''Our Digital Future'' - Addressing Digital Transformation and Cybersecurity

Facilitated by IGF Secretariat, IGF BPF Cybersecurity, IGF DC on Internet Standards, Security and Safety (DC-ISSS) and Microsoft

''Our Digital Future''
Addressing Digital Transformation and Cybersecurity
Capacity development workshop series focused on developing countries

The first workshop will be hosted on 8 September 2021 at 12:30-14:00 UTC 
Register HERE in advance 
 

This capacity development workshop series aims to bring together diverse stakeholders - including government representatives, such as permanent missions in Geneva, NGOs, international and ‎intergovernmental organizations, academic and research communities and civil society overall,  the private sector, technical communities and other relevant actors - ‎to share best practices and build capacity in developing countries on the digital transformation and ‎cybersecurity fronts. The participants will discover the prerequisites needed to ensure the ‎sustainability of best practices and the roles different actors can play in advancing national capacity on ‎digital transformation and cybersecurity.

In support of  

 Driven by the call in the UN Decade of Action to partner for the Sustainable Development ‎Goals (SDG), the workshop will support stakeholders by focusing on themes covered in Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation and ‎Goal 16: Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies.‎

Empowerment begins with ‎digital inclusion
The coronavirus ‎ pandemic has placed a special spotlight on digital development needs and ‎cybersecurity challenges universally with developing countries in particular are facing a range of ‎severe difficulties‎. How can we bring to life the promise of digital technology ‎to countries often left behind? Part of the answer is in recognizing that empowerment begins with ‎digital inclusion. The scope of inclusion ranges from rapid digital transformations and digital skilling to ‎data governance advancements and universal Internet connectivity, which are all critical for ‎developing countries to achieve the UN SDGs. In a recent study, it is ‎estimated that US$ 428 billion is needed to connect the remaining 3 billion people to the Internet by 2030. A ‎mix of policy, technological, financial, technical, and other interventions are needed to democratize ‎the promise of technology. 

Digital inclusion requires trust in technologies
Technologies at the heart of digital transformation need to be secure, safe, and ‎trusted in order to truly integrate into societies around the world in a sustainable manner. In other ‎words, cybersecurity is key to digital transformation.
Discussions on cybersecurity concerns all of us. However, some regions are often excluded from the discussion and decision-making processes. In particular, ‎developing countries in the process of developing their ICT infrastructures can lack resources and ‎capabilities to address security and resilience issues. Furthermore, cybersecurity capacity is not only in ‎the interest of individual countries. In a globally connected world, where vulnerabilities in one country ‎create risks for others, building global capacities and confidence across the digital ecosystem is crucial ‎for sustainable digital transformation. Despite international organizations recognizing this need and ‎the existence of an increasing number of incentives, few lessons learned and best practices are shared ‎globally.‎

Workshop objective
These workshops will recommend adaptable best practices for a safe and secure digital ‎transformation for everyone as a means for social and economic development. Mindful not to duplicate any existing efforts, the workshops will rather build on them ‎by leveraging these diverse groups and their experiences to support sustainable digital transformation ‎needs.‎ ‎

Everyone can participate
The workshops are open to everyone to participate. Stakeholders from developing countries are particularly invited to join and bring experiences from their communities.

Given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the workshops will be hosted online, until protocols allow for physical attendance as an option.

Following the first workshop on, there will be subsequent workshops with the final session hosted at the 16th IGF in Katowice, Poland, 6-10 December.‎ 

The United Nations acknowledges the kind and generous support of Microsoft in developing and donating a website to support the workshops and contributing substantive inputs to the workshops’ programme development.