Session
Organizer 1: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 3: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 3: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 1: Laura OBrien, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Felicia Anthonio, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Flavia Alves, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 4: Rasmus Lumi, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Speaker 2: Felicia Anthonio, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Flavia Alves, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 4: Rasmus Lumi, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Format
Classroom
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: Depending on the expected attendance, I suggest requesting a banquet room setup, with round tables.
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: Depending on the expected attendance, I suggest requesting a banquet room setup, with round tables.
Policy Question(s)
A. What would a diverse, secure, and resilient governance model to manage complex networks including cell-to-satellite, ground station-to-satellite, cable (including submarine cable), and community networks look like ?
B. Which international standards and frameworks should apply to such a system in order to ensure protection during conflict or crisis?
C. Which gaps exist and which steps should be taken in order to fix them?
What will participants gain from attending this session? Participants will take away with them:
(1) Increased awareness of the connectivity challenges facing communities in situations of crisis, based on real life examples;
(2) Build a technical understanding of emerging forms of complex connectivity systems, with a special focus on submarine cables and satellite internet
(3) Insights and reflections on the current gaps at the policy, normative, and standards level, and ideas about possible approaches to fix them
SDGs
Description:
Critical infrastructure is increasingly under attack. Undersea cables are severed on a weekly basis in strangely timed incidents, communication towers are being targeted daily by warring parties, satellite internet is unplugged on the whims of faraway owners in the midst of life-threatening situations in conflict areas, and cyberattacks disrupting nationwide systems are not even making the news anymore. The growing importance of the Internet and connectivity for millions of people, especially in times of crises, is directly proportional to the number of shutdowns and other attacks hampering the communities' access to these systems. Participants in this workshop will be provided with an overview of the current threats facing universal access and strategize a vision for the future of connectivity in times of crises in order to foster a more resilient alternative connectivity in future crisis scenarios.
Critical infrastructure is increasingly under attack. Undersea cables are severed on a weekly basis in strangely timed incidents, communication towers are being targeted daily by warring parties, satellite internet is unplugged on the whims of faraway owners in the midst of life-threatening situations in conflict areas, and cyberattacks disrupting nationwide systems are not even making the news anymore. The growing importance of the Internet and connectivity for millions of people, especially in times of crises, is directly proportional to the number of shutdowns and other attacks hampering the communities' access to these systems. Participants in this workshop will be provided with an overview of the current threats facing universal access and strategize a vision for the future of connectivity in times of crises in order to foster a more resilient alternative connectivity in future crisis scenarios.
Expected Outcomes
Access Now recently published a report on the risks related to the emergence of satellite connectivity systems outside of a solid and human-rights based regulatory and normative framework. This session builds on this work and the subsequent discussions that it sparked at RightsCon 2025, and it aims to create consensus across a variety of actors on the need for an official multistakeholder process to ensure a diverse, secure, and open internet for everyone, even in crises.
Hybrid Format: Adopting an already tested approach, we will have a twin system with an online and offline facilitation team. Opening, reporting and discussion, and closing sessions will be in plenary mode, while the breakout exercise will happen in groups (in person groups, and online groups)