IGF 2020 WS #174 IT for Sustainable Development: Path & Experience Sharing

Information

Session

Thematic Track:

Topic(s):

Connecting the Unconnected
Design for Inclusion
Digital Skills

Organizer 1: Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group
Organizer 2: Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group

Speaker 1: Jae Kyu Lee, Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 2: Li Xiong, Private Sector, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 3: Ursula Owusu Ekuful, Government, African Group

Format:

Panel - Auditorium - 60 Min

Description:

Topics for this Workshop： This workshop plans to focus on utilizing information technology to facilitate the accomplishment of UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and to promote the role of information technology in achieving the goals,such as eradicating poverty, improving good health and welfare, and providing access to quality education so as to better foster global development environment and achieve inclusiveness and sustainability. Planned Schedule for this Workshop: (1) 10 minutes. The opportunity and potential of information technology in furthering the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030; (2) 10 minutes. The path and approach of using information technology to end poverty, improve good public health and welfare, and provide access to quality and well-equitable education; (3) 10 minutes. Cooperation and communication between countries and relevant entities including international organizations, enterprises and technological communities in the field of digital response; (4) 10 minutes. China’s practice and experience in using digital approaches to promote poverty eradication, improve good health and welfare, provide access to quality education and push economic growth. (5) 10 minutes. Questions and answers. Note on Topic Selection: These topics echo the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and current global hot issues. Eradication of poverty, improvement of good health and welfare, access to quality education and economic growth are not only major issues faced by the world but also goals the UN strive to achieve. 2020 is a critical year for China to reduce poverty, and is of great significance to the global fight against poverty. With the widespread of COVID-19 in many countries across the world, how to respond to major public health events and promote health has become the focus of global attention. The potential of digital technology in addressing these issues needs to be tapped.

Issues:

(1) How to expand the engagement of people from developing countries and regions in digital economy, provide more access to Internet and narrow the digital gap? (2) How to provide employment opportunities through information technology and offer digital job opportunities and guidance to disadvantaged groups mainly including women, elderly, disabled? (3) How to give full play to the role of new technologies and new applications in curbing the spread of disease, improving smart diagnosis and testing, and treatment? (4) How to promote access to fair education for children and adolescents in distant regions?

Policy Question(s):

(1) Accessibility & Policy for Social Inclusion Topics: Gender, Disability, Refugees, Minorities, Design for Inclusion Example: How do we manage ICT implementation ensuring social inclusion and preventing disruptions in the life of communities that may harm their social convenience, or increase previously existent inequality gaps? (2) Digital Literacy, Capacity Development, and the Future of Work Topics: Digital Skills, Capacity Building, Digital Transformation Example: How can we better utilize primary and secondary schools and tertiary educational facilities to promote and to deliver on digital literacy to their communities and should digital literacy be the fourth pillar of education, alongside reading, writing and maths? (3) How do we ensure that Internet governance processes are truly inclusive? What needs to be done to enhance the capacity of different actors (and especially those in developing and least-developed countries) to actively contribute to such processes and whose responsibility is it?

Expected Outcomes:

It is planned to deepen the understanding among different countries and stakeholders, build consensus, and promote the realization of UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030. Includes： (1) It is expected to submit one report of this workshop ; (2) It is expected to submit three global case collections, focusing on information technology for education, poverty reduction and health care. It will be distributed on the spot. (3) Promote consensus and substantial cooperation between participating countries, enterprises and relevant entities.

Relevance to Internet Governance: (1) Exploring new approaches and new experiences of governments, private sectors, and civil society in utilizing network and information technology to manage education, health, and economic growth; discuss new models of Internet governance and its new applications, and combine governance with development to drive inclusive growth; (2) Promoting the application and popularization of new generation of information technology, and pushing for the utilization of new technologies and new applications to solve thorny issues in reality,in pursuit of providing forward-looking thoughts to objectives of Internet governance; (3) Integrating Internet governance with community governance and global growth, and pushing for the implementation of Internet governance measures into practices.Internet governance can better meet the needs of social governance and global Internet ecosystem governance.

Relevance to Theme: This workshop plans to promote the implementation of “inclusion”from various aspects including contents, participating countries and regions, participants, and organizational forms. (1)Contents. They will touch on education, poverty-relief, and health, and provide multiple entities and different perspectives, such as governments, social organizations, universities and academic groups, large and medium-and-small (innovative) enterprises; promote everyone’s access to information technology in the hope of acquiring equitable education, health and employment rights through discussion; enhance digital literacy, promote employment and achieve inclusive growth. (2)Participating countries and regions. There will be no limit on countries and regions participating in the conference; countries of different political systems at different economic development stages and institutions across seven continents are encouraged to take part in the conference. (3) Participants. They will not be limited to government officials, scholars, scientists, entrepreneurs, employees, and intellectual youth. (4) Organizational forms. Considering the current global pandemic,the workshop will be held both online and offline, attracting more participants and carrying out conference agenda in a safer and more orderly manner to ensure its quality and outcomes.

Discussion Facilitation:

(1) The agenda will be printed and distributed in advance; placards will be placed inside and outside the conference venue to facilitate the attendants learn about related topics in advance; (2) Supplementary materials and documents related to the topics such as the initiative and concept documents will be provided on the spot which can promote interaction and engagement; (3) Methods of online participation will be available to provide participation opportunities for more people who take interest in the event.

Online Participation:

Usage of IGF Official Tool. Additional Tools proposed: It is planned to use Zoom or Tencent video conference system. Speakers or audience who can’t show up at the conference can access via online system to participate in the discussion. The plan is to connect China and countries from Africa and Latin America with no more than 10 access users.

SDGs:

GOAL 1: No Poverty
GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-Being
GOAL 4: Quality Education
GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
GOAL 10: Reduced Inequalities