International Freedom of Expression Exchange

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The International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX), founded in 1992, is a global network of 72 non-governmental organisations that promotes and defends the right to freedom of expression.

Managed by Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, IFEX harnesses the power of the Internet to rapidly exchange information and mobilise action on issues such as press freedom, Internet censorship, freedom of information legislation, criminal defamation and insult laws, media concentration and attacks on journalists, writers, human rights defenders and Internet users. A Clearing House in Toronto, Canada coordinates the programmes and activities of IFEX.

The membership of IFEX encompasses a broad array of organisations that work to defend journalists and media personnel, academics, photographers and camera operators, writers, cyber-dissidents, publishers, cartoonists, community radio stations and libraries.

Members include:

IFEX is an important source of information for many intergovernmental organizations that monitor freedom of expression, including:

1 History
2 Action Alert Network
3 IFEX Communiqué
4 Outreach and Development Programme
5 IFEX Website
6 Joint Actions and Campaigns
7 Members of IFEX
8 See also
9 External links

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History

In 1992, several funding and development organizations recognized the need for more cooperation among freedom of expression groups by providing start-up support for IFEX. The Ford Foundation provided funding to hold the first IFEX meeting in Montreal, Canada. The Joyce Mertz-Gilmore Foundation of New York supported the establishment of the IFEX Action Alert Network. UNESCO provided support through its International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), which helped to extend IFEX's links with the developing world and promote IFEX through its own network.

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Action Alert Network

One of the central components of IFEX is the Action Alert Network (AAN). Member organizations report freedom of expression abuses in their geographic region or area of expertise to the Clearing House which, in turn, circulates this information to other members and interested organisations all over the world. This efficient system enables members to stay abreast of their counterparts' activities, share information and research, and focus their energies where it is most needed.

Importantly, the AAN also allows for a rapid, world-wide and coordinated response to press freedom and freedom of expression violations. Action Alerts help focus international attention on those responsible for human rights violations. This can make a significant difference, as those who violate human rights often rely on the cover of darkness.

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IFEX Communiqué

IFEX also publishes the IFEX Communiqué (www.ifex.org), a weekly newsletter that reports on IFEX members' activities and on freedom of expression developments around the world. Distributed to thousands of subscribers in more than 150 countries, the IFEX Communiqué highlights free expression hotspots and issues including anti-terrorism laws, journalists' safety, women in the media, Internet censorship, media concentration and access to information. The newsletter is published in English, French, Spanish, Russian (http://www.ifex.cjes.ru/comm) and Arabic (http://hrinfo.net/ifex).

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Outreach and Development Programme

Another key area of the Clearing House's work is the Outreach and Development Programme. Based on a recognition of current North-South disparities, this programme is designed to support and strengthen fledgling freedom of expression organizations in the developing world, Eastern Europe and in the former Soviet Union.

The risks and obstacles faced by people who attempt to start up free expression groups in countries plagued by human rights abuses or censorship can be overwhelming, and IFEX offers vital transfusions of information, financial and technical resources, expertise, and international support and recognition.

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IFEX Website

IFEX's trilingual (English, French, Spanish) website (www.ifex.org) contains the largest searchable online archive of information on free expression violations, dating back to 1995.

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Joint Actions and Campaigns

IFEX brings members together to act jointly or campaign on freedom of expression issues, harnessing the collective power and resources of 72 organisations around the world. Through IFEX, members launch international joint actions to help free jailed individuals or challenge repressive laws (see: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/72555/).

IFEX also facilitates campaigns to focus attention on freedom of expression violations in specific countries or regions (http://campaigns.ifex.org).

Tunisia Monitoring Group

The IFEX Tunisia Monitoring Group, comprised of 15 IFEX member organisations, is raising international awareness of censorship and other human rights violations in Tunisia.

Launched in fall 2004, this campaign aims to pressure the Tunisian government to improve its human rights record in the run-up to, and following, the UN-sponsored World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), which was held in Tunis in November 2005.

The group has produced two reports which document widespread violations against independent journalists, human rights defenders and Internet users who criticise the government. The report is based on fact-finding missions to Tunisia in January and August 2005.

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