Session
Organizer 1: Jamal Edwards, Microsoft
Organizer 2: John Hering, Microsoft
Organizer 3: Kaja Ciglic, Microsoft
Speaker 1: Jamal Edwards, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Deborah Brown, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Ephraim Percy Kenyanito, Civil Society, African Group
John Hering, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Kaja Ciglic, Private Sector, Eastern European Group
Jamal Edwards, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Panel - Auditorium - 60 Min
What can we expect from the next generation of leaders working to bring about peace in cyberspace?
What does cooperation and digital inclusion look like for young people in the online world?
What can we learn from the global initiatives rising around the world advocating for a more peaceful and trusted digital domain?
GOAL 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
GOAL 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Description: Governments are increasingly attempting to exploit or even weaponize software to achieve national security objectives, and governmental investments in military cyber capabilities continue to grow year after year – civilians and emerging economies are a frequent collateral of this escalating cyberconflict. This panel will highlight a new generation of collaboration among people from around the world, coming together to fight for their right to a free and secure internet. Panelists will discuss key new and inclusive initiatives – including the Digital Peace Now campaign, Paris Call for Trust & Security in Cyberspace and Tim Berners-Lee’s Contract for the Web – and also explore what the next steps might be for this growing movement. The session format will allow speakers to present their respective points of view as it relates to ongoing movements and efforts on the horizon, as well as the opportunity to challenge and respond to one another on which approaches might be most effective. Importantly, the session will help educate those attending the session on this emerging area of peace movements and leave ample time for questions directly from those in attendance to the panelists.
Agenda:
• 5 minutes – Opening remarks from moderator setting the stage for the discussion, highlighting the current state of affairs.
• 10 minutes – Opening remarks from panelists sharing their perspectives on the major peace movements in the last year, how they differ, and detail a new generation of digital inclusion.
• 30 minutes – Moderator asks pointed questions to respective speakers about avenues for advancement in this space and highlighting where there seem to be obstacles to further progress. Speakers will respond both to direct questions as well as to one another, representing both their individual and stakeholder perspectives as it relates to the positions of others. This portion of the session will identify points of agreement and divergence for those in attendance.
• 15 minutes – Those attending the session, in the room or remotely, will be welcomed to ask direct questions of the speakers and share divergent perspectives. Once again, speakers will be encouraged to both address the questions that are asked as well as to respond to the answers provided by their colleagues.
Expected Outcomes: This session will provide important learnings and highlight significant opportunities for those in attendance from all stakeholder groups seeking to find ways to support the growing international movements for peace in cyberspace through meaningful actions to promote inclusion and multistakeholderism. For representatives from nations still establishing a posture on these issues, this session will highlight the various initiatives and opportunities for stakeholders across the digital ecosystem and especially young people to engage and advance their interests and build relationships in this space.
Please see part B.
Relevance to Theme: Amidst the current atmosphere of escalating tensions between nations in cyberspace, resulting in the development of increasingly sophisticated cyberweapons, it is more important than ever that young people, digital natives, etc. step up to demand more from governments, and all stakeholders in the digital ecosystem. The economic and social benefits brought by increased peaceful activity in cyberspace are at risk in the face of an arms race between competing nation states that threatens to envelop innocent users, critical infrastructure and other private entities as collateral damage. The next generation of leaders must not only be listened to but also be provided a platform to speak. Cyber security, trust, and resiliency will not happen on its own, it must be fought for—especially in emerging economies. This is why the current global initiatives this panel will highlight are so key to further discuss and to also identify areas where more needs to be done.
Relevance to Internet Governance: The challenge addressed in this proposed session is how to proactively and intentionally coordinate actions—especially amongst young people—to create peace and movements that build trust between nations, communities. This discussion cuts to the core of a number of internet governance challenges and inherently requires engagement by a range of stakeholders to explore how such efforts to bring peace should be designed and inspired – based on established norms and expectations – to protect a safe and secure internet.
The Q&A portion of the session will engage online participants and will explicitly solicit requests for input, questions, and feedback via the online participation tool. This is a key part of the agenda following the panelists opening remarks and shared perspectives on global peace initiatives and efforts for cyberspace.