IGF 2018 Main Session
Development, Innovation & Economic Issues - Focus on the SDGs
Effective policies for inclusive and prosperous digital transformation – what’s needed?
Tuesday 13 November, 15.00-16.20 - 80 minutes
- Brief Description/Objective
Information and communications technologies (ICTs), including the Internet, and emerging technologies have the potential to act as catalysts for the UN 2030 Agenda and help advance all the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and constituent targets. At the same time, rapid technological change poses new challenges and can have unintended consequences.
In order to fully harness and benefit from these technologies and address challenges, sustainable, flexible, globally-minded, inclusive and sensible policies are essential. Inappropriate and restrictive regulation (which can be well intentioned as well) can stifle the very innovation on which the growth of the digital economy depends.
Convening leading experts from diverse and relevant stakeholder groups and communities, this main session will explore policy considerations and approaches needed to leverage the Internet and ICTs to facilitate common development goals.
The work of the IGF’s Dynamic Coalitions (DCs), which each focusing on a particular Internet governance issue through a mix of multistakeholder discussion, research, analysis and activism, are well represented in the wide spectrum of policy areas covered by the SDGs. A matrix of SDGs and DCs highlights their strong convergence, particularly on targets related to Quality Education (SDG 4); Gender Equality (SDG 5); Decent Work & Economic Growth (SDG 8); Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure (SDG 9); Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10); Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions (SDG 16); and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17).
I - Setting the scene: Expert interventions and deliberations, including from private sector, technical community, safety experts and government speakers [20 mins]
II - Interventions by DCs on the connection of their work to the SDGs, backed by 1-page policy papers, in dialogue with participants and Experts. Other interventions, such as CENB, time permitting [30 mins]
III - Participant engagement, including with DC representatives [cont’d. 30 mins]
- How can the Internet and ICTs be used to positively drive the SDGs, i.e., facilitate inclusiveness, equality, and development? Which issues are part of Internet Governance processes and which ones are missing?
- What are some of the challenges identified, particularly in the context of rapid digital transformation, for developing economies, labour, vulnerable groups, etc. (i.e how to prevent the Internet deepening inequalities)? What are some of the possible routes for overcoming those challenges?
- What is the enabling policy environment for supporting inclusive and prosperous societies?
- Where can we identify areas of mutual collaboration within the policy space so we can increase our efficiency, improve communication between relevant actors, and reduce redundancy?
- What are the effects with respect to the SDG on open access/ open science policies currently advocated by the scholarly community?
- Chair(s) and/or Moderator(s)
Co-Moderation by Mr. Diego Molano (linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diego-molano-981b7882/), Colombia, and Ms. Nadia Tjahja, Netherlands, Youth Coalition on Internet Governance (YCIG)
- Mr. Jackson Cheboi, Head of Cyber Investigations and Foreniscs, Communications Authority of Kenya
- Ms. Bishakha Dhatta, Executive Director, Point of View - India
- Ms Céline Saada-Benaben, General Manager France, eBay
- Mr. Andres Sastre, Regional Director, Inter-American Association of Telecommunications Companies (ASIET)
- Ms. Shamika Sirimanne, Director, UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Interventions from IGF Dynamic Coalitions:
- Mr. Gerry Ellis - DC on Accessibility & Disability (DCAD)
- Ms. Carla Reyes - DC on Blockchain Technologies (DC-Blockchain)
- Mr. John Carr - DC on Child Online Safety (DCCOS)
- Mr. Olivier Crépin-Leblond - DC on Core Internet Values (DC-CIV)
- Ms. Jac SM Kee - DC on Gender and Internet Governance (DCGIG)
- Mr. Christopher Yoo - DC on Innovative Approaches to Connecting the Unconnected (DC-Connecting the Unconnected)
- Mr. Maarten Botterman - DC on Internet of Things (DC-IoT)
- Ms. Janet Sawaya - DC on Public Access in Libraries (DC-PAL)
- Mr. Tracy Hackshaw - DC on Small Island Developing States in the Internet Economy (DC-SIDS)
- Ms. Minda Moreira - Internet Rights and Principles Coalition (IRPC)
- Ms. Su Sonia Herring - Youth Coalition on Internet Governance (YCIG)
- Plan for in-room participant engagement/interaction
A designated remote moderator will queue questions from online participants during the interventions and feed them into the discussion. Use of a mentimeter is being explored.
- Ms. Virginija Balciunaite (YCIG)
- Connections with other sessions
The session directly links to the Development, Innovation & Economic Issues subtheme of the IGF, and aims to build on the considerations of pertaining workshops and other sessions. At the same time, it proposes an interactive, fact-based and comprehensive policy dialogue, bringing in perspectives from all other thematic discussions and addressing cross-cutting issues.
The session builds on the work undertaken by the IGF Dynamic Coalitions as well as intersessional policy work on Connecting and Enabling the Next Billions (CENB) and the Best Practice Forums
- Desired results/output? Possible next steps for the work?
- Showcase the work and value add of IGF discussions and intersessional work as related to ICT4SDGs.
- Convene a global multistakeholder discussion about the main elements required to enable ICT innovation and investment and mitigate challenges and unintended consequences.
- Bring the questions and perspectives shared at local and regional levels to further generate ideas and insight across global IGF exchanges.
- Strengthen the shared understanding and commitment of stakeholders for addressing developmental challenges through holistic policy approaches and multistakeholder cooperation.
