The Global Network Initiative is delighted to announce that CELE, The Center for Studies on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information at the University of Palermo School of Law in Buenos Aires, has joined GNI.
Commenting on CELE’s membership, Susan Morgan, Executive Director for GNI said “as GNI’s first Latin American member, CELE marks an important step in our journey to create a truly global network. We are delighted and look forward to the perspective that they will bring to our work”.
CELE has come to focus on freedom of expression on the Internet in Latin America. They have conducted research for organizations as diverse as the World Bank, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Peruvian Institute for Legal Defense. Eduardo Bertoni, CELE’s Director and a former OAS Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, said “the group of companies, civil society organizations, investors and academics that comprise GNI are keen on addressing the issues of freedom of expression, privacy and the Internet in a global context. It is precisely for that reason that we are honored to have the opportunity to join the Global Network Initiative. I am convinced that our expertise in the study and defense of freedom of expression in Latin America can be beneficial to the activities of the GNI. Similarly, I trust that the insight we stand to gain will allow us to help countries in our region begin to legislate policies that respect and promote the right to freedom of expression on the Internet”.
Colin Maclay, Managing Director of the Center for Internet and Society at Harvard said “CELE’s aims to use rigorous research to inform policy, to improve our collective research capacity, and to raise awareness on issues of online expression and access to information in Latin America makes them a powerful and welcome addition to the GNI team”.