Session
Organizer 1: Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Organizer 2: Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group
Organizer 3: Private Sector, Asia-Pacific Group
Organizer 2: Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group
Organizer 3: Private Sector, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 1: Luca Belli, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 2: Smriti Parsheera, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 3: Keith Breckenridge, Technical Community, African Group
Speaker 4: Armando José Manzueta Peña, Government, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 2: Smriti Parsheera, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 3: Keith Breckenridge, Technical Community, African Group
Speaker 4: Armando José Manzueta Peña, Government, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Format
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: The roundtable format would be the most suitable for this session as it presents a conducive environment for a free flowing exchange of ideas and collective knowledge building. It is preferable to a classroom or theater setting in a situation where the attendees are meant to be equal participants in the conversation. The duration of 90 minutes has been suggested to allow sufficient time to discuss the country experiences followed by an open conversation on the policy questions indicated above.
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: The roundtable format would be the most suitable for this session as it presents a conducive environment for a free flowing exchange of ideas and collective knowledge building. It is preferable to a classroom or theater setting in a situation where the attendees are meant to be equal participants in the conversation. The duration of 90 minutes has been suggested to allow sufficient time to discuss the country experiences followed by an open conversation on the policy questions indicated above.
Policy Question(s)
1. What are the societal, political and economic considerations driving DPI adoption in different countries and how does this connect with the global momentum towards DPI?
2. How can the civil society (non-government sector, academia, individuals) play an effective role in shaping the design and use of DPIs?
3. What are the roles and responsibilities of international institutions, philanthropic organizations and other funding agencies that are steering the global movement toward DPIs?
What will participants gain from attending this session? As DPI becomes a mainstream governance strategy globally, it is critical for the Internet governance community, including the civil society, to be deeply engaged in this conversation. The UN has already taken a lead in this front by facilitating multi-stakeholder engagement on the UN Global Digital Compact and the Universal DPI Safeguards Framework. These frameworks offer a high level vision of the promise of DPI and desirable pathways for its adoption. Yet, many realities of DPI deployment, including its catalysts and outcomes are being shaped many feet below, in the local context of each country. This session will introduce the attendees to the political and economic forces shaping the DPI trends in different jurisdictions and equip them with a set of policy questions that are critical for aligning DPI outcomes with principles of inclusion and equity.
SDGs
Description:
We are witnessing a global movement toward the adoption of digital public infrastructure (DPI). Countries ranging from India to Rwanda and from Brazil to Finland have deployed DPI initiatives in areas like digital identity, digital payments and data exchanges. Several others are at different stages of ideation and adoption. While recognizing DPI as a driver of inclusive digital transformation and innovation, the UN Global Digital Compact acknowledges that the suitable DPI model for each country would vary based on its needs and priorities. Similarly, meaningful application of the UN’s Universal DPI Safeguards Framework is also contingent on the societal, economic and political context of the implementing country. Invoking the oft cited metaphor of DPIs as digital railroads, this workshop will explore the intersection between the emerging high level convergence on DPI (its universal highways) and the political economy considerations shaping DPI adoption on the local streets of each country. In order to facilitate a comparison of viewpoints and approaches, the session will focus mainly on digital payments related DPIs. The workshop will begin with a brief context setting by the moderator and opening remarks from each of the speakers to introduce the societal context of digital payments related DPIs in countries like India, Brazil, South Africa and the Dominican Republic. The speakers will highlight the actors and interests driving those processes and the interplay between markets and the state. The session will then segue into an open discussion inviting online and in-person participants to share the DPI experiences from other countries followed by a moderated conversation on DPI ownership and accountability models, space for multi-stakeholderism in this arena, and roles and responsibilities of international actors shaping the DPI highways.
We are witnessing a global movement toward the adoption of digital public infrastructure (DPI). Countries ranging from India to Rwanda and from Brazil to Finland have deployed DPI initiatives in areas like digital identity, digital payments and data exchanges. Several others are at different stages of ideation and adoption. While recognizing DPI as a driver of inclusive digital transformation and innovation, the UN Global Digital Compact acknowledges that the suitable DPI model for each country would vary based on its needs and priorities. Similarly, meaningful application of the UN’s Universal DPI Safeguards Framework is also contingent on the societal, economic and political context of the implementing country. Invoking the oft cited metaphor of DPIs as digital railroads, this workshop will explore the intersection between the emerging high level convergence on DPI (its universal highways) and the political economy considerations shaping DPI adoption on the local streets of each country. In order to facilitate a comparison of viewpoints and approaches, the session will focus mainly on digital payments related DPIs. The workshop will begin with a brief context setting by the moderator and opening remarks from each of the speakers to introduce the societal context of digital payments related DPIs in countries like India, Brazil, South Africa and the Dominican Republic. The speakers will highlight the actors and interests driving those processes and the interplay between markets and the state. The session will then segue into an open discussion inviting online and in-person participants to share the DPI experiences from other countries followed by a moderated conversation on DPI ownership and accountability models, space for multi-stakeholderism in this arena, and roles and responsibilities of international actors shaping the DPI highways.
Expected Outcomes
The learning from the workshop will be synthesized into a research publication on the political economy of DPIs and the role of different stakeholders in the process. We will invite all the speakers in the session to co-author this publication. The workshop will also serve as an opportunity to garner interest within the IGF community on building an intersessional work stream on the subject of DPI. Accordingly, one of the ideal outcomes of the session would be to set us on the path of proposing a new Dynamic Coalition on DPI.
Hybrid Format: As indicated above, the session plan is broadly divided into three segments. In the first part we will hear from the invited onsite and online speakers. The second segment will provide an opportunity for audience engagement, starting with the contributions of online participants. The third part will consist of open discussions among all speakers and audience members. The on-site and on-line moderators will coordinate in advance and work closely to ensure this flow. Further, in order to increase participation and interaction, we plan to reach out to a broad section of stakeholders in advance of the session and invite them to lend their perspective to the discussion. We will do this through existing networks and social media outreach.