Session
Organizer 1: Noémi Bontridder, University of Liège
Organizer 2: Cordel Green, Broadcasting Commission of Jamaiva
Organizer 3: Onica Makwakwa, Global Digital Inclusion Partnership (GDIP)
Organizer 4: Xianhong Hu, UNESCO
Organizer 5: Dariia Opryshko, UNESCO-IFAP Working Group on Information Accessibility
Organizer 2: Cordel Green, Broadcasting Commission of Jamaiva
Organizer 3: Onica Makwakwa, Global Digital Inclusion Partnership (GDIP)
Organizer 4: Xianhong Hu, UNESCO
Organizer 5: Dariia Opryshko, UNESCO-IFAP Working Group on Information Accessibility
Speaker 1: Guilherme Canela Godoi, Intergovernmental Organization, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 2: Cordel Green, Government, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 3: Onica Makwakwa, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 4: Yves POULLET, Intergovernmental Organization, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 5: Viktoriia Romaniuk , Civil Society, Eastern European Group
Speaker 6: Siva Prasad Rambhatla, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 2: Cordel Green, Government, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 3: Onica Makwakwa, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 4: Yves POULLET, Intergovernmental Organization, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 5: Viktoriia Romaniuk , Civil Society, Eastern European Group
Speaker 6: Siva Prasad Rambhatla, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Moderator
Xianhong Hu, Intergovernmental Organization, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Online Moderator
Noémi Bontridder, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Rapporteur
Dariia Opryshko, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Format
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: 1. As the topic is crucial and covers several areas of expertise, it requires 90 minutes of in-depth presentations and exchanges between international experts and various stakeholders, also ensuring a full exchange of views from different regional and national perspectives. 2. The workshop will be attended by a number world-leading experts and over 50 Working Groups experts. The roundtable format would allow a maximum of experts and discussants to take the floor and exchange ideas in an interactive manner. 3. Please note that the session will feature two high-level speakers who will deliver brief welcome remarks and open the session by sharing their visions, to set a scene for the following four speakers’ in-depth presentation and interactive discussions over the policy questions around the table.
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: 1. As the topic is crucial and covers several areas of expertise, it requires 90 minutes of in-depth presentations and exchanges between international experts and various stakeholders, also ensuring a full exchange of views from different regional and national perspectives. 2. The workshop will be attended by a number world-leading experts and over 50 Working Groups experts. The roundtable format would allow a maximum of experts and discussants to take the floor and exchange ideas in an interactive manner. 3. Please note that the session will feature two high-level speakers who will deliver brief welcome remarks and open the session by sharing their visions, to set a scene for the following four speakers’ in-depth presentation and interactive discussions over the policy questions around the table.
Policy Question(s)
1. How can AI governance frameworks mitigate human rights risks while fostering opportunities and ensuring equitable access to digital public goods?
2. What is the potential of emerging technologies to foster public good and sustainable development, and to what extent?
3. How can the international AI governance framework effectively take into account regional, national and local needs and contexts?
What will participants gain from attending this session? • Participants and attendees of this session will gain valuable insights into the intersection of digital governance and human rights, exploring diverse perspectives and best practices for safeguarding human rights in digital governance frameworks.
• The attendees will have the opportunity to engage in further discussions on shaping AI and digital governance, fostering long-term collaboration among experts, policymakers, and stakeholders.
• Attendees are encouraged to join the IGF Dynamic Coalition on Measuring Digital Inclusion, which provides a collaborative platform to influence policy at both local and international levels. This ensures sustained engagement and collective action in promoting digital inclusion and equitable access to digital technologies.
