ICT policy

The 2021-2022 edition of GISWatch asks how the COVID-19 pandemic changed or shaped the ways in which civil society organisations do their advocacy work around digital technology-related issues, including digital rights, and how digital rights advocacy priorities have shifted.

In my keynote speech to the intersessional meeting of the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development, I discuss how our progress reviews of the World Summit on the Information Society must account for how digital society is now inextricably linked to all aspects of global development and crises.

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have brought into stark relief the implications of digital inequality in Africa, said key partners who helped organise the 2021 African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG): APC, Research ICT Africa and the African Union Commission.

APC will engage in five days of multistakeholder dialogue on how technology can support democracy and human rights, through leading two sessions and sharing remarks during the opening and closing plenaries of the event.

What happens when an ardent internet governance activist has to suddenly place themselves in the shoes of the private sector? Or a social tech enthusiast has to play the role of the government during a simulation? Does the shift of perspective strengthen everyone’s grasp of internet governance?

The aim of this brief is to support the implementation of the agreed language in the United Nations Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) resolution pertaining to stakeholder engagement.

The Alliance for Encryption in Latin America and the Caribbean, of which APC forms part, responds to our belief that a regional pro-encryption agenda will contribute to guaranteeing the development of the internet ecosystem together with the exercise of democracy and respect for human rights.

This publication tells a story of collective adaptation and resilience, closeness and collaboration, care and connections, of a growing community navigating change.