Session
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: A roundtable format works for this session as it fosters inclusive, participatory, and solution-oriented dialogue among diverse stakeholders. Given the focus on multistakeholderism and cross-platform knowledge exchange, a roundtable encourages equal engagement from civil society, government, private sector, and technical communities. The format minimizes hierarchy, allowing participants to exchange insights, share best practices, and collaboratively develop strategies to strengthen digital governance.
As data-driven technologies such as AI rapidly become general purpose technologies and data driven solutions such as Digital Public Infrastructures (DPI) infuse contemporary economies, public services, and civic spaces. Global cooperation is required to mitigate heightened risk and amplification of existing inequalities.
Despite growing attention from multilateral fora such as the G7 and G20, AI policies often exclude meaningful participation from the Global Majority—countries most impacted by AI-driven change are least represented in decision-making, as highlighted in the UN Global Digital Compact. On the other hand, but also cited in the GDC and arising directly from the Indian G20 Presidency, Digital Public Infrastructure has emerged, as an integrated data infrastructure, to deal with post pandemic economic and social reconstruction and progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
This session brings together representatives from civil society, government, the private sector, and technical communities to explore how the G7 and G20 can collaboratively support data driven technologies and systems that are rights-respecting, equitably accessible, and globally inclusive. Drawing on case studies and lived experiences from Africa, Latin America and Asia, participants will examine how the uneven distribution of not only harms, but also economic opportunity can be redressed through global governance, enabling a trusted environment and effective regulation to ensure better development and distribution of infrastructure and tools.
Through participatory dialogue, the session will identify actionable pathways to embed human rights, transparency, equitable economic opportunities, and community agency in AI design, governance and outcomes—ensuring the benefits of AI are equitably shared and shaped by those historically excluded from global decision-making.
The session will follow a hybrid roundtable format with structured thematic segments focused on:
- Rights-respecting AI development, including enabling economic participation
- Digital public infrastructure and equitable access and use
- Inclusive governance in the G7/G20 digital cooperation agendas
Speakers will address guiding questions followed by reactions from stakeholder representatives and an interactive Q&A with online and in-person participants.
Outcomes will contribute to ongoing G7 and G20 deliberations and generate policy recommendations for inclusion in the IGF synthesis document, research briefs, and advocacy strategies.
- Jim Paterson, Department of Communications and Digital Technology, Government of South Africa
- Cynthia Lesufi, Department of Communications and Digital Technology, Government of South Africa
- Ellen Taylor, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, Government of Canada
- Alison Gillwald, Research ICT Africa/ SA G20 knowledge partner/T20 Digital Transformation Task Force co-chair
- Leslie Dwolatsky, Research ICT Africa
- Sabhanaz Rashid Diya, Tech Global Institute
- Shumaila H. Shahani, Tech Global Institute
Speaker 1: Mondli Gungubele, Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Communications (AI Policy), Government of South Africa
Speaker 2: Alison O’Beirne, Director, International Communication and Internet Policy, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Speaker 3: Sabhanaz Rashid Diya, Executive Director, Tech Global Institute / Senior Fellow, Centre for International Governance Innovation
Speaker 4: Miriam Wimmer, Director, Autoridade Nacional de Proteção de Dados (ANPD), Brazil
Speaker 5: Souhila Amazous (African Union, AU G20 DEWG representative)
9.
10.
16.
17. Partnerships for the Goals
Targets: By bringing together representatives of the G20 working and engagement groups (T20, C20, B20 and Y20), the open forum will speak to global cooperation and partnerships towards sustainable development. The South African Presidency of the G20 has placed digitalisation at the heart of its equality, solidary and sustainability agenda. These include enhancing global governance of data and associated digital infrastructure, addressing digital inclusion, and the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies through the use and regulation of generative AI
Report
Open Forum #71: Advancing Rights Respecting AI-Governance and Digital Inclusion through G7 and G20
The workshop examined collaborative approaches between the G7 and G20 to address shared challenges in digital governance, with particular emphasis on reducing global digital inequalities and ensuring equitable access to the benefits of data-driven technologies. The discussions highlighted the urgent need for coordinated international action to bridge the growing digital divide between developed and developing nations whilst establishing robust governance frameworks for artificial intelligence.
