Session
IGF 2018 Main Session
Development, Innovation & Economic Issues - Focus on the SDGs
Effective policies for inclusive and prosperous digital transformation – what’s needed?
Tuesday 13 November, 15.00-16.20 - 80 minutes
- Brief Description/Objective
Information and communications technologies (ICTs), including the Internet, and emerging technologies have the potential to act as catalysts for the UN 2030 Agenda and help advance all the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and constituent targets. At the same time, rapid technological change poses new challenges and can have unintended consequences.
In order to fully harness and benefit from these technologies and address challenges, sustainable, flexible, globally-minded, inclusive and sensible policies are essential. Inappropriate and restrictive regulation (which can be well intentioned as well) can stifle the very innovation on which the growth of the digital economy depends.
Convening leading experts from diverse and relevant stakeholder groups and communities, this main session will explore policy considerations and approaches needed to leverage the Internet and ICTs to facilitate common development goals.
The work of the IGF’s Dynamic Coalitions (DCs), which each focusing on a particular Internet governance issue through a mix of multistakeholder discussion, research, analysis and activism, are well represented in the wide spectrum of policy areas covered by the SDGs. A matrix of SDGs and DCs highlights their strong convergence, particularly on targets related to Quality Education (SDG 4); Gender Equality (SDG 5); Decent Work & Economic Growth (SDG 8); Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure (SDG 9); Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10); Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions (SDG 16); and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17).
- Agenda
I - Setting the scene: Expert interventions and deliberations, including from private sector, technical community, safety experts and government speakers [20 mins]
II - Interventions by DCs on the connection of their work to the SDGs, backed by 1-page policy papers, in dialogue with participants and Experts. Other interventions, such as CENB, time permitting [30 mins]
III - Participant engagement, including with DC representatives [cont’d. 30 mins]
- Policy Questions
- How can the Internet and ICTs be used to positively drive the SDGs, i.e., facilitate inclusiveness, equality, and development? Which issues are part of Internet Governance processes and which ones are missing?
- What are some of the challenges identified, particularly in the context of rapid digital transformation, for developing economies, labour, vulnerable groups, etc. (i.e how to prevent the Internet deepening inequalities)? What are some of the possible routes for overcoming those challenges?
- What is the enabling policy environment for supporting inclusive and prosperous societies?
- Where can we identify areas of mutual collaboration within the policy space so we can increase our efficiency, improve communication between relevant actors, and reduce redundancy?
- What are the effects with respect to the SDG on open access/ open science policies currently advocated by the scholarly community?
- Chair(s) and/or Moderator(s)
Co-Moderation by Mr. Diego Molano (linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diego-molano-981b7882/), Colombia, and Ms. Nadia Tjahja, Netherlands, Youth Coalition on Internet Governance (YCIG)
- Panelists/Speakers
- Mr. Jackson Cheboi, Head of Cyber Investigations and Foreniscs, Communications Authority of Kenya
- Ms. Bishakha Dhatta, Executive Director, Point of View - India
- Ms Céline Saada-Benaben, General Manager France, eBay
- Mr. Andres Sastre, Regional Director, Inter-American Association of Telecommunications Companies (ASIET)
- Ms. Shamika Sirimanne, Director, UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Interventions from IGF Dynamic Coalitions:
- Mr. Gerry Ellis - DC on Accessibility & Disability (DCAD)
- Ms. Carla Reyes - DC on Blockchain Technologies (DC-Blockchain)
- Mr. John Carr - DC on Child Online Safety (DCCOS)
- Mr. Olivier Crépin-Leblond - DC on Core Internet Values (DC-CIV)
- Ms. Jac SM Kee - DC on Gender and Internet Governance (DCGIG)
- Mr. Christopher Yoo - DC on Innovative Approaches to Connecting the Unconnected (DC-Connecting the Unconnected)
- Mr. Maarten Botterman - DC on Internet of Things (DC-IoT)
- Ms. Janet Sawaya - DC on Public Access in Libraries (DC-PAL)
- Mr. Tracy Hackshaw - DC on Small Island Developing States in the Internet Economy (DC-SIDS)
- Ms. Minda Moreira - Internet Rights and Principles Coalition (IRPC)
- Ms. Su Sonia Herring - Youth Coalition on Internet Governance (YCIG)
- Plan for in-room participant engagement/interaction
A designated remote moderator will queue questions from online participants during the interventions and feed them into the discussion. Use of a mentimeter is being explored.
- Remote moderator
- Ms. Virginija Balciunaite (YCIG)
- Connections with other sessions
The session directly links to the Development, Innovation & Economic Issues subtheme of the IGF, and aims to build on the considerations of pertaining workshops and other sessions. At the same time, it proposes an interactive, fact-based and comprehensive policy dialogue, bringing in perspectives from all other thematic discussions and addressing cross-cutting issues.
The session builds on the work undertaken by the IGF Dynamic Coalitions as well as intersessional policy work on Connecting and Enabling the Next Billions (CENB) and the Best Practice Forums
- Desired results/output? Possible next steps for the work?
- Showcase the work and value add of IGF discussions and intersessional work as related to ICT4SDGs.
- Convene a global multistakeholder discussion about the main elements required to enable ICT innovation and investment and mitigate challenges and unintended consequences.
- Bring the questions and perspectives shared at local and regional levels to further generate ideas and insight across global IGF exchanges.
- Strengthen the shared understanding and commitment of stakeholders for addressing developmental challenges through holistic policy approaches and multistakeholder cooperation.
