First Online LACIGF Will Be Held in September
28/08/2020
The Latin American and Caribbean Internet Governance Forum (LACIGF) will be held in online format this 8 to 10 September, a regional space where participants will meet to analyze, discuss and share the latest Internet developments and their impact on every dimension of society.
Because of the situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 edition of the regional Internet Governance Forum will take place on the Zoom platform. The meeting had originally been scheduled as an in-person event in Santiago, Chile.
LACIGF is an open space for the community to share, discuss and learn, where all interested parties can share their opinions and points of view regarding the challenges that the Internet poses for the development of the Information Society.
This year in particular, the trigger for the discussions is the irruption of the coronavirus which significantly affected the way in which society connects with and uses the Internet. The pandemic has catalyzed the widespread use of the Internet in all areas, exposing inequalities while also allowing a mitigation of its impact. The agenda agreed by the program committee based on a survey conducted among the community reflects on the impact of the coronavirus on society’s massive use of the Internet.
Strengths and inclusion. After the opening remarks, the first topic to be addressed on Tuesday 8 September will be “Digital Inclusion: Models for an Inclusive Internet,” a roundtable that will attempt to identify the main advances and shortcomings in the implementation of digital inclusion models and alternatives.
The session will continue with “Internet and the Pandemic: Opportunities and Impacts of Deployed Technologies on Human Rights,” during which the role that the technologies implemented during the pandemic have played in the protection of human rights will be analyzed.
On Wednesday the 9th, participants will discuss “Digital Transformation, Acceleration and Use of New Technologies in a Post-COVID-19 World” with two very relevant panels, one on promoting digital presence, the other on the future of work.
Next on the agenda will be the session titled “Connecting the Unconnected: Infrastructure and Regulatory Challenges from SDG to the Challenges of the Pandemic in Latin America,” one of the region’s most important challenges, as approximately 40% of the its inhabitants do not have access to the Internet.
Thursday September 10th, the last day of LACIGF, will begin with “Internet Governance, Gender and Intersectionality: What Can a Gender Approach Do for Technology Policies?” followed by a discussion on “A New Cycle for LACIGF: Opportunities for Community Participation and Its Impact on Internet Policies in Our Region.”
As a promoter of the collaborative Internet model, LACNIC especially emphasizes the evolution and progress achieved by the Forum, while also recognizing the challenges ahead. “The unique situation created by the global pandemic has brought to light the advantages and virtues of the Internet, while also laying bare certain topics that are not so visible, yet they are extremely relevant and need us to work on them,” observed Ernesto Majó, LACNIC’s Deputy CEO.
Click here to register to participate in the event.