Session
Dynamic Coalition on Internet Universality Indicators
Round Table - U-shape - 90 Min
During its engagement with the Internet Governance Forum community in the past 17 years, UNESCO has been advocating for a human-centered and universal Internet, with it’s 38th General Conference having endorsed the Internet Universality ROAM Principles, which stands for an Internet that is (R) human Rights-based, (O) Open, (A) Accessible by everyone, nurtured by (M) Multi-stakeholder participation and governance in 2015. Since UNESCO launched the Dynamic Coalition on Internet Universality ROAM-X indicators at IGF 2020, the Coalition has played an essential role in supporting more than 40 national assessments of ROAM-X indicators across five continents. The Coalition has regularly organized meetings and sessions on occasions of the global IGF and regional IGF meetings in Africa, Asia Pacific, EuroDIG, etc. The Coalition closely liaise with the NRIs and disseminate newsletters to keep the Coalition members engaged. The Dynamic Coalition (DC) on ROAM-X seeks to engage further with all Member States and all stakeholders worldwide to shape digital transformation by UNESCO’s Internet Universality ROAM principles and indicators, which underpin the growth and evolution of the Internet, in ways that are conducive to operationalizing digital cooperation at all levels, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals as well as supporting UN global digital compact. This session will trigger discussion in three dimensions : - Lessons learned from DC members and partners on the importance of developing and applying shared principles for humanistic digital ecosystems, and a reflection on how the DC on ROAM-X can support consultations, development and uptake of the Global Digital Compact. - What principles, what commitments - Advice and suggestions given by DC members and partners on technical dimensions to improve DC’s work on the following points: How can we can expand the application of shared principles by Member States, how to engage other stakeholders? Specifically on the ROAM-X and IUIs, how can we ensure that these principles and indicators are effectively applied, including in terms of follow-up? How can we adapt ROAM-X to emerging digital challenges and technologies?
This session will be an interactive panel discussion with the moderator allowing very short statements from on-site and remote speakers to trigger discussion on how t improve the DC on IUIs. Participants will gain knowledge from partners of the Dynamic Coalition who have advocated for the UNESCO’s Internet Universality ROAM-X Indicators assessment and the Dynamic Coalition.
UNESCO, Polish National Commission for UNESCO, German National Commission for UNESCO Information for All Programme (IFAP), Council of Europe Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Association of Progressive Communications, Missions Publiques, CETIC ,Universite Bordeaux Montaigne, Internet Society (ISOC), Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) NIC.br, 7Amleh, Development House KICTANet, Centro de Estudios en technologias en Sociedad (CETyS), Media Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD), Global Network Initiative (GNI), I and J, CIPESA
Tawfik Jelassi, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information Marielza Oliveira, UNESCO Director for Partnerships and Operational Programme Monitoring Anriette Esterhuysen, Association for Progressive Communication (APC) Yu Ping Chan, Office of United Nations Tech Envoy Lutz Möller, Deputy Secretary General, German Commission for UNESCO Paul Mitchell, Chair of Internet Governance Forum Multi-Advisory Group Constance Bommelaer, Area Vice President, Institutional Relations and Empowerment, Internet Society Deniz Susar, Governance and Public Administration Officer, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) Vera Julia Major, Government and IGO engagement - Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Alexandre Barbosa, Head of Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (CETIC.br) Dorothy Gordon, Chair of the Information For All Programme Anja Gengo, Internet Governance Forum Secretariat and NRIs Anju Mangal, Head of Asia-Pacific Region, Alliance for Affordable Internet Sandra Hoferichter, European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EURODIG) Kossi Amessinou, African ICT Foundation Juliet N. Nanfuka, Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA)
Xianhong Hu
Karen Landa
Viktoriya Grudyuk
4. Quality Education
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5. Gender Equality
Targets: This session will underline the relevance of the Dynamic Coalition in providing and building synergies with global stakeholders and institutions via the Dynamic Coalition on ROAM to shape global digital transformation, foster digital collaboration and formulate the global digital compact. UNESCO’s Internet Universality Indicators framework fills a standard-setting void at the global and national levels and proves a holistic research tool to foster Internet policies for sustainable development in all countries.
Report
The ROAM-X indicators is a framework based on values and principles such as justice, inclusion and meaningful access for shaping global digital landscapes. The framework is a process for change and improvement that relies on peer-to-peer learning and a multistakeholder approach for the development of more inclusive digital ecosystems.
The Dynamic Coalition on IUI serves as a shared-space for various stakeholders and UNESCO to share good practice and lessons learned from the process of the ROAM-X assessment by jointly advancing evidence-based policy making and orienting more countries to conduct their voluntary assessment for more sustainable digital environments.
UNESCO calls for international stakeholders as well as the IGF community to join the Dynamic Coalition of IUIs to advance the implementation of the voluntary national assessment of the ROAM-X indicators in more countries and engage in consultations for the update of the indicators framework.
The session was centered around redefining the strength of the current ROAM-X framework and further advocating for the update of the indicators to better adapt to current socio-political contexts.
Global partners and experts discussed the revision of the number of indicators to simplify the framework to adapt to fast-changing digital development and making digital innovation part of solutions for climate change and green transformation. The experts also called for adding new relevant dimensions in the context of the UN Global Digital Compact.
Dorothy Gordon, Chair of IFAP, opened the session emphasizing the link between Internet Universality and the core Information For All Programme mission. Marielza Oliveira, Director for Partnerships and Operational Programme Monitoring, introduced the session, by presenting the support of the ADG, and stressed the overall applicability of the ROAM principles to the digital ecosystem. Simon Ellis then gave a brief description of the Internet Universality ROAM-X indicators’ methodology, with particular reference to the growing number of impacts from the programme as well as the multistakeholder ownership of reports.
Anja Gengo from the IGF Secretariat indicated that the ROAM-X assessment should bring forward horizontal measures owned by a multistakeholder coalition including appropriate NRIs. She was followed by Damilare Oyedele from IFLA Africa who placed libraries at the center of access to information.
Fabio Senne of CETIC Brazil, the first country to implement the ROAM-X indicators talked about how the results have been translated into practice through changes to legal, digital technology and operation quality. He added that data were not just the realm of government but of the private sector as well as civil society a multi-stakeholder of data creation and ownership.
David Souter, the principal author of the IUI-ROAM manual gave a strategic view of the Internet Universality ROAM-X Indicators in relation to the emerging issues of the UN Global Digital Compact. He emphasized that the purpose of the assessment is the improvement of human development, social and economic by aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals. Following his Commission for Science and Development report, he reaffirmed the relevance of the ROAM-X indicators and principles to ‘preserve what we value, promote what we want, and prevent what we fear’. Digital developments go as far as to alter political structures. In terms of the ROAM method, he stressed the importance of a solid evidence base – starting the work with skepticism not with faith.
Questions from the floor covered localization of the ROAM-X assessment, the place of the ‘rule of law’ within the framework, its impact on local communities, and the barriers faced by countries in making progress. The panel responded by highlighting that the ROAM-X framework includes indicators on barriers to progress, noting the impact of legal process on national legislatures, and re-emphasizing the importance of the multi-stakeholder model in identifying the needs of disadvantaged communities.
Marielza Oliveira concluded the session by saying that Internet Universality ROAM-X Indicators were more of a process for change than simply a suite of indicators and that, in this sense, it aligned well with the development of the Global Digital Compact.