Africa Internet Governance Forum 2020

Zoom Link: https://afigf2020-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwkceCrpjMiE9O4VO10mnAhfRheixOVVqdA

Digital Opportunities for Youth During & Post COVID19

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a multi-stakeholder forum for policy dialogue on issues of Internet governance. The forum is held in an informal setting, free from binding negotiations. It brings together all stakeholders from government, private sector, technical community, academia and civil society to discuss Internet governance issues on an equal footing through an open and inclusive process. The IGF has been held annually since 2006 and Kenya hosted the Global IGF in 2011. This type of cooperative engagement is referred to as the multi-stakeholder model of Internet Governance, which is one of the key features for the Internet’s success.
This model is paramount to ensuring that the Internet remains sustainable for economic and social development. The IGF is a unique platform for all stakeholders to openly exchange perspectives and concerns on key issues that may affect the future of the Internet for millions of youth across the African Continent. The COVID-19 pandemic has proven the necessity and power of digital technologies. While this unknown and dangerous health threat has locked schools across the world, prevented people from going to work or working at all, and forced families and friends to stay apart, it is the Internet that has enabled many to continue pursuing education, working and while physically distancing, maintain socially interacting.
However, the COVID-19 prompted increase in the use of online technologies has exacerbated many digital policy related issues and even more illustrated the widening gap between the connected and unconnected ones. For example, it even elevated the issues related to online security and safety, data protection and utilization, as well as freedoms and rights on the Internet. Further, digital and gender-based divide, as well as online segregation and discrimination of various marginalized groups has been at the forefront of many digital policy processes for years
African Youth IGF is a youth-led structure to build the capacity for organizing, mobilizing and advocating for meaningful inclusion and engagement of young people in the African IGF in partnership with industry stakeholders to address key Internet issues. The African Youth IGF was officially launched in N'djamena Chad in September 2019 by the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union, H.E Quartey Thomas Kwesi during the 8th session of the African IGF. This year, African Youth is scheduled for November 24, 2020 and the outcomes will feed into the ninth Annual Meeting of the African Internet Governance Forum which will be hosted online by the African Union from 25 - 27 November 2020.
This year’s African IGF Youth aims at serving as an interactive discussion platform for organized youth participation from all regions to bring up their ideas and concerns. The Forum will further create opportunities for networking, collaboration and creating long-term partnerships between National Youth IGF structures and the community.

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrc-2pqTIrE92ZWYQMklg1UQ2WjYAErBS2

This session will begin with a presentation on the main aspects of the AfDec Privacy and personal data protection in Africa Advocacy Toolkit, currently in its finalization stage. This will be followed by three lightning talks that map key issues in data protection policy making processes and implementation on the continent. Talks will explore artificial intelligence, gender, and the right to privacy; highlight data protection concerns for African business and the share the experiences of data protection regulation experiences.

Zoom Link: https://afigf2020-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqc-GoqzMjHtKqP12HspVYGrHbzvvpr6o0

This session will enhance civil society’s understanding on digital rights and empower them to lobby and campaign for the advancement of these rights at the UN level, through the Universal Periodic Review. Several African countries are due for review at the up-coming 3rd and 4th cycles of the UPR, and this session will enable them to strategize engagements with their governments and other stakeholders to push for favourable legislative and policy frameworks that address issues around personal data protection, privacy, cybersecurity and access to the internet, inline with international and regional standards, and best practices.

Zoom Link: https://afigf2020-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMvfuyoqzkuHtKalCvFrEktF4a2Uuo4N1iV

This Session seeks to position UA/EAI as required technically to support a multilingual Internet ( e.g focusing on Africa linguistic diversity, Arabic, Amharic scripts and access to all)
Agenda:

1. Universal Acceptance and EAI overview : Mohamed Elbashir, UA Program, ICANN (20min)
2. New gTLDs and Universal Acceptance: .Africa Registry Prospective, Lucky Masilela, Africa Registry CEO (20min)
3. EAI Implementation Experience using Arabic Script: Abdelmonem Galila, Egypt .مصر Registry, UA Ambassador (30min)
4. Q&A (15min)

Zoom Link: https://afigf2020-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAlduqspjorE9BpBK17DUDIbrXQ0TiMHPPR

