Session
Organizer 1: Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 1: Naeem Uddin Hadi, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 2: Ullah Inam , Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 3: Anja Gengo , Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 4: Waqas Hassan, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 5: Jenna Manhau Fung, Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 2: Ullah Inam , Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 3: Anja Gengo , Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 4: Waqas Hassan, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 5: Jenna Manhau Fung, Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group
Format
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: The session format with a roundtable layout fosters greater interaction and encourages open communication and active participation, visual and physical equality of the participants and attendees eroding hierarchies. Fosters engagement and eye-to-eye contact render the debate more focused and intimate and bring a more dynamic flow to different aspects and diverse perspectives in the debate. The 90-minute time frame is ample enough to delve into each topic of the debate, maintaining a focused and concise debate. The onsite moderator will introduce the session and the panel in the first 5 minutes, followed by a panel discussion of 40 minutes, 35 minutes will be reserved for Q&A and open-floor discussion, and the summary in the last 10 minutes. This arrangement will cover key points while keeping the participants attentive and with enough energy. It can provide a structured flow of the session dividing it into different segments.
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: The session format with a roundtable layout fosters greater interaction and encourages open communication and active participation, visual and physical equality of the participants and attendees eroding hierarchies. Fosters engagement and eye-to-eye contact render the debate more focused and intimate and bring a more dynamic flow to different aspects and diverse perspectives in the debate. The 90-minute time frame is ample enough to delve into each topic of the debate, maintaining a focused and concise debate. The onsite moderator will introduce the session and the panel in the first 5 minutes, followed by a panel discussion of 40 minutes, 35 minutes will be reserved for Q&A and open-floor discussion, and the summary in the last 10 minutes. This arrangement will cover key points while keeping the participants attentive and with enough energy. It can provide a structured flow of the session dividing it into different segments.
Policy Question(s)
1. Do rural development programs incorporate digital development for indigenous communities?
2. How can local governments and civil society collaborate with international organizations to advance SDGs (1, 4, 8, 9, 10) by ensuring equitable internet access and meaningful connectivity for indigenous communities?
3. What does connectivity mean for for-profit ISPs in rural areas, and how can policies and partnerships address unfavorable cost-to-benefit ratios to serve marginalized and indigenous communities?
4. How can digital literacy and skills initiatives promote socio-economic growth while preserving cultural diversity and fostering online multilingualism in low-resource settings?
What will participants gain from attending this session? The participants and attendees of this session will take away the following insights, understanding, and new knowledge:
1. The issues and challenges pertaining to the internet and connectivity that are faced by marginalized and indigenous communities of the APAC
2. The socio-economic effect of digital seclusion on indigenous communities.
3. How meaningful connectivity can help drive sustainable development in digitally underserved communities.
4. How important digital access and digital literacy are to safeguard cultural identity and linguistic diversity on online platforms.
5. The participants will be presented with relevant cases of efforts of digital developments of indigenous and rural communities from different economies, especially from APAC.
SDGs
Description:
The session will focus on the existence of the digital divide in Asia Pacific, from the perspectives of indigenous, endangered, and marginalized language communities of the Asia-Pacific. The Asia-Pacific region exhibits stark digital divide showcasing disparities in connectivity from economy to economy, as well as, from rural to urban areas. From high tech smart cities of Japan and South Korea to unconnected masses of south asia and indonesia, Digital divide is a grim reality faced by the Internet governance community. This disparity in access to technology and the Internet is driven by geographic, economic and infrastructure barriers. Digital divide is a critical barrier to progress, with rural and Indigenous communities facing limited access to technology, digital resources, and the internet. Asia pacific region is home to many indigenous endangered communities lying in the rural peripheries. Without proper inclusivity efforts their language and culture are prone to extinction. This session will explore several key socio-economic and cultural impacts of digital marginalization in the region in acquiring public services such as health, education, and economic opportunities. This session will assess the obstacles to digital inclusion namely, inadequate infrastructure, lack of digital literacy, affordability issues, and linguistic barriers. Experts, policymakers, and community leaders will shed light on innovative solutions to these challenges, such as community networks initiated by public-private partnerships, localized content, digital literacy initiatives, indigenous language preservation, and capacity-building programs to bridge this divide. Through collaborative dialog, this session aims to provide policy suggestions and technical solutions to bring meaningful connectivity to the region fostering sustainable development and socio-economic empowerment. The following topics will be covered in this session. 1. Access to information, and the Internet as a right. 2. Local connectivity and community-based networks and solutions for affordable universal access. 3. Digital inequality and its impact on language and economic situations.
The session will focus on the existence of the digital divide in Asia Pacific, from the perspectives of indigenous, endangered, and marginalized language communities of the Asia-Pacific. The Asia-Pacific region exhibits stark digital divide showcasing disparities in connectivity from economy to economy, as well as, from rural to urban areas. From high tech smart cities of Japan and South Korea to unconnected masses of south asia and indonesia, Digital divide is a grim reality faced by the Internet governance community. This disparity in access to technology and the Internet is driven by geographic, economic and infrastructure barriers. Digital divide is a critical barrier to progress, with rural and Indigenous communities facing limited access to technology, digital resources, and the internet. Asia pacific region is home to many indigenous endangered communities lying in the rural peripheries. Without proper inclusivity efforts their language and culture are prone to extinction. This session will explore several key socio-economic and cultural impacts of digital marginalization in the region in acquiring public services such as health, education, and economic opportunities. This session will assess the obstacles to digital inclusion namely, inadequate infrastructure, lack of digital literacy, affordability issues, and linguistic barriers. Experts, policymakers, and community leaders will shed light on innovative solutions to these challenges, such as community networks initiated by public-private partnerships, localized content, digital literacy initiatives, indigenous language preservation, and capacity-building programs to bridge this divide. Through collaborative dialog, this session aims to provide policy suggestions and technical solutions to bring meaningful connectivity to the region fostering sustainable development and socio-economic empowerment. The following topics will be covered in this session. 1. Access to information, and the Internet as a right. 2. Local connectivity and community-based networks and solutions for affordable universal access. 3. Digital inequality and its impact on language and economic situations.
Expected Outcomes
1. Provide policy suggestions and solutions to governmental and international organization for multiple ways and aspects of universal digital inclusion.
2. The session will act as a springboard for a local initiative IDI (Indigenous Development Initiative) to champion digital rights of these indigenous communities.
3. Invite local youth to this session as remote participants to gain insights about digital marginalization and digital inclusion.
4. Invite local activists of these indigenous communities as speakers in the session to enhance diversity and add perspectives to the debate.
5. Build capacity and confidence in local initiatives to constantly engage in IG fora.
Hybrid Format: This session will be in a hybrid roundtable format leveraging both onsite and online moderators and will facilitate highly inclusive and engaging experience. Onsite moderators will manage the physical room ensuring the engagement of onsite participants and are able to interact seamlessly with online attendees. Online moderators will monitor virtual platforms and ensure the engagement of remote participants by addressing questions in chat or virtual hand raised tools.
Clearly defining the structure of the session with segments (Introduction, Discussion, Q&A, and Wrap Up) to ensure a focused experience. Alternate between Onsite and online participants during the session ensures equal participation. Sufficient time for question and comments from both online and onsite attendees to ensure inclusivity.
Apart from the regular online meeting app Zoom, we will not be using any other online platform or tools, because our workshop session will be more tilted towards the contributions of policy oriented dialogs.