IGF 2024 Main Session of the Policy Network on Meaningful Access

The concept of meaningful access has emerged in response to the growing body of evidence that even when people have connectivity, they might not have been fully benefiting from the Internet. How one gets connected to the Internet and to which contents and services one can access is an equally important challenge to the experience that a person will have once they are online, even more so to the community/country in which they live.

Since 2022, the PNMA has been working on three overarching thematic workstreams: Connectivity (Infrastructure & Business Models), Digital Inclusion through a citizen-centric approach (accessibility & multilingualism: local services and contents in local languages based on local needs and resources) and Capacity Development (technical skills training). The policy network has actively contributed within and outside IGF communities to identify a certain number of good practices and policy solutions, and retain them as possible models to be exported or applied to other regions of the world. Stakeholders from different groups joined this enterprise: government, international organisations, academia, private actors, non-profits and local or language-based communities.

During 2023, the PNMA expanded its analysis of said experiences with implementation and problem-solving of the issues previously raised. By building a PNMA Repository of Good Practices, the network was able to assess reasons on why practices have or have not expanded, why digital divides persist, and which structural issues repeat themselves in different scenarios. The PNMA 2023 Output Report reflects the collaborative work and the group's list of recommended actions on meaningful access.

During 2024, the PNMA has contributed to assist and advocate for the implementation of policy solutions for the key issues previously raised, while monitoring ongoing experiences and welcoming new practices. The continuous multistakeholder public debate on the above mentioned focus areas takes into account the Global Digital Compact (that has adopted the concept of meaningful access in its final text and recommendations), the deliberations from NETMundial+10, and the WSIS+20 and IGF+20 processes.

The PNMA Plenary Session will focus into two aspects: the traditional highlights of meaningful access success stories - this time with focus on the Arab region -, and the role of meaningful access in the proper setup, use, and reporting of crisis response mechanisms (e.g., alert and emergency systems connected to natural disasters). 

IGF 2024 sub-theme: Advancing human rights and inclusion in the digital age

Line-Up:

• Onsite Moderation: Hon Alhagie Mbow (MAG) and Giacomo Mazzone (independent), co-chairs PNMA
• Online Moderation: Judith Hellerstein and Roberto Zambrana
• Special Guest [remote]: Vint Cerf - Leadership Panel
• Video participation: Mr. Oscar León, CITEL, Organization of American States (OAS)

Speakers:

• [remote] Ms. Syeda Shafaq Karim, Director (Wireless Licensing), Pakistan Telecom Authority
• Prof. Mohamed-Slim Alouini, Al-Khwarizmi Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; UNESCO Chair in Education to Connect the Unconnected at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia
• Mr. Martin Schaaper, Senior ICT Analyst, ICT Data and Analytics Division, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
• Mr. Talant Sultanov, Chair and Co-Founder, Kyrgyz Internet Society (ISOC Kyrgyz Chapter); Policy Advocacy Advisor, Global Digital Inclusion Partnership (GDIP)
• Mr. Bobby Bedi, Film Producer and Audiovisual Sector Representative
• Mrs. Lina Viltrakienė, Ambassador-at-large for Economic and Digital Diplomacy, Ministry of the Foreign Affairs of Lithuania 

PNMA Focal Point: Daphnee Iglesias, UN IGF Consultant for Meaningful Access