Session
Global Digital Governance & Cooperation
Digital Ethics Education
Governing Digital Economy
Multistakeholderism
Global Internet Governance Academic Network (GigaNet)
Jamal Shahin, Giga-Net, Academic, WEOG Raquel Gatto, NIC.br, Technical Community, GRULAC Roxana Radu, Blavatnik School of Government Oxford University, Academic, WEOG Berna Akcali Gur, Queen Mary University of London, Academic, APG Yik Chan Chin, Beijing Normal University, Academic, APG
Speakers will be determined when academic programme is determined (mid-June). The speakers for this academic conference will come from all regional groups - we engage a diverse group of rising and established researchers that are competitively selected through a blind peer-review process.
Jamal Shahin
Roxana Radu
Jamal Shahin
4.4
9.1
9.5
16.10
16.6
16.7
16.8
17.7
Targets: Our proposed symposium will develop links across academics from different parts of the world, who will be discussing issues pertinent to all the SDGs mentioned above. The symposium will also provide academic participants with the opportunity to share their research findings with members of other stakeholder groups present at the IGF, as well as provide a space for learning in the other direction. In relation to SDG 4.4, the symposium helps disseminate academic knowledge on the topic of internet governance, and supports training of younger scholars in this field. In relation to SDG 9.1, 9.5, the research presented at the GigaNet Annual symposium aims to strengthen research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for equitable access for all. In-depth research related to infrastructure, case studies highlighting technology and policy choices in developed and developing countries, as well as innovative technology governance solutions can contribute to achieving the SDGs at a time when digital technologies have become a key platform for their realisation. In relation to SDG 16.6, 16.8 and 16.10, evidence from robust research can enhance accountability and transparency of Internet governance-related institutions at all level, ensuring a diversity of voices from both developed and developing countries can be heard. Importantly, such research contributions also enhance access to information for the general public and protection of fundamental rights in areas for which regulation, legislation and case law is nascent.
We are kindly requesting an entire day for this academic conference. This is necessary due to the interest that has already been shown in participating in the symposium. In our competitive call for proposals, 56 papers have applied to present their research at our symposium. Through our selection procedure, which is currently underway, we shall select a number of these papers for presentation at the symposium. We aim to have four panels in the symposium, each with four or five papers being presented, with a chair and a discussant for each panel. We may invite practitioners to act as discussants in the symposium. There will be a keynote, where we hope to have a speech delivered by the UNU Rector (tbc). This keynote speech will provide the launch of the symposium. The Giga-Net Academic Network will hold its Business Meeting at the end of the day, to which all members of the academic network are invited.
The Global Internet Governance Academic Network traditionally holds its annual symposium on Day 0 of the IGF, and has done so since 2008. The symposium brings together a number of academics to discuss issues of pertinent to the Internet Governance community. We also aim to engage with practitioners who are active in both the technical community, civil society, and policymakers, by inviting them to participate in the event as discussants for sessions.
The session will be organised in a hybrid format, to ensure inclusiveness from as many parts of the world as possible. The Giga-Net Annual Symposium has carried out this exercise in last year in IGF 2022, and has experience in this field. GigaNet will ensure that online participants are able to interact with onsite participants in a constructive manner. We may use sli.do or mentimeter as tools to further engage with participants both onsite and online, in order to ensure that we can successfully balance the interactions between online and onsite participation.