[Update] The event report, including the participants’ recommendations, is now available.
One of the main mandates of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation, launched in July 2018, was to recommend improvements to the current digital policy architecture.
The Panel’s report, which was launched in New York on 10 June, and in Geneva on 17 June, has now identified existing gaps and proposed three models and respective functions (read our summary of the Panel’s recommendations).
The need for agility in digital co-operation is clear. With such a diverse landscape of mechanisms, the report invites digital policy actors to discuss how the recommendations and models can be implemented in the coming months. International Geneva can contribute substantially to the report’s implementation.
Programme
09.30 – 09.50 Welcome and setting the scene
- Dr Stephanie Borg Psaila, Interim Head, Geneva Internet Platform
- Mr Oliver Hoehne, Minister-Counselor, Deputy Head Multilateral Division, Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the UN
- Mr Nicholas Niggli, Deputy Secretary General, State of Geneva
- Amb. Carl Hallergard, Depute Head of EU Delegation to the UN
- Prof. Edouard Bugnion, Vice-President, Systèmes d’Informations, EPFL
09.50 – 10.30 Key elements of the Report: The Panel’s five main recommendations
- Amb. Amandeep Singh Gill, Executive Director, Secretariat, UN High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation
- Dr Jovan Kurbalija, Executive Director, Secretariat, UN High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation
10.30 – 10.45 Coffee break
10.45 – 12.00 Five recommendations, five break-out sessions:
#1 SDGs, connectivity, access, and affordability.
Lead discussants:
- Dr Susan Teltscher, Head, Human Capacity Building Division, Telecommunication Development Bureau, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
- Prof. Raymond Saner, Director, Centre for Socio-Eco-Nomic Development (CSEND); Professor Emeritus, University of Basel
#2 Help desk and capacity development
Lead discussants:
- Dr Jovan Kurbalija, Executive Director, Secretariat, UN High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation
-
Ms Anja Gengo, Associate Programme Expert & NRIs Focal Point, Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Secretariat
#3 Values, human rights, and emerging technologies
Lead discussants:
- Amb. Álvaro Cedeño Molinari, former Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the WTO
- Mr Scott Campbell, Senior Human Rights Officer, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
#4 A safe and stable digital space
Lead discussants:
- Amb. Amandeep Singh Gill, Executive Director, Secretariat, UN High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation
- Mr Jean-Yves Art, Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships, Microsoft
#5 Mechanisms and models for digital cooperation
Lead discussants:
- Amb. Thomas Schneider, Head of International Relations, Swiss Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM)
- Prof. William Drake, International Fellow and Lecturer, University of Zurich
12:00 pm – 12.45 pm Bringing it all together: Observations, next steps, and conclusion
- Moderators: Dr Jovan Kurbalija, Executive Director, Secretariat, UN High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation, and Dr Stephanie Borg Psaila, Interim Head, Geneva Internet Platform
- Concluding remarks: Amb. Thomas Schneider, Head of International Relations, Swiss Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM)
12.45 – 13.00 Launch of the GIP Digital Watch observatory 2.0
13.00 – 13.30 Networking lunch
Register
Register to join us for the event in Geneva. Registration closes on Saturday, 22nd June, 12.00 CEST.
Note: The event will not be livestreamed.
