Reclaiming ICTs for Development

UNESCO Chair in ICT4D, Royal Holloway, University of London

Session 345

11:00–12:45, Friday, 16 June 2017 Popov Room 1, ITU Tower Thematic Workshop

Remote Participation

Virtual Meeting Room Recording Webcast

Remote Participation Information

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Empowering the poorest and most marginalised

The key premise of the workshop is that the global spread of ICTs has increased inequality, and that the poorest and most marginalised have therefore failed sufficiently to benefit. The workshop will explore whether the continued focus on the ways through which ICTs can contribute to economic growth will inevitably lead to ever increasing, and dangerous, inequality, and will make recommendations as to how different stakeholders can best ensure that the poorest and most marginalised can indeed benefit from their use. It begins with short provocative statements by six high-level panellists (see below), and then the collective wisdom of participants will be used to create a map for the future actions that are necessary for a radical rethinking of ICT4D, that may empower the poorest and most marginalised - women and girls in patriarchal societies, people with disabilities, children living and working on the streets, the elderly, the sick, refugees...

The session will also provide a platform for the launch of OUP's new book "Reclaiming Information and Communication Technologies for Development"

It is being convened by the UNESCO Chair in ICT4D, which focuses on research and policy impact, focusing especially on empowering the most marginalised through the use of ICTs.

Panellists will be:

• Alex Wong (Head, Global Challenge Partnerships & Member of the Executive Committee; Head of the Future of the Internet Global Challenge Initiative, World Economic Forum) on The power of partnership

• Dr. Bushra Hassan (School of Psychology, University of Sussex) on The wisdom of marginalised women

• Charlotte Smart (Digital Policy and Programme Manager, Department for International Development, UK) on The delivery of donors

• Michael Kende (Senior Advisor, Analysis Mason, and former Chief Economist of the Internet Society) on The trust in technology

• Nigel Hickson (VP IGO Engagement, ICANN) on The design of the domain name system

• Torbjörn Fredrikson (Head of ICT Analysis Section of the Division on Technology and Logistics, UNCTAD) on The energy of entrepreneurship

Moderator

Prof. Tim Unwin

Speakers/Panellists

• Alex Wong (Head, Global Challenge Partnerships & Member of the Executive Committee; Head of the Future of the Internet Global Challenge Initiative, World Economic Forum) on The power of partnership

• Dr. Bushra Hassan (School of Psychology, University of Sussex) on The wisdom of marginalised women

• Charlotte Smart (Digital Policy and Programme Manager, Department for International Development, UK) on The delivery of donors

• Michael Kende (Senior Advisor, Analysis Mason, and former Chief Economist of the Internet Society) on The trust in technology

• Nigel Hickson (VP IGO Engagement, ICANN) on The design of the domain name system

• Torbjörn Fredrikson (Head of ICT Analysis Section of the Division on Technology and Logistics, UNCTAD) on The energy of entrepreneurship

Session's link to WSIS Action Lines

C1. The role of public governance authorities and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development
C2. Information and communication infrastructure
C3. Access to information and knowledge
C4. Capacity building
C5. Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs
C6. Enabling environment
C8. Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content
C9. Media
C10. Ethical dimensions of the Information Society
C11. International and regional cooperation

C1 - Stakeholders will be challenged to focus on how ICT4D can reduce inequality whilst also addressing economic growth

C2 - ICT infrastructure is essential for addressing the need of the poorest and most marginalised - new infrastructures are necessary if the most marginalised are to be served

C3 - The poorest and most marginalised must have access to relevant information and communication opportunities

C4 - Capacity building amongst all stakeholders is essential; we need a changed mind set the focuses on inequality more than growth

C5 - Digital security is of critical importance - the connected poorest have most to loose from security breaches

C6 - Appropriate enabling environments are essential for empowerment

C8 - The poorest and most marginalised need information and access in their own languages to relevant content

C9 - All forms of media need to be encouraged to focus on ICTs and inequality rather than on economic growth

C10 - All ICT4D is a profoundly ethical engagement

C11 - It is essential for international co-operation at all levels so that wise policies and examples of good practice can be shared

Session's link to Sustainable Development Process

Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all
Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Goal 8: Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all
Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Goal 16: Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies
Goal 17: Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

This session is relevant to all of the SDGs - not least through challenging some of the assumptions underlying them. All too often, ICTs are based on unsustainable practices and business models, and for ICTs to contribute effectively to sustainable development there needs to be a fundamental rethink of many aspects of their design and roll-out. The most relevant SDGs are as follows:

Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere - need to focus on relative definitions of poverty as much as absolute ones
Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all - focus on ways through which ICTs can contribute to the well-being of all - specifically the poorest and most marginalised.
Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all - education of all stakeholders about the effective use of ICTs for development is essential
Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls - especially in patriarchal societies, women and girls remain actively disadvantaged through ICTs; this has to be changed
Goal 8: Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all - ICTs can be a means through which gainful employment across all levels in society can be enhanced
Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation - innovation is essential for designing appropriate technologies in the interests of the poor and marginalised
Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries - experience sharing, new models of trade, and appropriate training are all essential for effective ICT4D
Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns - much remains to be done in transforming the ICT sector so that it is indeed sustainable in terms of both consumption and production
Goal 16: Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies - ICT4D, as a moral agenda, is fundamentally about creating a just and inclusive world
Goal 17: Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development - effective partnerships are central to delivering a "reclaimed" ICT4D

Links

Link to this session

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http://www.ict4d.org.uk

WSIS Forum 2017

Session 345 — Reclaiming ICTs for Development | Friday 16 June, 11:00–12:45