The workshop moderator, Sylvia Cadena (Community Partnerships Specialist, APNIC - Australia) will set the scene placing the different elements of the conversation for the discussants to argue their points, looking for meaningful channels of participation where Internet innovators can contribute and be part of a roadmap to achieve the SDGs.
The session is structured to encourage the audience to engage and actively participate.
The starting point of the session will comprise kick-off remarks by the following speakers (3 min each):
● Carolina Caeiro (Coordinator of Development Projects, LACNIC - Uruguay) will introduce to the discussion trends, mechanisms and challenges funding for Internet development in the south in light of change the SGDs and the reduction of development portfolios, based on their work with the FRIDA program in Latin America and the Seed Alliance.
● Jovan Kurbalija (founding director of Diplo Foundation and Head of the Geneva Internet Platform - Switzerland) will talk about e-learning platforms and remote participation tools to develop critical capacities for meaningful participation in Internet governance processes as well as the challenges for the unconnected to engage in this processes.
● Dr. Marion Jansen (Chief Economist, International Trade Center - Switzerland) will contribute to the discussion from the perspective of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises and capacity required by them to leverage technology in their service/goods delivering, including through e-commerce.
The following discussants will join remotely to comment on the kick-off remarks and will start a conversation:
● Nick Ashton-Hart (Consultant, Senior international policy and operations - joining from Nepal) will provide views about the SDG’s process and the UN discussions
● Dr Anja Kovacs (Director, Internet Democracy Project - joining from India) will add a point of view from the perspective of the most marginalised communities, raising questions about challenges relating to access and the implications of not addressing them effectively in particular– remote participation.
● Mwendwa Kivuva (Project Manager, AFRINIC - joining from Kenya) will introduce to the discussion how the links with the entrepreneur sector engagement and commitment to achieve the SDGs, entrepreneurship and fostering innovation, based on their work with the FIRE program in Africa and the Seed Alliance.
The moderator will open a conversation with the floor and there will be a round of final comments from those panelists that will like to round the discussion.