SDGs
Description:
As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly reshapes the digital landscape, ensuring universal access and protecting human rights have become urgent global priorities. It is more critical than ever that AI governance upholds human rights and serves the public good. This workshop will focus on the intersection of AI, digital governance, and human rights, discussing how AI governance frameworks can promote universal access, equity, and inclusion, while addressing human rights risks such as bias, data governance concerns, and the widening digital divide. The workshop will build on the outcomes of the event Artificial Intelligence, Accessibility, and Human-Centered Digital Futures, held on 11 February 2025, jointly convened by UNESCO Information for All Programme (IFAP) Working Group on Information Accessibility (WGIA) and Working Group on Information Ethics (WGIE). The workshop is an opportunity to continue to bring together global experts and multistakeholder representatives, including those from the IGF Dynamic Coalition on Measuring Digital Inclusion, to develop inclusive frameworks that address inequalities in the digital ecosystem. The workshop will highlight AI governance and regulation, digital inclusion and information accessibility from both global and local perspectives through expert insights and experience exchange. Specifically, the discussion will focus on the concept of universal AI service and how to ensure the participation of all stakeholders (including the Global South, women and girls, persons with disabilities, linguistic minorities, users/consumers, and disadvantaged individuals) in AI governance, both at the micro level of AI regulation, data rights, and digital business policies and at the macro level of national and global AI governance. By fostering collaborative dialogue, the workshop will showcase best practices, policy innovations, and actionable solutions to bridge AI and digital divides. It will contribute to ongoing global discussions on ethical AI governance, and highlight the importance of human rights, digital inclusion, and equitable economic participation in the digital age.
As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly reshapes the digital landscape, ensuring universal access and protecting human rights have become urgent global priorities. It is more critical than ever that AI governance upholds human rights and serves the public good. This workshop will focus on the intersection of AI, digital governance, and human rights, discussing how AI governance frameworks can promote universal access, equity, and inclusion, while addressing human rights risks such as bias, data governance concerns, and the widening digital divide. The workshop will build on the outcomes of the event Artificial Intelligence, Accessibility, and Human-Centered Digital Futures, held on 11 February 2025, jointly convened by UNESCO Information for All Programme (IFAP) Working Group on Information Accessibility (WGIA) and Working Group on Information Ethics (WGIE). The workshop is an opportunity to continue to bring together global experts and multistakeholder representatives, including those from the IGF Dynamic Coalition on Measuring Digital Inclusion, to develop inclusive frameworks that address inequalities in the digital ecosystem. The workshop will highlight AI governance and regulation, digital inclusion and information accessibility from both global and local perspectives through expert insights and experience exchange. Specifically, the discussion will focus on the concept of universal AI service and how to ensure the participation of all stakeholders (including the Global South, women and girls, persons with disabilities, linguistic minorities, users/consumers, and disadvantaged individuals) in AI governance, both at the micro level of AI regulation, data rights, and digital business policies and at the macro level of national and global AI governance. By fostering collaborative dialogue, the workshop will showcase best practices, policy innovations, and actionable solutions to bridge AI and digital divides. It will contribute to ongoing global discussions on ethical AI governance, and highlight the importance of human rights, digital inclusion, and equitable economic participation in the digital age.
Expected Outcomes
• The completion of a comprehensive workshop report that consolidates the discussions, recommendations, and policy frameworks developed during the event.
• A detailed article summarizing the workshop’s outcomes will be published on UNESCO’s website and shared across social media platforms, ensuring widespread dissemination and continued engagement on these critical issues.
• Follow-up events will be organized at major international forums, such as WSIS 2025 and ICEGOV 2025. These events will deepen dialogues in shaping policies that prioritize human rights and digital inclusion.
Hybrid Format: • To ensure seamless interaction between onsite and online participants, we will have a dedicated online moderator to manage virtual engagement, answer questions, share documents, and facilitate exchanges.
• We will have an open floor discussion, allowing all participants to actively contribute, whether they are attending onsite or online. This approach will foster inclusive dialogue, encourage collaboration, and ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions throughout the session.
• All presentations will be displayed on-screen, ensuring clarity for both in-person and remote attendees, and also shared via a news story among the audience after the event.
• A comprehensive communication plan will be put in place to promote participation before the event among targeted stakeholders, and to share key messages, including the publication of news stories and promotional message, including through social media platforms and the IFAP led Dynamic Coalition on Digital Inclusion.