Session
Organizer 1: Jaco Toit, UNESCO
Speaker 1: Elsa Estevez, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 2: Dorothy Gordon, Intergovernmental Organization, African Group
Speaker 3: Belinda Kafankale, Civil Society, African Group
Jaco Toit, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Jaco Toit, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Jaco Toit, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Birds of a Feather - Classroom - 90 Min
• What factors should be considered when seeking to understand and tackle affordability issues, and how might improvements be made?
• How do we best equip the workforce of the 21st century with the necessary skills to take advantage of the new employment opportunities that will result from digital transformation? How do we ensure that these skills and employment opportunities are equitable to all and that the global south is equipped to participate on an equal footing?
GOAL 4: Quality Education
GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
GOAL 10: Reduced Inequalities
GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
Description: The session will be composed of a thematic debate on a range of interventions that have been put in place in different regions of the world to address the needs of young people, people living with disabilities and indigenous people. The questions and answer sessions – between moderator and panelists and audience and panelists - will provide concrete examples of the kind of interventions that are necessary to address the needs of people living with disabilities and persons lacking opportunities provided from the digital world. Following the debate, a few indicators will be put forward to measure the impact of technology to reduce inequality with specific reference to the diverse audiences.
Please provide an outline for the session, including a description of the intended agenda for the session, and the issues that will be discussed. You may also explain how the methodology will support practical outcomes, substantive policy discussions, and how discussion will be facilitated during the session.
Expected Outcomes: The session will be composed of a thematic debate on a range of interventions that have been put in place in different regions of the world to address the needs of young people, people living with disabilities and indigenous people. The questions and answer sessions – between moderator and panelists and audience and panelists - will provide concrete examples of the kind of interventions that are necessary to address the needs of people living with disabilities and persons lacking opportunities provided from the digital world. Following the debate, a few indicators will be put forward to measure the impact of technology to reduce inequality with specific reference to the diverse audiences.
Each panelist will provide a presentation followed by a short question and answer session by audience members and online participants. After all five presentations, the floor will be opened for discussions for participants and equally for online participants. In responding to the questions/comments, the panelists will deepen their views/perspectives/expertise
Relevance to Theme: The rational for this engagement lies in the promotion of digital inclusiveness as an important element of knowledge societies as digital technologies have the potential for making significant improvements in the lives of persons with disabilities, allowing them to enhance their social, cultural, political and economic integration. In addition, the advancement of digital inclusiveness contributes to improving the lives of persons who have no access to opportunities in the digital age. Thus, inclusive knowledge societies can serve as a trigger to reduce inequality (SDG 10) as people living with disabilities can be fully part of society and persons engaged in the digital world will all benefit of:
- Having access to equitable quality education (SDG 4) - https://en.unesco.org/gem-report/sdg-goal-4 ;
- Being part of inclusive and sustainable economic growth (SDG 8) https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/economic-growth/ ;
- Living in cities that are inclusive, safe and sustainable (SDG 11) https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/cities/ .
Relevance to Internet Governance: A number of digital literacy initiatives are ongoing and it is important to highlight a few core competencies for global citizen education. Panellist’s will also highlight innovative experiences in sensitizing young people on emerging technologies and using local languages to target additional audiences in the importance of media and information literacy.
The session will explore practical use of emerging technologies in addressing the rights of people living with disabilities with specific reference to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The panellists will explore which indicators are necessary to measure the impact of technology to contribute towards equality, inclusiveness and productivity of people living with disabilities.
In celebrating the International Year of Indigenous Languages, participants will look at examples where Artificial Intelligence has been used to promote indigenous languages but will also explore some of the challenges that may exist in the use of Artificial Intelligence for the revitalization and maintenance of indigenous languages.
The floor will be opened for discussions for participants and equally for online participants.