The current global landscape is characterised by significant geopolitical changes and widening gaps between Global North and South countries. This context creates both challenges and opportunities for international cooperation on digital governance. There is an urgent need to establish clear boundaries around data ownership and develop shared principles for AI governance based on human rights frameworks.
The role of the public sector has emerged as crucial, moving beyond traditional regulatory functions to become active market shapers. Democratic oversight mechanisms are essential to ensure that technological development serves broader societal interests rather than narrow commercial objectives.
Addressing Digital Inequalities
Digital inequality extends far beyond infrastructure limitations to encompass demand-side constraints including education, income disparities, digital literacy gaps, and device accessibility costs. Current approaches to cross-border data flows have been criticised for focusing too heavily on individual rights whilst neglecting systemic injustices and environmental concerns.
The principle of universal and meaningful connectivity has been identified as fundamental, but achieving this requires addressing the complex interplay of social, economic, and educational factors that determine digital participation. Simply ensuring the free flow of data under current conditions will not create a trustworthy, equitable, or inclusive digital environment.
AI Governance and Equity Considerations
The discussion emphasised the need to move beyond individual privacy protections towards addressing collective and systemic harms in AI development and deployment. This includes ensuring representative datasets to mitigate bias, recognising data as a public good, and expanding access for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and innovators.
AI governance frameworks must be inclusive and accountable, with particular attention to the needs of developing countries that may be at different stages of AI development. There is a critical need to shift from exploitative to collaborative, community-controlled data models, addressing labour practices across AI value chains and managing the environmental impact of AI technologies.
Implementation Challenges and Solutions
Policy-to-Practice Translation
The workshop identified challenges in translating policy frameworks into practical implementation. Multistakeholder approaches have been highlighted as essential for determining agenda priorities and creating effective implementation mechanisms. Community engagement is crucial for ensuring that policies translate into meaningful practice at local levels.
Continuity and Cooperation
Successful cooperation between consecutive G20 presidencies, particularly those from the Global South, has been identified as crucial for maintaining momentum on developing nation perspectives. The troika model between emerging economies and democracies has proven effective in ensuring smooth transitions and shared experiences.
Balancing Innovation and Legacy
Governments face significant pressure to create distinctive presidential legacies whilst ensuring continuity with previous initiatives. This balance requires careful coordination and shared commitment to long-term objectives beyond individual presidential terms.
Recommendations and Future Directions
Strengthening International Cooperation
Joint initiatives between G7 and G20 are essential to avoid duplicating efforts whilst ensuring comprehensive coverage of global challenges. Civil society organisations can play a crucial bridging role across different processes, leveraging multistakeholder mechanisms to ensure continuity and effectiveness.
Rights-Based Governance Frameworks
AI governance must be grounded in human rights principles that consider systemic inequalities rather than focusing solely on individual protections. This requires developing frameworks that address collective harms and ensure equitable access to technological benefits.
Addressing Demand-Side Barriers
Digital inclusion strategies must move beyond infrastructure provision to address fundamental barriers including education, income, digital literacy, and device costs. This holistic approach is essential for creating genuinely inclusive digital environments.
Environmental Considerations
The environmental impact of AI technologies must be central to governance discussions, including both the energy demands of AI systems and their potential contributions to climate solutions.
Conclusions
The workshop underscored the critical importance of strengthened cooperation between G7 and G20 to address challenges that transcend national boundaries. Success will require sustained political will to move beyond forum discussions toward concrete implementation, with particular attention to maintaining the momentum generated by Global South presidencies.
The path forward demands a fundamental shift from viewing digital governance as primarily a technical challenge to recognising it as a comprehensive framework for ensuring equitable access to the benefits of technological advancement. This requires unprecedented levels of international cooperation, multistakeholder engagement, and commitment to rights-based approaches that prioritise global equity alongside technological innovation.
