IGF 2023 Day 0 Event #133 Aligning priorities for a shared vision on digital policy

Our world has become digital, and so has the economy, with new technologies and business models transforming industries and economies worldwide. Whether it’s in the underpinning infrastructure for economic and social progress or in providing solutions in sectors as varied as agriculture, energy, healthcare, manufacturing or education, the value of ICTs and digital technologies cannot be understated. In turn, while digitalisation has opened up a host of opportunities for innovation and sustainable development, unilateral policy approaches and ineffective governance run the risk of exacerbating existing divides and be disruptive to global economies. This can lead to further mistrust of digital technologies and related business models, and erode public confidence in the security of the digital environment and the inclusiveness of efforts to advance digitalisation, resulting in further global fragmentation of the international policy space. A number of global, multilateral and multistakeholder structures aim to bridge fragmenting policy approaches and work towards global, interoperable solutions to help understand and govern constantly evolving technologies and harness their power for continued sustainable and inclusive social and economic growth. Such efforts are the fundamentals of the IGF, characterize the work of the G7, G20 and represent the objectives of the Global Digital Compact as proposed by the UN Secretary-General – to just name a few. This roundtable will focus on the state of global digital policy, taking stock of policy discussions and recommendations in key global fora throughout 2023 including the G7, G20, and the Global Digital Compact (and potentially other, regional policy fora), and discussing issues of mutual priority, such as data flows, AI, cybersecurity and connectivity, while exploring areas for partnership and collaboration. The session will consider in particular the role of the IGF in informing and actively contributing to these processes and facilitating the implementation of their outcomes. In addition to contributing to substantive policy discussions, the aim of this session is also to incentivise increased participation in the IGF by businesses and governments – traditionally the most underrepresented stakeholder groups in IGF sessions. Chaired by Maria Fernanda Garza, member of the IGF Leadership Panel representing the private sector, the roundtable will convene representatives from governments (in particular 2024 host countries of the G7 and G20, and governments from across the globe actively involved in the GDC process) and industry (representing diverse business sectors, company sized and geographies), to facilitate a constructive dialogue on issues of mutual concern pertaining to the global digital economy. A moderated, interactive panel discussion will consider the core policy areas noted above, based on the below draft session structure • Introduction by Session Chair presenting the vision for partnerships and collaboration enabling globally interoperable policy solutions; • For each topic (data, AI, cybersecurity, connectivity) a government and a business speaker will be invited to set the scene for discussion by other roundtable participants facilitated by the speaker moderator; • Interventions from the audience both online and offline will be facilitated by the floor moderator, with priority given to representatives of civil society, academia and the technical community; • The speaker moderator will then take stock of the discussion before moving to the next topic; • At the end of the session, all roundtable participants will be given the opportunity to share concluding reflections before the speaker moderator takes stock of the session.

The list below provides examples of the ways discussion will be facilitated amongst speakers and with audience members (both online and in-person participants) and ensure the session format is used to its optimum: Seating in-person participants: Participants will sit in a U-shape format (room permitting), with scene-setter speakers seated randomly between them, so that this provides an inclusive setting for the roundtable discussions. Audience members will be given assigned seats based on their stakeholder group. The virtual room will be projected on a screen facing the U-shape, but in-person participants will be encouraged to also connect to the session online so that they are aware in real-time of the chat discussions and can see online speakers and participants. This will facilitate discussion by creating an enabling and comfortable atmosphere where all speakers and participants are given an equal footing in the discussion. Set-up online participants: Online participants and speakers will connect to the session plenary room, during roundtable discussions, online participants will be able to ask for the floor or note their thoughts or questions in writing, which will be weaved into the discussion by the online moderator. Preparation: A preparation call will be organised for the supporting staff, moderators and co-organisers in advance of the session so that everyone has a chance to meet, share views and prepare for the session. Given the varied background of discussants and audience members, organisers will advertise the session and introduce questions to animate discussion on social media in the run-up to the session. This will introduce the subject, encourage conversation and create links to other dialogues on the topic taking place in other forums to create awareness and help prepare in-person and remote participants for the session. Social media will also be used to generate wider discussion and create momentum for online participation as the session is unfolding. Co-organizers will ensure that the session is promoted in advance to the wider community to give remote participants the opportunity to prepare questions and interventions in advance and to generate interest in the session. Organizers will also explore the possibility of connecting with remote hubs around the globe and organize remote interventions from participants in those hubs. Moderators: The speaker moderator is an expert well-informed on the topic and experienced in animating multistakeholder discussions. The online moderator has experience moderating online discussions, both at the IGF and other events and will play an important role, especially in conveying interventions expressed in writing by online participants. Reporting: Following the discussion, participants will be encouraged to share their key takeaways from the session through online tools and social media. This will help ensure diverse perspectives raised during the discussion are included in the reporting.