Session
Parabl
Dennis Redeker, IRPC, Academia, Germany
Raashi Saxena, Parabl, Civil Society, India
Jarrel James, Internet Alliance, Intergovernmental, USA
Christiana Longe, IRPC Steering Committee, Civil Society, Nigeria
Camila Rioja, Plexos Institute, Private Sector, Brazil
Rahwa Berhe, Parabl, Civil Society, USA
Purnima Tiwari, IRPC, Youth, India
Raashi Saxena
Jarrel James
Jacob Odame Biden
4. Quality Education
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
10. Reduced Inequalities
Targets: Brazil's significant digital divide, with 33 million lacking internet access, impedes progress on key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to education, economic growth, and social equality.
The Challenge: Millions Disconnected
Brazil's vast geographical expanse contributes to a substantial digital divide. A concerning 15.9% of the population, or roughly 33 million Brazilians, lack internet access at home. This limited connectivity hinders progress on several SDGs, particularly those focused on education (Goal 4), economic growth (Goal 8), and social equality (Goal 10).
Education Held Back: Unequal Opportunities
Students in remote areas face significant educational disadvantages due to the digital divide. Outdated textbooks and limited resources restrict their learning potential. Online learning platforms brimming with interactive content and access to global educational resources remain out of reach due to a lack of internet access. This scenario exemplifies the negative impact of the digital divide on educational attainment (Goal 4), as disconnected students fall behind their connected counterparts, ultimately limiting their future opportunities.
Throttled Economic Growth: The Power of Digital Participation
The burgeoning digital economy presents missed opportunities for millions of Brazilians lacking internet access. This translates to limited participation in remote work, e-commerce ventures, and the digital marketplace. Studies have shown that internet access increases employment chances by a significant 23%. By bridging the digital divide, Brazil can empower individuals to participate in the digital economy, fostering entrepreneurship, innovation, and job creation, ultimately contributing to economic growth (Goal 8).
Widening the Inequality Gap: A Call for Social Justice
The digital divide disproportionately affects low-income communities and rural areas. Data reveals a stark disparity – the poorest 20% of Brazilians hold only 1.4% of internet subscriptions, compared to a staggering 83.7% for the richest 20%. This lack of access perpetuates a cycle of social and economic marginalization, widening the already existing inequality gap (Goal 10).
Theater
Each session discussion will be led by a moderator and will include a group of selected expert speakers. The speakers will start by discussing the questions posed by the moderator, followed by an open Q&A session before moving to the next part. This format will, on one hand, keep the speakers and participants focused on each one of the issues that we aim to address in each section and, on the other hand, it will keep the participants engaged, both on-site and online by providing opportunities for open discussion throughout the sessions.
The interaction provided by the online platform will further enrich the discussion and the remote moderator will be able to share a summary of the chat interventions so that the participants - if not connected, are able to follow and engage with online participants. Other tools may be used at the beginning of each session to encourage participation and to fuel the debate.
2) We will aim to organise the session in a hybrid format. However, if the situation does not permit an on-site gathering, we will opt for a remote hub option. Our on-site moderator will ensure direct coordination with the on-site to enrich the discussion and collect feedback from those who will login remotely.
Parabl, an applied research lab, in partnership with UN IGF Coalition on the Internet Rights Principles Dynamic Coalition created the concept of a Last Mile Coalition. With our Brazilian partners Impact Bank, Plexos Institute, & Official Brazilian representatives at Y20 (G20 Youth) on we have been developing hyper-regional digital resource solutions that seamlessly interact with omni-accessible hardware. The mission is to empower Brazilian leapfrog communities by providing meaningful connectivity and enabling economic growth through innovative solutions built alongside regional interests.
Brazil's upcoming G20 presidency in 2024 presents a unique opportunity to address the digital divide on a global stage. The recent Netmundial+10 event, co-sponsored by the G20, highlighted these challenges and facilitated discussions on multi-stakeholder approaches to internet governance. By collaborating with other G20 member nations, Brazil can leverage its experiences and leadership to promote best practices and encourage international cooperation in tackling the digital divide by presenting itself at the IGF.
This 2 hour session is composed by a diverse panel addressing how internet access is pivotal to reduce inequalities, generate opportunities and can enable, through real world use cases provide for measurable impact data on such impact. From alternative internet hardware implementation to local use cases, the session will lay out the reasons why and a pilot plan to strategize, implement and prove how internet access in remote areas can ignite a relevant flow of actions and opportunities: from small tech hacks on internet provision strategy to local people engagement
Through the fusion of community network infrastructure, collectivist economics, and innovative tools like Waypoints, edge caches, and smart batteries we're establishing new benchmarks in the Last Mile Design Space. With this momentum we can unleash the full potential of leapfrog communities in months not decades - forging a path towards a more connected and equitable future.
Participants will gain insight into the new and much needed approaches around connecting last mile communities and greater context around strategies for innovative resilient grid solutions in general. Digital equity is only possible by working together to address the interrelated barriers to access
The co-organisers will actively promote the session on their respective social media handles, encouraging remote participation and consultation on the issues raised during the discussion. Remote participants will be able to pose questions to subject matter experts and other participants during the session through Slido. We will also use polls, shared documents and activity based tools such as Miro/Mural board to enhance participation. Events would be created on LinkedIn and Facebook for maximum outreach. Digital promotional materials will be published on official online platforms of all co-organisers (eg. Blogs, Medium articles).