Session
Organizer 1: Technical Community, African Group
Organizer 2: Civil Society, African Group
Organizer 3: Technical Community, African Group
Organizer 2: Civil Society, African Group
Organizer 3: Technical Community, African Group
Speaker 1: Harimino Lalatiana Rakotondrainibe, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 2: Samik Kharel, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 3: AVIT NDAYIZIGA, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 2: Samik Kharel, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 3: AVIT NDAYIZIGA, Civil Society, African Group
Format
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: This format is ideal for this session as it encourages active participation and fosters inclusive dialogue among diverse stakeholders. The flexible seating arrangement allows for dynamic interaction, enabling both onsite and online participants to engage in small-group discussions, share perspectives, and collaboratively explore solutions. This format is particularly effective for addressing complex topics like digital human rights, as it creates space for nuanced, multistakeholder conversations. The 90-minute duration provides sufficient time for presentations, break-out discussions, and a plenary debrief, ensuring a balance between structured content and interactive engagement. By incorporating virtual breakout rooms and hybrid moderation, the format ensures that online participants are fully integrated into the discussions, promoting inclusivity and equal participation. This approach maximizes the session’s impact by fostering collaboration, generating actionable insights, and building connections among attendees.
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: This format is ideal for this session as it encourages active participation and fosters inclusive dialogue among diverse stakeholders. The flexible seating arrangement allows for dynamic interaction, enabling both onsite and online participants to engage in small-group discussions, share perspectives, and collaboratively explore solutions. This format is particularly effective for addressing complex topics like digital human rights, as it creates space for nuanced, multistakeholder conversations. The 90-minute duration provides sufficient time for presentations, break-out discussions, and a plenary debrief, ensuring a balance between structured content and interactive engagement. By incorporating virtual breakout rooms and hybrid moderation, the format ensures that online participants are fully integrated into the discussions, promoting inclusivity and equal participation. This approach maximizes the session’s impact by fostering collaboration, generating actionable insights, and building connections among attendees.
Policy Question(s)
A. How can multistakeholder cooperation be strengthened to address the challenges of protecting human rights in the digital age, particularly in balancing state sovereignty with global digital rights norms?
B. What innovative policy approaches can be adopted to ensure digital human rights frameworks are inclusive and responsive to the needs of marginalized communities, especially in the Global South?
C. How can legal and regulatory frameworks evolve to address the gaps and ambiguities in protecting human rights in the digital realm, particularly in the face of rapid technological advancements?
What will participants gain from attending this session? Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the intersection between human rights and digital technologies, exploring how they shape modern society and policy. The session will provide innovative strategies for teaching human rights in the digital age and highlight the importance of adapting to evolving digital rights challenges. With a focus on empowering stakeholders in the Global South, attendees will learn how to advocate for digital human rights and foster global, multistakeholder collaboration. They will also acquire analytical tools to navigate the complexities of human rights in the digital realm, including challenges posed by government interventions and ambiguous legal frameworks. The session promotes a normative vision prioritizing multistakeholder cooperation over state-centric approaches, aiming for a more inclusive and rights-respecting digital future.
Description:
In an era where digital technologies are ubiquitous, the translation of human rights into effective protections in cyberspace remains a critical challenge. While the UN Human Rights Council affirms the equivalence of offline and online rights, the practical application of these principles in the digital realm is fraught with complexities. The rapid evolution of technology has blurred the boundaries between physical and virtual worlds, leading to a fragmented human rights framework. Governments have increasingly resorted to online censorship, suppression of legitimate expression, and violations of privacy and data protection. This session will explore the state of digital rights across diverse jurisdictions, legal frameworks, and law enforcement practices. We will address challenges such as government-led censorship, privacy infringements, and intermediary liability, while evaluating the effectiveness of existing legal mechanisms in safeguarding digital rights. With a focus on developing nations, we will also examine how larger economies can contribute to shaping universal digital rights, taking into account cultural and contextual nuances from smaller economies. The session will critically analyze the evolving landscape of human rights in the digital age, emphasizing the need for dynamic normative frameworks to address emerging challenges. By fostering nuanced discussions and conceptual clarity, we aim to catalyze the development of robust legal and policy frameworks that uphold digital rights and empower activism and advocacy on national, regional, and international platforms. Ultimately, this session seeks to deepen understanding of the complex interplay between human rights and digital technologies, and to explore pathways for strengthening legal and policy frameworks to ensure the protection and promotion of digital rights for all individuals.
In an era where digital technologies are ubiquitous, the translation of human rights into effective protections in cyberspace remains a critical challenge. While the UN Human Rights Council affirms the equivalence of offline and online rights, the practical application of these principles in the digital realm is fraught with complexities. The rapid evolution of technology has blurred the boundaries between physical and virtual worlds, leading to a fragmented human rights framework. Governments have increasingly resorted to online censorship, suppression of legitimate expression, and violations of privacy and data protection. This session will explore the state of digital rights across diverse jurisdictions, legal frameworks, and law enforcement practices. We will address challenges such as government-led censorship, privacy infringements, and intermediary liability, while evaluating the effectiveness of existing legal mechanisms in safeguarding digital rights. With a focus on developing nations, we will also examine how larger economies can contribute to shaping universal digital rights, taking into account cultural and contextual nuances from smaller economies. The session will critically analyze the evolving landscape of human rights in the digital age, emphasizing the need for dynamic normative frameworks to address emerging challenges. By fostering nuanced discussions and conceptual clarity, we aim to catalyze the development of robust legal and policy frameworks that uphold digital rights and empower activism and advocacy on national, regional, and international platforms. Ultimately, this session seeks to deepen understanding of the complex interplay between human rights and digital technologies, and to explore pathways for strengthening legal and policy frameworks to ensure the protection and promotion of digital rights for all individuals.
Expected Outcomes
1. Enhanced capacity building for participants, including regulators and civil society, to better understand and advocate for human rights in the digital age, with a focus on diverse and inclusive strategies.
2. Development of a comprehensive guide for human rights defenders, scholars, governments, and businesses, offering practical insights and policy recommendations.
3. Creation of accessible outputs, such as blogs, commentaries, and social media content, to amplify key findings and engage a wider audience.
4. Initiation of follow-up events and multistakeholder dialogues to explore evolving human rights concepts in the digital realm.
5. Establishment of a consultative platform to serve as a knowledge hub for ongoing collaboration and resource sharing among participants and stakeholders globally.
Hybrid Format: The session will adopt a Break-out Group Discussions - Flexible Seating - 90 Min format to foster interactive and inclusive dialogue. To ensure seamless hybrid participation:
• Interaction: Onsite and online moderators will coordinate to facilitate real-time engagement. Online participants can use chat functions and Q&A tools to contribute, while onsite attendees will share physical space for discussions. Break-out groups will include mixed onsite and online participants, supported by virtual breakout rooms.
• Design: The session will balance presentations with interactive discussions, ensuring equal opportunities for input from all participants. Clear instructions and time allocations will be provided to maintain inclusivity.
• Tools: Platforms like Slido or Mentimeter will be used for polls and Q&A, while Zoom breakout rooms will enable small-group discussions.
This approach ensures a dynamic, inclusive, and engaging experience for all attendees.