IGF 2022 WS #250 Digital Diplomacy in times of crisis.

Organizer 1: Arthur Oyako, Anti Corruption Coalition Uganda
Organizer 2: Innocent Adriko, Digital Literacy Initiative
Organizer 3: Gabriel Karsan, INTERNET SOCIETY YOUTH@IGF
Organizer 4: Lily Edinam Botsyoe, Ghana Youth IGF
Organizer 5: Vallarie Wendy Yiega, Youth IGF
Organizer 6: Jackline Akello, Article 19

Speaker 1: Ihita Gangavarapu, Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 2: Lisa nyamadzawo, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 3: Héwing Gérald Dorvelus, Technical Community, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 4: Innocent Adriko, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 5: Jackline Akello, Civil Society, African Group

Moderator

Lily Edinam Botsyoe, Technical Community, African Group

Online Moderator

Vallarie Wendy Yiega, Private Sector, African Group

Rapporteur

Gabriel Karsan, Civil Society, African Group

Format

Round Table - U-shape - 90 Min

Policy Question(s)

What would it take for us to achieve an equal footing in regards to diplomacy and decision making?

Can we agree on the terminology, is it ‘digital’, ‘cyber’, ‘tech’, ‘net’, ‘virtual’, or ‘e-‘ diplomacy?

Is multilateralism failing in the era of accelerated digital division?

Connection with previous Messages:

SDGs

9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
9.b
9.c
16.6
16.7
17.6
17.7
17.8


Targets: Through Digital diplomacy, countries can cooperate to significantly increase access to ICTs and strive to provide universal and affordable access especially for the least developed countries. There is no doubt that the Internet is essential for the implementation and monitoring of the SDG and supporting innovation, and through digital diplomacy, countries can cooperate to achieve these goals.

Digital diplomacy is a one of the new tools of foreign policy that is aimed to solve the problems of international relations in the modern world. Direct public interaction and the involvement of non-state actors make countries to use social media and digital diplomacy as a way to maintain legitimacy and develop or strengthen relationships in a changing world, this can be a great path to Peace building.

Digital Diplomacy is our path to enhancing regional and international cooperation on access to Science and Technology, promote innovation and enhance dissemination of knowledge. Digital cooperation foster partnerships through supporting and improving coordination among the existing mechanisms.

Description:

We have failed at agreeing amicably and that is why once a connection of enhancing our sociological and interdependence roles is ending up in cyber warfare, government sanctioned and the rise of digital authoritarianism amplified by the online disinformation and misinformation targeted campaigns. It is evident with populism and closed loops, the great wall of china and the developing Red Digital curtain.

It is time our multilateral relations enhance ubiquitous and fairness in accessing digital resources for all human beings, it is easier having such a multicultural repository of wealthy information, skills and humanity's best traits we have achieved united.

We need to learn how to disagree and to cooperate, one of the lessons of the pandemic is the importance of digital cooperation, the covid boost with more human capital enhancement through resilience and connected systems of open health data, we saved millions and we need more collaborations, digital diplomacy is inevitable from its social political merit but as a cultural narrative guidance provider in the eras of emerging technologies and metaverse existences, a rethink on legislation to policy.

Our session is a debate among young digital diplomats arguing this case as an important field to build a more equal, accessible and safe digital unified universe.

Expected Outcomes

With this session, we hope to break down the barriers that are a hindrance to expedited conflict resolution using technology and what is termed as digital diplomacy. We hope to bring the information we shall have gathered from the IGF2022 in Addis Ababa to influence legislative conversations, executive interest and mainstreaming of the same so as to bring it to acceptable discourse.

We also hope to bring to the fore the input of especially civil society and the academia in formulation of the processes through which our respective governments will go towards the acceptance and implementation of digital diplomacy.

After this deliberation, we hope to submit a paper with the views from the IGF to the legislature, calling for a review of the policies and regulations governing diplomacy and how it is done by our respective governments so as to introduce a digital aspect to the same.

Hybrid Format: This Session will employ the hybrid format of delivery.

To ensure that the onsite and online audiences are taken care off, one of the facilitators will specifically keep an eye on the online monitoring screens provided by the IGF2022, the questions asked of the panelists and the onsite participants will also be asked of the online audiences so as to keep them engaged. We shall also make mention of the online community and acknowledge their participation whenever the microphone goes back full circle to the event moderator.

Also, online polls are planned for in which questions of a YES and NO format will be asked of the online audience in such as way that the results from these responses will be used to inform the direction of the conversation should the need arise. The subject being dealt with in this session, is one that is generally closely related to by a number of people around the world. We are also open to setting aside time and resources so that the members of this session are trained on how best to keep their audiences, both virtual and physical engaged over the duration of this session. Also the format selected should be able to help us achieve participation from both audiences.

The platform of choice for the hybrid event will be Zoom, however, because of the close relationship between these online tools, the organisers of this session are open to adapting whatever tool will be used for the delivery of the IGF2022.

Discussion Facilitation:
The plan is for the facilitator to start the meeting from an unassuming perspective, the role of the facilitators is to ensure the conversation happens by letting the subject experts discuss the subject. After these experts have all given their views, the facilitators will then also call on the audience, both online and onsite to weigh in on the same matter, then responses from the experts addressing the views of the audiences will be allowed for so that the audiences stay in anticipation of a response to their concerns.

At the start of the meeting, the facilitator will pose general questions to the online and onsite audiences, polls will also be issued using an appropriate online tool that will be shared in the chat facility so as to leave nobody behind. Also the session will largely employ the Q&A format after the experts have spoken at the preamble of the session.

Online tools will be heavily employed to keep the two parties in contact. Also, we plan to have at least two thirds of the facilitators as onsite speakers. We plan to keep on third as online, even if they may be present with us in Addis Ababa so as to give assurance to the online community that they are not alone. This method should be able to create a point of relationship between the online and onsite audiences and also participants.

Online Participation



Usage of IGF Official Tool.