Session
Subtheme
UNESCO
Tatevik Grigoryan, UNESCO, Davide Storti, UNESCO and Camila Gonzalez, UNESCO
Tatevik Grigoryan, UNESCO, Davide Storti, UNESCO and Camila Gonzalez, UNESCO
Organization's Website
Speakers
Tawfik Jelassi, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, UNESCO
Anriette Esterhuysen, Senior advisor on global and regional internet governance, South Africa (Africa)
Alexandre Barbosa, Head, The Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br), Brazil (Latin America and the Caribbean)
Dorcas Muthoni, Chief Executive Officer of Openworld Ltd, Kenya (Africa) (TBC)
Onsite Moderator
Tatevik Grigoryan, UNESCO
Online Moderator
Camila Gonzalez, UNESCO
Rapporteur
Camila Gonzalez
SDGs
4. Quality Education
5.b
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
9.5
10.3
16.6
Targets: ROAM-X contributes to these SDGs by: SDG 4: Expanding digital access to education, promoting open learning resources, and ensuring inclusion. SDG 5.5b: Bridging the gender digital divide, enhancing women’s digital skills, and ensuring online safety. SDG 8: Supporting digital skills development, enabling fair digital economies, and expanding remote work opportunities. SDG 9.5: Boosting digital innovation, open research, and technological growth in developing countries. SDG 10.3: Reducing digital inequalities through inclusive policies and accessible technologies. SDG 16.6: Promoting transparent, accountable digital governance and multi-stakeholder participation. SDG 16.10: Ensuring open access to information, protecting digital rights, and fostering online freedom.
5.b
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
9.5
10.3
16.6
Targets: ROAM-X contributes to these SDGs by: SDG 4: Expanding digital access to education, promoting open learning resources, and ensuring inclusion. SDG 5.5b: Bridging the gender digital divide, enhancing women’s digital skills, and ensuring online safety. SDG 8: Supporting digital skills development, enabling fair digital economies, and expanding remote work opportunities. SDG 9.5: Boosting digital innovation, open research, and technological growth in developing countries. SDG 10.3: Reducing digital inequalities through inclusive policies and accessible technologies. SDG 16.6: Promoting transparent, accountable digital governance and multi-stakeholder participation. SDG 16.10: Ensuring open access to information, protecting digital rights, and fostering online freedom.
Format
Theater
The speakers will present their ideas, which will be followed by Q&A.
The speakers will present their ideas, which will be followed by Q&A.
Duration (minutes)
90
Description
As the global community looks to accelerate progress on the WSIS action lines and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), robust and evidence-based frameworks are more crucial than ever. This session will showcase how UNESCO’s ROAM-X framework has emerged as a powerful tool for measuring the implementation of WSIS commitments, offering a comprehensive and data-driven approach to assessing digital ecosystems. By grounding its analysis in the principles of human Rights, Openness, Accessibility, Multistakeholder participation, and cross-cutting indicators, ROAM-X provides a nuanced and holistic lens to evaluate national digital environments, identify gaps, and drive policy innovation.
The session will highlight how the ROAM-X framework has already made a tangible impact in supporting countries to shape inclusive, rights-based information societies and explore new opportunities to expand its use in strengthening global digital cooperation. As the WSIS process moves toward its 20-year review and potential revision, this session will focus on how ROAM-X can evolve to meet emerging digital challenges and opportunities. Participants will engage in an interactive discussion on innovative methodologies, collaborative partnerships, and forward-looking strategies to leverage ROAM-X as a cornerstone of the renewed WSIS process. The session will also examine how the framework can align with the objectives of the Global Digital Compact (GDC) and support the achievement of SDG targets, ensuring that digital development is both sustainable and equitable.
Through case studies, expert insights, and multistakeholder dialogue, this session aims to inspire collective action and foster enhanced collaboration among governments, civil society, the private sector, and international organizations. It will also explore how ROAM-X can be adapted and strengthened to support the evolving WSIS vision beyond 2025, providing a roadmap for measuring progress in a rapidly changing digital landscape. By the end of the discussion, participants will gain a deeper understanding of how the ROAM-X framework can serve as a catalyst for global digital governance and drive measurable progress towards a more open, accessible, and rights-based digital future.
The session will prioritize interactive and inclusive participation, leveraging a hybrid format to ensure equal engagement of onsite and online attendees. Dedicated online and onsite moderators will facilitate live Q&A, polls, and breakout discussions to foster dialogue and collaboration. A live chat function will capture online input in real time, and participants will be encouraged to share questions and reflections throughout the session.
The session will prioritize interactive and inclusive participation, leveraging a hybrid format to ensure equal engagement of onsite and online attendees. Dedicated online and onsite moderators will facilitate live Q&A, polls, and breakout discussions to foster dialogue and collaboration. A live chat function will capture online input in real time, and participants will be encouraged to share questions and reflections throughout the session.