Session Description: 
While Community Networks (CN) are increasingly getting recognition as a way to bridge the connectivity gap around the world. In Africa, the progress and growth are hindered by poor policy and regulatory frameworks that do not support CN development. African policy makers should consider creating innovative licensing processes and licenses to enable community networks. In granting innovative licenses, regulators should recognize that community network operators are different than traditional operators, and require an easy, transparent, and streamlined process for obtaining licenses, with less severe bureocratic and financial requirements. Regulators should consider including community network experts on regulatory policy-making advisory panels to help bring increased perspective to policy and regulatory decision-making.
 ISOC and APC has a long history of making a difference in this area. They have worked to support CN deployments, create capacities in communities by training local people, built new communities of interest, and focused on changing policies and regulations to encourage the development and deployment of Community Networks. 
The proposed session will serve as an opportunity to discuss unique policy challenges faced by the community in implementing connectivity projects. It will bring together communities, technical experts, policy makers and civil society organisations representatives to share their views on how an enabling policy environment can help Community Networks in the regions thrive and become a viable option to help connect the unconnected. 
It will give special focus on policy and regulatory frameworks discussing challenges and solutions envisioned to implement and promote this complementary model of connectivity. Representatives from different stakeholders will share their perspectives on their local access initiatives as well as on their responsibilities to create an enabling ecosystem for the emergence and growth of community networks and other community-based connectivity initiatives in developing countries.
Session Format: Virtual session – 1hour 30 mins
Organizers : Internet Society and Association for Progressive Communications
Proposed Speakers:

Verengai Mabika, Senior Policy Advisor, Africa, Internet Society
Carlos Rey-Moreno, PhD, Co-lead Local Networks: Policy and Strategy
Association for Progressive Communications

Zoom Link: https://afigf2020-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAkduipqzoqEtUzq2oIULscV7wOrSkV91Tj

Vulnerabilities of digital products are rapidly being exploited by a wide range of actors for various purposes. This puts the stability of the digitalised world at risk, erodes user trust in digital services, and undermines digital development. To reduce these risks, businesses must increase the resilience of their digital products and services. Various baseline security requirements and product security certification schemes are being shaped by national, regional and international institutions and organisations around the world. Security-by-design may become a competitive market advantage, but will also add costs on the side of emerging digital industries – in particular in developing countries.
Building on the Geneva Dialogue on Responsible Behavior in Cyberspace (https://genevadialogue.ch/) - a project implemented by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and DiploFoundation - this workshop will discuss best practices and examples of creating global, resilient, and ethical digital products, and their opportunities and challenges in the African context. The interactive workshop will bring together perspectives of the industry, public authorities, technical community, and civil society, from all parts of the world.
Key messages from the Workshop discussion:

• Vulnerabilities in digital products and services are exploited by cyber-attacks, which produces security risks, safety risks, and diminishing trust. This, in turn, endangers economic development.
• Companies should embrace security by design and security by default approach. Geneva Dialogue on Responsible Behaviour in Cyberspace (https://genevadialogue.ch) gathers lead global companies to share good practices. African companies are invited to partner as well.
• Companies in developing countries - and generally small companies and start-ups - might find focus on security as additional burden. It is important not to press them, but rather to incentivise them to embrace security by design.
• Governments and local authorities also create numerous digital services for citizens, whose security is critical for security and safety of citizens (eg. with regards to national ID schemes).
• There is a need to boost cooperation among governments and the private sector, as well as civil society, to enhance awareness about security of digital products, and explore regulatory and policy options to incentivise security by design.
• We need more easily digested baseline security requirements and standards to be deployed by companies. The context and cultural specifics of the company/sector/country is also important in standards application. Certification schemes by regulators on African level (similar to those by Singapore or EU) may be helpful. 
• Capacity building will be crucial for security of digital products - for companies, but also for governments and regulators. Efforts and good practices by big(ger) companies are important to move forward. Geneva Dialogue will focus more on baseline requirements and capacity building in 2021.

Zoom Link: https://afigf2020-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAlf-mvrDgoE9fXFLvdGkf5LSJZAD8xGxFy

More and more governments around the globe plan to adopt a digital-first approach to the procedures, processes and services they provide to their citizens. Although such initiatives might improve the availability of state services and streamline state bureaucracy "pipelines",factors like unsupportive strategies, the poor implementation of infrastructure, and ineffective development practices, often turn well-intentioned initiatives into costly tools that discriminate and alienate significant parts of the populace, as well as those who are most in need of state services. Inadequate platform design and lack of affordable Internet access are also major barriers for exercising citizenship, especially in African countries. If these challenges are not addressed, the digitalization of government services may reinforce and deepen existing inequalities as well as create new inequalities in citizen participation.

