Session
Organizer 1: Victor Manuel Martinez Vanegas, Federal Telecommunications Institute
Organizer 2: Diana Gómez, Federal Telecommunications Institute
Speaker 1: EMMANUEL ACHA, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 2: Cheryl Langdon-Orr, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Felipe Alfonso Hernández, Technical Community, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 4: Carolina Aguerre, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 5: MEHMET ALPER TEKIN, Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 6: Caecilia Nyamutswa, Technical Community, African Group
Victor Manuel Martinez Vanegas, Technical Community, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Diana Gómez, Technical Community, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Diana Gómez, Technical Community, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Break-out Group Discussions - Round Tables - 90 Min
What policies and tools can be implemented to promote the empowerment of users of telecommunications / ICT services, as well as to foster digital literacy?
GOAL 5: Gender Equality
GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
GOAL 10: Reduced Inequalities
GOAL 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
GOAL 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Description: The workshop has as objectives:
• Discuss and share experiences, projects, tools, policies and best practices in relation to the empowerment of telecommunications / ICT users and digital literacy.
• Identify the different approaches (by governments, regulators, users, civil society, industry, and academia) that allow greater inputs for the development of mechanisms, tools and policies in favor of the user.
• Produce recommendations, with the collaboration of various stakeholders that contribute to the respect of the rights of telecommunications / ICT users, as well as the creation of digital capabilities that help them to take advantage of said services.
This session will focus in the interaction about all participants with the aim of the workshop achieve better results to user benefits.
Expected Outcomes: With this workshop, it is expected to identify and share experiences and best practices regarding measures for digital literacy and the protection of user rights and useful information so that they are empowered and take the best decisions.
The session will consist in the following:
• Welcome and opening comments by onsite moderator – 5 min.
• One round of questions to speaker: 4 min max. to speaker - 20 min in total.
• Lightening talks from existing Initiatives in each/all of the four “C’s” – 4 Minutes each speaker/strictly enforced by Session Moderator
• Break out working sessions, with 1-2 experts for each group – this is the “participation segment” for the workshop and is intent to engage all participants in the room - 30 minutes.
• Each breakout will have one or more “experts” drawn from the lightening speakers and other experts, plus one rapporteur.
• Remote moderators will be assigned for each breakout, who will use chat to keep remote participants aware of the discussion in the small group and report on any comments and questions during the workout session.
• The breakout/working session segment is focus on developing concrete draft recommendations.
• A final segment of the workshop will present the initial recommendations - 4 minutes per breakout group: total time - 20 minutes.
• Moderated Q&A with the audience and online participants - 10 minutes.
• Summarizing comments and closing remarks by session moderator – 5 minutes.
Relevance to Theme: Users are the most important part in the efficient provision of a service of general interest. Therefore, it is very important to design mechanisms, strategies, tools and policies that empower users and that encourage digital literacy, for a better use of telecommunications / ICT services; as well as developing models to understand the needs of users and their consumption habits, especially in cases of consumer vulnerability (rural areas, elderly people, people with disabilities, the unemployed and people with limited resources).
For this reason, those in charge of the elaboration of public policies must empower the users through the timely, objective and systematic provision of the information that allows them to make the best decision; as well as through the continuous evaluation of levels of satisfaction and the diffusion of preferences and trends.
Also, the training of users is relevant for informed decision-making and for the proper use of their telecommunications/ICT services and equipment in order of to have access to Internet to best prices.
Digital literacy enables users to learn to use various devices and applications, take advantage of Internet, as well as bring them closer to the advantages of using ICT and telecommunications in their daily lives, reducing asymmetries in knowledge and the adoption of new technologies.
Relevance to Internet Governance: The users are part of the actors of the Internet governance, since they participate in the establishment of the economic and sociocultural aspects of this. Users can demand that all governance arrangements, current and future, be taken into account in the public interest and not just the expression of commercial or regional interests.
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