Session
Organizer 1: Parminder Jeet Singh, Just Net Coalition and IT for Change
Organizer 2: Kiiza Africa, SEATINI-Uganda
Speaker 1: Vahini Naidu, Intergovernmental Organization, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Xavier Carim, Government, African Group
Speaker 3: Jane Nalunga, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 4: Rashmi Banga, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Parminder Jeet Singh, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Kiiza Africa, Civil Society, African Group
Parminder Jeet Singh, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Round Table - U-shape - 90 Min
1. What global data governance frameworks will be most apt, that address all concerns, and helps develop global digital society and digital economy?
2. How data governance frameworks can straddle both privacy and security related issues and those of economic exchanges and economic development?
3. What are the most important contextual elements for a data governance framework for the African continent?
Connection with previous Messages: In the first part the session will layout the problems that are faced with regard to data governance in free trade agreement, and the specific context of Africa Free Trade Agreement.
The second part will invite participants from diverse backgrounds to provide practical ways to address these concerns, and come up with outlines of what would be the appropriate approach to be adopted for the ACFTA.
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequalities
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
Targets: Economic growth today is about a successful and growing digital economy. This is what the efforts about digital trade part in AFCTA are also about. Sorting out data flows issues can provide a great fillip to economic growth. Such growth, with better distribution of value arising from data across countries and among economic groups creates more decent jobs>
A greater access to data, and being able to organize data at scale across African continent will serve as an infrastructure for rapid and extensive innovation causing domestic industrial growth . Overall, such a fairly distributed digital economy ill reduce inequalities. Data is needed not just for industry but also public services, including as related to sustainability efforts, and we hope our efforts will contribute to achieving that in cities of Africa.
Description:
Africa Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA) Agreement plans a chapter on digital trade. Data flows on one side, and data localization, data ownership and data rights on the other, is a sticky point in trade deals. The views are mostly divided along the lines of developed countries and developing countries. ACFTA is a trade agreement among developing countries, and fears of data-based exploitation may be relatively less (though admittedly not entirely ruled out). Digital economy needs data organization at scale, and a mutual agreement among the African nations on how this can be done so that the benefits of a data economy for Africa are maximized while protecting every country’s data and economic interests.
Looking at how data can be governed in such an agreement can also help lay the foundation for global-scale data based digital trade in a manner that not protects just privacy and security of data (on which there is now pressure from groups like the EU as well) but also economic rights and entitlements. A data agreement in ACFTA context can be important testing ground for developing data governance frameworks that are based on indivisibility of human rights, and combine data related civil and political rights (privacy, security, FoE) with social and economic rights, and right to development, as related to the data of countries, communities and individuals. In its 2021 Digital Economy Report, UNCTAD has also sought a global framework for data governance that combines economic and non-economic issues related to data.
The workshop like involve international organizations like UNCTAD, South Center, and UN Commission for Africa, with African governments and civil society, and some outside experts, to deliberate on the above issues.
The outcome will be of two kinds
(1) Elements for general global data governance framework that covers privacy/security issues as well as economic issues.
(2) Understanding of specific data governance issues which are most relevant to a free trade agreement for the African continent.
Hybrid Format: The moderator will be taking online questions as the panelists speak, and after the panelist finishes, the first 10 minutes will be reserved for online questions. We often do virtual workshops nowadays, and have developed skills to keep both sides, on-site and online fully engaged. We will use our experience in this workshop as well.
We are not planning to use any special tools, but are open to suggestions.
Usage of IGF Official Tool.