IGF 2020 Main Session NRIs: Role of the Internet in Emergency Situations

Emergency situations can be described as any situation in which the life, rights or well-being of ‎people ‎can be put under threat unless immediate and appropriate action is taken. Usually, ‎these types of ‎situations require application of exceptional measures, quick and collectively ‎coordinated action ‎response, as single or unilateral actions often show to be insufficient given ‎the negative impact these ‎have on people.‎



The world has seen a variety of these, from natural disasters relating to destructive ‎earthquakes, ‎floods, hurricanes, to the biological ones such as epidemics and made-man ‎emergencies such as terrorist ‎attacks, wars, degradation of environment and others forms of ‎accidents.‎



The necessary almost instantaneous response is always with people. And not rarely is that the ‎‎responses are insufficient or not executed timely. Technology showed to be a reliable partner ‎‎to people in preventing emergencies or combating them much more effectively.  ‎



The 131 NRIs as people-led multistakeholder discussion processes have been at the forefront of ‎action ‎dialogues when emergencies threatened their communities. From the Afghanistan IGF ‎whose ‎community faced series of terrorist attacks, to Haiti IGF discussions during devasting ‎effects of ‎hurricanes. The most recent and still  ongoing emergency, the COVID-19 pandemic, ‎has affected the ‎world and with that all 131 NRIs whose respective communities are ‎continuously discussing ways how ‎digital technologies and digital policy can help overcome the ‎devastating effects the pandemic had in ‎some parts of the world and prevent future scenarios.‎



The local actions, through the NRIs, grew to the extent that leadership from various sectors in ‎‎countries and regions started new initiatives to help people to fight the pandemic, going up to ‎the extent where laws ‎and policies are changed. ‎



This session will focus on concrete effects the emergency situations, such as the COVID-19 ‎pandemic, had on people and role of digital technologies and policy. It will look into good practices that emerged for people to benefit ‎more from digital ‎technologies.‎



Programme

The session will cover several policy areas, with key discussants coming from different NRIs, ‎ensuring ‎regional diversity.‎

The key discussants will speak for up to 3 minutes and each section will be followed by the ‎interactive ‎exchange discussions, between 5 and 10 min long, with participants communicating ‎inputs over chat and oral exchanges during dedicated time announced ‎by the moderators.‎

Moderators: Prof. Flavio Wagner (Brazil) and Ms. Mary Uduma (Nigeria)