Session
Subtheme
Organizer 1: Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Organizer 3: Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Organizer 3: Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 1: Eugenio Garcia, Government, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 2: Leon Cristian, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 3: Sorina Teleanu, Civil Society, Eastern European Group
Speaker 4: Mona Gaballa, Technical Community, Intergovernmental Organization
Speaker 5: Louise Karczeski, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 2: Leon Cristian, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 3: Sorina Teleanu, Civil Society, Eastern European Group
Speaker 4: Mona Gaballa, Technical Community, Intergovernmental Organization
Speaker 5: Louise Karczeski, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Format
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: As the purpose of the workshop is to foster a deep understanding of the challenges, opportunities, and demands related to the Global Digital Compact, a duration of 90 minutes is ideal, given the complexities and nuances of this global digital governance process. Additionally, this time frame allows for an in-depth discussion on the GDC while ensuring adequate audience interaction without compromising the speaking time of panelists. Regarding the format, the choice of a roundtable aims to establish a structure where all sectors, participants, and panelists share the same position in the room, ensuring a horizontal space for discussions.
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: As the purpose of the workshop is to foster a deep understanding of the challenges, opportunities, and demands related to the Global Digital Compact, a duration of 90 minutes is ideal, given the complexities and nuances of this global digital governance process. Additionally, this time frame allows for an in-depth discussion on the GDC while ensuring adequate audience interaction without compromising the speaking time of panelists. Regarding the format, the choice of a roundtable aims to establish a structure where all sectors, participants, and panelists share the same position in the room, ensuring a horizontal space for discussions.
Policy Question(s)
How will the process include different necessities of local contexts - avoiding to reproduce a model of “one-size-fits-all”?
What are the challenges for the full implementation of the Global Digital Compact in Global South countries?
How are some GDC’s objectives related to national strategies and regulatory efforts?
How can a multistakeholder approach contribute to the implementation process?
What will participants gain from attending this session? By participating in this session, attendees will gain insights from multistakeholder representatives from Global South countries. Additionally, it will be an opportunity to understand the demands of specific sectors, such as civil society, demands in specific contexts, as well as the actions, opportunities, and challenges in the implementation process of the Global Digital Compact by government representatives.
By integrating a comparative view of various countries and organizations in the Global South, it will be possible to understand the future obstacles and difficulties that the GDC may face in its implementation and encourage cross-learning from successful practices adopted in other jurisdictions.
Description:
The approval of the Global Digital Compact (GDC) by United Nations member states raises questions about its practical implementation, particularly given the complex web of actors and themes involved. The GDC's structure relies on responsible action by various entities at different levels, making it challenging to coordinate effective execution. In many Global South countries, United Nations agencies hold significant influence over public policy. These agencies often fill technical and financial gaps where governments lack resources or expertise. Consequently, the GDC has the potential to become a powerful tool for these agencies to advance digital governance initiatives. However, the very countries that stand to benefit most from the GDC have faced considerable obstacles in participating in its development. Limited diplomatic resources, technical barriers, and fewer engaged stakeholders have hindered their involvement in the process. Given these challenges, it is essential to consider how Global South states will tailor their strategies to address their unique needs in light of the GDC objectives, specially in terms of national strategies, regulation and participatory governance. This workshop seeks to explore how the GDC can be effectively implemented in Global South countries, with a specific focus on the thematic areas of artificial intelligence and data governance. The workshop will leverage the diverse membership of the Global South Alliance, along with participation from non-members, to bring in a plethora of perspectives - highlighting challenges faced and successful approaches in different contexts. By bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders on this topic, the workshop aims to be a place of cross-pollination of ideas, towards equipping participants with different tools and practices.
The approval of the Global Digital Compact (GDC) by United Nations member states raises questions about its practical implementation, particularly given the complex web of actors and themes involved. The GDC's structure relies on responsible action by various entities at different levels, making it challenging to coordinate effective execution. In many Global South countries, United Nations agencies hold significant influence over public policy. These agencies often fill technical and financial gaps where governments lack resources or expertise. Consequently, the GDC has the potential to become a powerful tool for these agencies to advance digital governance initiatives. However, the very countries that stand to benefit most from the GDC have faced considerable obstacles in participating in its development. Limited diplomatic resources, technical barriers, and fewer engaged stakeholders have hindered their involvement in the process. Given these challenges, it is essential to consider how Global South states will tailor their strategies to address their unique needs in light of the GDC objectives, specially in terms of national strategies, regulation and participatory governance. This workshop seeks to explore how the GDC can be effectively implemented in Global South countries, with a specific focus on the thematic areas of artificial intelligence and data governance. The workshop will leverage the diverse membership of the Global South Alliance, along with participation from non-members, to bring in a plethora of perspectives - highlighting challenges faced and successful approaches in different contexts. By bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders on this topic, the workshop aims to be a place of cross-pollination of ideas, towards equipping participants with different tools and practices.
Expected Outcomes
As an outcome of this workshop, a brief policy paper is expected to be produced, analyzing the potentialities and challenges related to the implementation process of the Global Digital Compact in Global South countries. The policy paper will present recommendations to help overcome these challenges.
Hybrid Format: At the beginning of the session, the moderator will provide instructions on how to ask questions at the end of the presentations. The speakers will have the opportunity to use visual aids such as slides, videos, and graphics to enhance the presentation and engage both onsite and online participants. We’ll make sure that the visuals are clear and easy to see for both groups. After the first hour of the session, participants will have 30 minutes to ask questions and debate with the speakers, through the session moderator, who will collect one question from an onsite participant, and one from an online participant, taking turns.