This year will be one of the most significant in terms of global digital governance.
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is undergoing its 20-year review; a new UN ‘Global Digital Compact’ has been agreed that gives nation states greater say in digital governance; the role of multinational ‘Big Tech’ firms is increasingly viewed via the lens of politics and diplomacy.
At the core of these issues is tech sovereignty. Countries are increasingly trying to steer conversations around digital transformation that will affect their citizens — all while seeking to capitalize on technology to boost local economies and improve overall competitiveness.
This event will drill down on how data governance fits within the wider discussions on tech sovereignty. It will address key concepts, including data infrastructure and data flows, that form part of evolving conversations around data governance that countries, companies and civil society groups are grappling with in 2025.
The goal — via a keynote on the links between data governance and tech sovereignty, a panel discussion of experts and Q&A from the audience — is to support policymakers in their efforts to frame data governance in how tech sovereignty will be defined in 2025.
INTRODUCTION AND MODERATION
- Emrys Schoemaker, Research Associate, Graduate Institute; Director of Policy, Caribou Digital
KEYNOTE
- Ambassador Muhammadou Kah, Ambassador of Gambia, Chair of the UNCTAD CTSD (tbc)
Panel of speakers:
- Mark Scott, senior resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Democracy + Tech Initiative.
- Neha Mishra, Assistant Professor at Geneva Graduate Institute
- Konstantinos Komaitis: Resident senior fellow, global governance and technology lead, Democracy and Tech Initiative at the Atlantic Council
- Robin Berjon, Deputy Director IPFS Foundation
***A Light lunch for attendees will be served in the Interpétal, Maison de la Paix from 12pm***