IGF 2021 Open Forum #56 Fostering democracy via digital inclusion: a global dialogue

There is growing recognition that digital inclusion is about much more than the availability of physical infrastructure required for connectivity. The full enjoyment of human rights online requires a digital environment that is conducive to civic life, safeguards individuals from online harms, and protects personal data and privacy. In the context of competing authoritarian and private sector models of digital governance, neither of which are democratic, digital inclusion offers a meaningful alternative. It reframes the conversation around shared values—such as support for democracy, human rights, inclusion, and building back better—offering a new vision for life online and a way to rebuild trust in democratic values, institutions, and processes eroded by exclusionary practices and undermined by the COVID-19 pandemic. A human rights-respecting digital environment also requires an understanding of how individuals experience multiple, intersecting forms of exclusion online and offline. For example, launched by Ghana and Germany in 2020, the Freedom Online Coalition's Joint Statement on Digital Inclusion notes: "discrepancies in [meaningful] access exist across demographics and abilities, including geography, area/location, gender, class, ethnic background, and differently-abled individuals." This session is a unique opportunity to hear from officials on how their governments and organizations are working to advance digital inclusion worldwide. This conversation will feature diverse perspectives from Africa and the Americas, senior representation from international organizations, and civil society leaders.

Participants will gain insight into how governments and other stakeholders are concretely supporting digital inclusion. For example, via a facilitator-moderated Q&A, participants will be invited to engage in a topical, global discussion that is increasingly relevant in key multilateral and multi-stakeholder fora. Participants will be able to share their perspectives on digital inclusion, its core pillars, and what governments and civil society can do to actively shape a democratic, inclusive alternative to existing governance models for digital technologies. This feedback will inform the efforts of Canada and others to refine their approaches to digital inclusion policy moving forward. Participants will also leave with some key takeaways on what is necessary for a democratic, human-rights based approach to inclusion online.