Kaya Dragan
With technology on the rise, the importance of maintaining human rights regulations remains prominent. For instance, Australia has recently passed a privacy act, protecting citizen’s right to privacy while being on the internet, specifically in automated decision making (ADM), collection, use, disclosure of personal information and consent. Taking inspiration from our policy, Australia believes nations that share the same interest benefit from granting their citizens free speech on the internet, while also enforcing digital protection rights.
As we are on our eighth version of The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, we still maintain visible flaws. As stated in GA Res. 77/298: “Deeply concerned by the use of the Internet and other information and communications technologies, including social media platforms, for terrorist purposes, including the continued spread of terrorist content, and encouraging Member States to work together…” although we still undergo a large percentage of terrorists utilizing underground platforms at the expense of people losing access to personal freedoms and experiencing privacy breaches. Australia is concerned with the means of gathering counter-terrorism intelligence while being grudgingly in human rights violations of countries’ own people.
What is necessary to comprehend is that countries who do not follow Human Rights regulations do not endure any consequences on a global scale. Knowing this, Australia proposes the creation of a Human Rights Advisor trained through the UN and Interpol’s current programs. These advisors would work directly with the member state’s current government to help determine if proposed local legislation meets the approved requirements set by the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee (UNCTC). If so, the advisor would guide the government through passing legislations that abide by human rights regulations. Australia is interested in working with all nations to resolve this pressing issue.