Using case studies from Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and other countries, the panelists in this session will discuss the most common bottlenecks and blockages for delivering a digital state pipeline and will explore strategies for mitigating these issues, ranging from development best practices, infrastructure improvements and public policies.

The session findings will serve as input for a draft public policy and strategic recommendation document.

Zoom Link: https://afigf2020-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqce2tqD0tHtZ9mN6oGi2CzASljf0bj6-J

Zoom Link: https://afigf2020-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqduytqTsoGdwJvrUCE0hkGouqGT__RYaX
Examine the role and Impact of ccTLDs in Africa in advancing the Internet Governance Agenda

Zoom Link: https://afigf2020-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrdOCtqzItHNalRS2YyesoeXo6Xu7tn3Y6

Zoom Link: https://afigf2020-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEufuqqrzsiG90xU8k4JtVGfeWdI7_J3omj
The main objective of this workshop is to identify and the knowledge of the digital economy in the African world and what it can contribute to increasing and improving the national income of African countries and contributing to improving the investment environment in the African Countries.

Zoom Link: https://afigf2020-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0kfuuprjsjGdaXVUmSJIfIZwI2_NDSUyOQ

The main objective of this session is to explain the new approach to training in ISOC, share the courses that will on offer in 2021, and share the opportunities that the community can take advantage of. This will be in the form of an interactive presentation.

Speaker: Esther Mwiyeria Kioni, Project Director, Training and e-Learning, Internet Society

Zoom Link: https://afigf2020-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcud-CuqjojGdXdjHfnm6xdq7C_hdDx6PgJ

The objective of this workshop is to bring together key stakeholders to discuss and share knowledge within the Covid-19 context and how we can fully develop and improve community networks and electricity within the digital frameworks and to showcase best practices and the innovative solution developed on how the underserve and unconnected communities can be best served.

Zoom Link: https://afigf2020-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIodumopzMqE9K3Vkna9glDcHjnblXT6SPV


This session will give panellists from African countries an opportunity to present their
national assessment projects using Internet Universality Indicators (IUIs) during
a 10-minute remark and allow for further engagement with African IGF communities
and stakeholders. It will also allow UNESCO to show the impact of the IUIs
framework in fostering Internet reforms and improvements in Africa. UNESCO also
invites African stakeholders to join its newly launched Dynamic Coalition on Internet
Universality indicators.

Zoom Link: https://afigf2020-org.zoom.us/j/81834416375?pwd=TytNdkpLeDlXRWIrMkE1QnVKUGs4Zz09

Zoom Link: https://afigf2020-org.zoom.us/j/81834416375?pwd=TytNdkpLeDlXRWIrMkE1QnVKUGs4Zz09

Zoom Link: https://afigf2020-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OtAkeBzGTx-1VF0dlIXmIQ

Zoom Link: https://afigf2020-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OtAkeBzGTx-1VF0dlIXmIQ

Zoom Link: https://afigf2020-org.zoom.us/j/89686681024?pwd=ZThIeHE1YVlJV2JOT09rL0JGRzl6UT09

To raise policy questions about the impact of retrogressive end user taxes on objectives of affordable universal access and to ask who should bear the onus of paying for Internet taxes. How do such taxes impact digital inclusion, human rights, and socio-economic developments? How the reforms of the international tax regime (BEPS) that include the global digital tax might contribute to national tax bases not only realisation of global public goods (such as Internet, cybersecurity and data) at the national level, but to increased demand for social, labour and consumer protection from the state, as a result of globalised processes of digitalisation and datafication.

Zoom Link: https://afigf2020-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OtAkeBzGTx-1VF0dlIXmIQ

Zoom Link: https://afigf2020-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OtAkeBzGTx-1VF0dlIXmIQ

Zoom Link: https://afigf2020-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OtAkeBzGTx-1VF0dlIXmIQ


Digital rights: the state of play of digital identity in Africa + Balancing national security with individual privacy: Considerations for digital identity policymakers. + Good ID and Digital Identity: Governance challenges off-line and online

Zoom Link: https://afigf2020-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OtAkeBzGTx-1VF0dlIXmIQ

Zoom Link: https://afigf2020-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OtAkeBzGTx-1VF0dlIXmIQ