Report
Session Type (Workshop, Open Forum, etc.): Main session
Title: Effective policies for inclusive and prosperous digital transformation – what’s needed?
Date & Time: Tuesday 13 November, 15.00-16.20
Organizer(s): Jutta Croll (MAG / DC Coordination Group), Markus Kummer (DC Coordination Group), Timea Suto (MAG)
Chair/Moderator:
- Mr. Diego Molano, Former ICT minister of Colombia; International Consultant, Digital Transformation of Governments and Companies, Colombia
- Ms. Nadia Tjahja, Youth Coalition on Internet Governance (YCIG), Netherlands
Rapporteur/Notetaker: TBC
List of speakers and their institutional affiliations (Indicate male/female/ transgender male/ transgender female/gender variant/prefer not to answer):
Panelists
- Mr. Jackson Cheboi, Head of Cyber Investigations and Foreniscs, Communications Authority of Kenya
- Ms. Bishakha Dhatta, Executive Director, Point of View - India
- Ms Céline Saada-Benaben, General Manager France, eBay
- Mr. Andres Sastre, Regional Director, Inter-American Association of Telecommunications Companies (ASIET)
- Ms. Shamika Sirimanne, Director, UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) *tbc
Interventions from IGF Dynamic Coalitions:
- Mr. Gerry Ellis - DC on Accessibility & Disability (DCAD)
- Ms. Carla Reyes - DC on Blockchain Technologies (DC-Blockchain)
- Mr. John Carr / Ms. Marie-Laure Lemineur / Ms. Jutta Croll *tbc - DC on Child Online Safety (DCCOS)
- Mr. Sivasubramanian Muthusamy - DC on Core Internet Values (DC-CIV)
- Ms. Jac SM Kee - DC on Gender and Internet Governance (DCGIG)
- Mr. Christopher Yoo - DC on Innovative Approaches to Connecting the Unconnected (DC-Connecting the Unconnected)
- Mr. Maarten Botterman - DC on Internet of Things (DC-IoT)
- Ms. Janet Sawaya *tbc - DC on Public Access in Libraries (DC-PAL)
- Mr. Tracy Hackshaw - DC on Small Island Developing States in the Internet Economy (DC-SIDS)
- Ms. Minda Moreira - Internet Rights and Principles Coalition (IRPC)
- *tbc - Youth Coalition on Internet Governance (YCIG)
Theme (as listed here): Development, innovation and economic issues
Subtheme (as listed here): Internet for development and Sustainable Development Goals
Please state no more than three (3) key messages of the discussion. [150 words or less]
This session aims to tackle the following questions:
- What are the main opportunities and challenges of harnessing ICTs and digital transformation to positively drive the SDGs?
- What are the main elements of an enabling policy environment for supporting inclusive and prosperous societies?
- Where can we identify areas of mutual collaboration within the policy space so we can increase our efficiency, improve communication between relevant actors, and reduce redundancy?
Please elaborate on the discussion held, specifically on areas of agreement and divergence. [150 words] Examples: There was broad support for the view that…; Many [or some] indicated that…; Some supported XX, while others noted YY…; No agreement…
Speakers in the session found broad agreement in a number of cross-cutting areas related to Internet for development. These centred primarily around the need for deeper cooperation and trust, as well as capacity building and educational measures, in order for the web to deliver on its development promise. This ranged from the message from the private sector that trust in physical infrastructure – the speed and security of Internet – needs to be established, to trust that users’ personal data is secure.
Views differed on the usefulness and future safety of the ever-widening phenomenon of the Internet of Things, with concern expressed that the gains brought by IoT were not worth the potentially considerable security risks. It was acknowledged that with discussion on how to make devices ‘talk to one another’ there should be a parallel discussion on their governance.
Raising what is often seen as a point of divergence in other discussions, the representative of the Dynamic Coalition (DC) on Child Online Safety emphasized that there is a false dichotomy between protecting children and freedom of information and expression online. The position of safety practitioners is that children should have as free and open access as possible while being protected from abuse on the web.
Please describe any policy recommendations or suggestions regarding the way forward/potential next steps. [100 words]
It was recognized from different panellists that closer cooperation between Governments, the private sector and civil society would be needed to tackle the development gaps discussed. Related to this, the speaker from the DC on Accessibility and Disability (DCAD) made a general call for avoiding silos and ‘overspecializing’ special needs, especially where access is concerned, and reminded that addressing the needs of people with disabilities addresses the needs of all people via universal design.
Finally, civil society experts on gender urged for better data collection and analysis for gender needs, emphasizing that serious holes and inconsistencies existed due to lack of gender disaggregated data. For example, this prevents us from understanding how a newly connected community uses its new access, and whether women and girls have equal access to the web.
What ideas surfaced in the discussion with respect to how the IGF ecosystem might make progress on this issue? [75 words]
One concrete suggestion was to improve the tracking and recording of gender engagement at the IGF. It was recommended increasing the compliance with gender reporting via the ‘Gender Report Cards’ integrated in IGF session reporting.
Please estimate the total number of participants.
Approx 80 people.
Please estimate the total number of women and gender-variant individuals present.
Approx half the participants were women.
To what extent did the session discuss gender issues, and if to any extent, what was the discussion? [100 words]
The session had a strong gender focus, with two representatives from civil society specialized in gender issues. The need for better data in global gender studies, the persistent barriers women and girls face to access, as well as the need to more closely examine the quality of access women enjoy, were all discussed.