Session
Organizer 1: Renata Avila, Open Knowledge Foundation
Organizer 2: Prateek Sibal, UNESCO
Organizer 3: Guy Weress, Polylat
Speaker 1: Renata Avila, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 2: Prateek Sibal, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Speaker 3: Guy Weress, Intergovernmental Organization, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Renata Avila, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Guy Weress, Intergovernmental Organization, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Prateek Sibal, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Round Table - U-shape - 90 Min
1. What are the current capacities of the public sector to deal with complex problems and emerging technology?
2. What are the capacity gaps that can be identified by the literature, government and emerging from the analysis? What are the differences between North and South (within governments)?
3. What competencies, attitudes and skills are fundamental for governments to design and develop digital transformation projects/policies according to existing knowledge?
Connection with previous Messages:
4. Quality Education
5. Gender Equality
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
10. Reduced Inequalities
16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Targets: SDG 4 – Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
The Digital Transformation & AI Competency Framework aims to build the capacity of civil servants across the world to meaningfully, effectively, and confidently leverage on the emerging technologies while also mitigating potential risks. This is a lifelong learning project for civil servants at all seniority levels.
SDG 5 – Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
One of the key issues that our project seeks to address is the perpetuation of gender bias in data and AI algorithms. By developing the capacity of civil servants to recognize and develop solutions to address algorithmic gender bias, this project will advance SDG 5.
SDG 8 – Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
Digital transformation and AI present a great opportunity for economies to improve their productivity and reduce inequality within and across societies. The Digital Transformation & AI Competency Framework aims to empower civil servants to make the most use of the irreversible digital transformation happening across the world.
SDG 10 – Reduce inequality within and among countries
The Digital Transformation & AI Competency Framework particularly focuses on developing the digital capability of civil servants in developing countries. This will reduce the governments’ digital capacity gap between developed and developing countries.
SDG 16 – Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
The Digital Transformation & AI Competency Framework targets civil servants who have a direct influence over governance and policies within their respective countries. The content of the digital competence will include both technical and social aspects of engaging with emerging technologies. Key topics such as human rights, openness, accessibility, and multi-stakeholderism will be covered to ensure that the civil servants will be able to drive meaningful and effective change within their respective governments.
Description:
Artificial Intelligence (AI) augments human decision-making and productivity to expand opportunities for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. In this context, public policy can be a mediating force that builds a multistakeholder shaped enabling environment for AI and digital transformations to be leveraged for people, peace, prosperity and the planet.
The benefits and risks of AI technology are not equally distributed across regions of the world. The 2021 Artificial Intelligence Capacity Building Needs Assessment survey in Africa identified an urgent need to strengthen capacities of government officials to leverage digital technologies and to respond to the socio-economic challenges engendered by their use. There is an accelerating divide in terms of access to knowledge, data, education, training and human resources needed to benefit from and contribute to the development of AI. There are also accelerating risks in terms of AI impacts including on human rights, the rights of children, on gender or marginalized minorities.
This session aims to promote the Digital Transformation & AI Competency Framework for Civil Servants developed by the UN Broadband Commission’s Working Group on AI Capacity Building.
The Competency Framework contributes to the following strategic outcomes:
- Trustworthy use of AI and emerging technologies aligned to inclusive SDG achievement
- Enhance foresight and awareness by civil services to engage with confidence in national digital innovations and transformations, to develop policies and enabling environments; and
- Provide a basis for capacity development initiatives contextualised in national needs, such as through tailored policy maker toolkits and workshops
As we move towards the implementation phase of this capacity-building project for civil servants, we hope to gather the collective wisdom of IGF participants to formulate effective strategies for adapting the framework into contextualized curriculums for civil servants all over the world.
- Promote Digital Transformation & AI Competency Framework and encourage participants to share with their respective networks
- Expand global community of multi-stakeholder actors who are invested in developing digital competencies for civil servants
- Collect feedback/comments/suggestions on adapting Digital Transformation & AI Competency Framework to localized curricula in public sectors across the world
Hybrid Format: How will you facilitate interaction between onsite and online speakers and attendees?
We will ensure fluent communication between our onsite and online moderators to keep track of the questions and comments from both groups and ensure that everyone has a chance to voice their thoughts. Through audio and visual equipment, we will allow online participants to have both auditive and visual input in the online session. Also, to ensure dynamic input throughout the session we will also allow for a chat function (accessible for everyone onsite and online via their phones or computers) so that attendees can post their questions, thoughts, and comments online and have a back-and-forth workshop consultation.
How will you design the session to ensure the best possible experience for online and onsite participants?
- We will hold a synchronous hybrid conference session where both online and onsite participants are present at the same time and can interact with each other in real-time.
- We will provide clear instructions to both onsite and online participants before the session. This means sending out an agenda, the draft outcome of the policy papers and principles, and providing clear instructions on how to join the conference and access any materials that will be used during the session.
- We will make sure the audio and video quality of the speakers online, and of the participant’s room onsite are good for all participants. This means using a high-quality microphone and camera and testing the audio and video setup in advance. By ensuring a specific camera angle (onsite), we would like to have all participants in camera for the online viewers, to ensure fluent communication between both.
- We will plan for interactive elements that will engage both onsite and online participants. This could include things like breakout rooms for small group discussions, polls and surveys, workshop fill-in documents, and Q&A sessions.
- To ensure dynamic and fluent communication between onsite and online participants, we will make sure to have the appropriate audio/visual equipment on site to support interactive discussion on both sides.
- As we are planning to have a synchronous hybrid conference session, we will make sure that you have a strong and reliable Internet connection to support both the onsite and online participants.
Please note any complementary online tools/platforms you plan to use to increase participation and interaction during the session.
- A chat tool such as Slack or Microsoft Teams to allow participants to ask questions and engage in discussion both during and after the session
- A polling tool such as Poll Everywhere or Slido to collect feedback and gauge audience engagement during the session
- A virtual whiteboard tool such as Miro or Padlet to brainstorm ideas and collaborate on projects in real-time
Usage of IGF Official Tool.