IGF 2022 WS #378 Data Flows for Sustainable Development & Inclusion

Organizer 1: James Webb, DCMS
Organizer 2: Sam Hall, British Embassy Addis Ababa (FCDO, UK)

Speaker 1: Morgane Donse , Government, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Teki Akuetteh Falconer, Private Sector, African Group
Speaker 3: Maiko Meguro, Government, Asia-Pacific Group

Moderator

Sam Hall, Government, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)

Online Moderator

James Webb, Government, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)

Rapporteur

James Webb, Government, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)

Format

Panel - Auditorium - 60 Min

Policy Question(s)

How can international cooperation facilitate more inclusive cross-border data flows which encourage involvement from developing nations?

What are the current hurdles to encouraging more inclusive cross-border solutions for the flow of data and how can we overcome these?

How can data help to drive sustainable development, whilst simultaneously narrowing the digital divide globally?

Connection with previous Messages: This session will be advancing the debate on the economic and social inclusion and human rights message from the 2021 IGF. By tackling how the current fragmented global data landscape could limit the social and economic benefits of digital commerce and technologies, we will be discussing how adequate enabling environments need to be put in place at the national, regional and global level to foster inclusive, just, safe, resilient and sustainable digital societies and economies. This session will also discuss the necessity for agile regulatory frameworks to be put in place to outline rules, responsibilities and boundaries for how public and private actors behave in the digital space.

SDGs

17.6
17.7
17.8


Targets: The main focus of this session will be on how to tackle the current fragmented data landscape which could impose significant limits on the social and economic benefits accrued from digital commerce and technologies. Through this discussion, we will cover how to promote innovation with regards to cross-border data flows for developing countries, thereby encouraging north-south regional and international cooperation on data flows and discussing how to enhance capacity-building to support developing countries in this vital digital space.

Description:

Data is a critical resource in today’s global, interconnected world. Data flows drive economies and they are essential to a multitude of sectors, ranging from banking and finance to health and sustainable development. Equitable data flows are also essential to delivering the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, most notably enhancing north-south cooperation on technology and innovation.

The cross-border flow of data is somewhat fragmented, however, with a lack of standardisation across different data protection regimes in relation to both the free flow of data and safeguarding the privacy of personal data. The currently fragmented data landscape limits the social and economic benefits accrued from digital commerce and technologies and undermines digital development, particularly in emerging economies.

This panel will bring together diverse stakeholders to discuss the positive potential of cross-border data flows for development, how the governance of cross-border data flows can be made more inclusive and responsive to the concerns of citizens worldwide; and how inequalities between the developed and developing world in relation to data can be addressed. If used responsibly, cross-border flows of data (e.g. health data during the COVID-19 pandemic) can pave the way towards more efficient and evidence-based decision-making, which in turn can contribute to progress in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in an equitable manner. This panel will also explore how the international community can drive forward more inclusive cross-border solutions which support involvement and innovation from developing nations.

Provisional speakers include:
Morgane Donse - Deputy Director of the International Data Unit, DCMS
Teki Akuetteh Falconer - Founder and Executive Director, Africa Digital Rights Hub
Maiko Meguro, Acting Director, International Strategy and Affairs, Commerce and Information Policy Bureau, METI

Further speakers will be included in the event schedule and will be confirmed in due course.

Expected Outcomes

We expect this session to explore the question of how the international community can encourage more inclusive cross-border data flows, which support involvement and innovation from developing nations.

We consider that this session will provide useful foundations for further discussion on data flows in the UN system, including as a possible focus of the proposed Global Digital Compact.

Hybrid Format: The sessions will follow a Panel format, with an aimed balanced representation of both online and onsite speakers. The event will have an onsite moderator, chairing the discussion, and an online moderator to manage online participation, for example questions and comments in the online chat. The onsite and online moderators will be working closely together during the event to ensure a fluid and smooth conversation and interactions between participants onsite and online, supported by Google Meet/Zoom and onsite AV equipment.

The Panel will begin with an introduction and welcome from the moderator, followed by 3-5 minutes of speaking time for each panellist, which will take up the first 30 minutes of the event. The second half of the session (30 minutes) will be for a Q&A with attendees. During this time, the onsite moderator will chair the conversation and contributions from both online and onsite participants, ensuring equal opportunity of speech. The online moderator will source questions from the online audience to the onsite moderator, who will intertwine the online queries and comments with questions from the onsite audience.

To maximise engagement, we will use interactive polling (1-3 poll questions) on relevant issues throughout the event to 'read the temperature in the room'. The poll will use Slide/Mentimeter, which will allow onsite attendees to quickly access it using their mobile devices. The poll questions will also be pasted on the chat box by the online moderator, so people can respond to the poll questions in the chat box if they are not able to use Slido/Mentimeter. The online moderator will be responsible for collating insights from the polling tool and responses in the chat box, to feed these to the on site moderator to announce and provide comments in designated moments throughout the event.

Online Participation



Usage of IGF Official Tool.