Six civil society organizations have been selected through a competitive process to participate in the 2020 GNI-Internews fellowship program. Each organization has outstanding expertise in freedom of expression and privacy issues in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector and actively seeks to ensure government laws and policies respect these human rights. Fellows hail from Bangladesh, Kenya, India, Paraguay, Peru, and Uganda.
About the Fellowship
The 2020 fellowship program is a continuation of a GNI fellowship program started last year in collaboration with Internews. In 2019, six civil society organisations new to GNI received specialized support to facilitate their participation in GNI. This year, another six organizations will partake in the program, adding their diverse perspectives and expertise to the GNI community.
GNI-Internews fellows contribute to learning and policy activities, attend meetings and gatherings, and form and strengthen connections to members of GNI’s multi-stakeholder network. In a change to this year’s program, fellows will also produce policy analyses informed by their participation in the fellowship. Mentors from the GNI civil society constituency guide fellows throughout the program, offering their experiences as board members and former fellows in support of new fellows. GNI and Internews staff accompany the fellows throughout the year, providing onboarding, training, and logistical support.
Meet the Fellows
Aside from the geographic diversity our fellows bring to GNI, their organizational missions and expertise also bring unique substantive expertise. Each organization that received a fellowship has designated an individual to participate in fellowship programming throughout the fellowship term.
Sandra Aceng (@sandraaceng) represents the Women of Uganda Network (@wougnet), based in Uganda. Also known as WOUGNET, the network promotes women’s use of ICTs through technical support and training, knowledge creation and information sharing, and the promotion of gender-aware ICT policies. Sandra coordinates the Women ICT Advocacy Group (WIAG), a coalition that advocates for the integration of gender perspectives in ICT policy, and analyzes threats to free expression in Africa introduced by regulatory initiatives.
Paloma Lara Castro (@palomalacastro) represents TEDIC (@tedicpy), based in Paraguay. TEDIC defends digital rights and develops open technology to protect and enhance civic participation in pursuit of social change. Applying a gender lens to all of her work, Paloma collaborates with local and regional partners to monitor legislation that impacts digital rights, conduct research to advance rights-respecting ICT policies, facilitate inter-institutional meetings, and promote civic engagement.
Miraj Chowdhury (@mirajsays) represents Management and Resources Development Initiative (@mrdibd), based in Bangladesh. A leading media development organization in Bangladesh, MRDI supports the country’s investigative journalism ecosystem through training, mentorship, network building, research, and policy advocacy. Miraj brings an extensive journalism background to his leadership of MRDI’s capacity building programs and policy research. He also serves as the Bangla Editor of the Global Investigative Journalism Network.
Miguel Morachimo (@miguelmorachimo) represents Hiperderecho (@hiperderecho), based in Peru. Hiperderecho promotes and defends fundamental human rights in the digital space to enable Peruvians to leverage ICTs as a facilitator of their individual and collective freedoms. As Executive Director of Hiperderecho, Miguel guides the organization’s work in four key areas: community education, critical research, policy advocacy, and technology development. He regularly lectures on law and technology at local universities.
Devdutta Mukhopadhyay represents the Internet Freedom Foundation (@internetfreedom), based in India. The Internet Freedom Foundation advocates for the protection of fundamental rights and deepened digital liberties as society becomes increasingly reliant on technology. Devdutta brings her legal expertise to analysis and litigation on issues including facial recognition, data protection, network disruptions, and more.
Liz Orembo (@lizorembo) represents KICTANet (@KICTANet), based in Kenya. KICTANet is a consortium of diverse stakeholders that works to ensure policymaking in the ICT sector takes an open, accessible, human rights-based approach characterized by multi-stakeholder participation. A public policy and digital security expert, Liz analyzes ICT policies for their impact on expression and privacy and is active in the ICANN community.
For questions about GNI-Internews fellowships, please contact [email protected].