UGANDA INTERNET GOVERNANCE WEEK – CONCEPT NOTE

Dates: July 01 – 02, August 2024

Venue: TBC, Kampala

Introduction

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), which includes various interlinked technologies such as the internet of things, big data analytics, Artificial intelligence and blockchain, provides important opportunities for Uganda to respond to development challenges.  Uganda can harness the 4IR to respond to key challenges such as comparatively high levels of poverty within a fast increasing and urbanizing population. There are, however, significant risks of Uganda being left further behind if it fails to harness 4IR technologies such as potential large job losses resulting from, for example, automation, skills mis-matches, infrastructure challenges and failure to manage security and privacy^[1]. The African Development Bank in its 2019 report calls on Governments to, among others, prepare the next generation of Africa’s “4.0” workforce including raising of investment in technical and STEM skills to harness digital technologies, and to promote widespread innovation.

Internet governance being one of the most controversial issues during the World Summit on the Information Society held in Geneva in December 2003, the UN Secretary-General set up a Working Group on Internet Governance to explore the understanding of Internet governance and understanding the roles and responsibilities of the different stakeholders. The Working Group on Internet Governance held a meeting in 2005 Tunis and among the outcomes of the was adoption of the resolution 70/125 by the UN General Assembly on 16 December 2015, which spelt the mandate of the Internet Governance Forum among which is discussing public policy issues related to key elements of Internet governance in order to foster the sustainability, robustness, security, stability and development of the Internet among others. It also identifies a wide range of key issues to be addressed by the international community such regulatory frameworks, potential risks, global trends, as well as best and worst practices. Since its first event in 2006, the global IGF has inspired the development of numerous IGF initiatives and more than 135 countries and regions have established firm IGF processes for their respective communities thus shaping policy decisions related to the Internet and technologies throughout the world.

Each year, the IGF annual meeting brings together stakeholders from around the world to facilitate the exchange of information and the sharing of good policies and practices related to the evolution, use and governance of the Internet.  The Internet Governance Forum this year will be hosted in Riyadh by the Government of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under the theme “Building our MultiStakeholder Digital Future”

To this end, Internet Society Uganda Chapter is seeking to provide a platform for stakeholders in Uganda to learn and deliberate on strategies, policies and technical management of the core resources of the Internet. The Chapter is organising the Uganda Internet Governance Week (UIGWeek) with various activities that will include learning, building a consensus about the IG issues relevant to Uganda and discussing the digital future, while acting in accordance with the main principles of the global IGF.

OBJECTIVES:

1. Prepare Ugandan  stakeholders to address the opportunities, strengths and challenges that arise from the fourth Industrial revolution  as well as ensuring that they have a voice in shaping Internet policy decisions at the National and global  level.
2. Provide a learning platform for all individuals to enhance their knowledge about Internet governance through the school training sessions.
3. Provide opportunities to share experiences from individuals involved in governance activities.
4. Provide a deeper understanding of the global and local internet Ecosystem
5. Strengthen the understanding of the IG process in Uganda.

KEY ACTIVITIES

The Uganda School of Internet Governance (USIG): The Uganda School of Internet Governance (USIG)  provides learning opportunities for all stakeholders about Internet Governance using a standardised curriculum. This initiative includes in depth training sessions from certified industry experts and acts as an opportunity for Ugandans to gain knowledge and confidence to participate effectively in internet governance processes, dialogues and implementation nationally, regionally and globally. The school seeks to increase the capacity of key stakeholders and potential actors in the local, regional and international internet governance space. Envisioned stakeholders include government, academia, media, civil society organisations, tech community, among others.

The school aims to specially:

• Increase participants understanding about internet governance
• Equip participants with the knowledge and skills to effectively participate in the internet governance discussions and forums at local, regional and international fora.
• Increase the mass of Ugandans contributing to the internet policy making in Uganda and globally

The Uganda Youth Internet Governance Forum (UYIGF): The UYIGF is a dedicated platform that seeks to empower young people to discuss and understand the current digital ecosystem and how they can leverage on it to better themselves.

Uganda Parliamentary Internet Governance Forum: (UPIGF): This track seeks to strengthen the participation of parliamentarians in discussions on some of the most pressing issues related to the use, evolution and governance of the Internet and related digital technologies in Uganda. The UPIGF aims to equip parliamentarians with the literacy, resources networks and dialogue spaces in areas of technology through internet governance.

Uganda Internet Governance Forum (UIGF): The Uganda Internet Governance Forum has since 2006 been a platform for deliberation on internet governance matters in the country. Debates at this annual forum focus on understanding current global, regional and national trends on the internet governance agenda. This activity will be open to all stakeholders and will require engagement from stakeholders. 

DATES:

1. Uganda School of Internet Governance (USIG): July 01 – 26, 2024 (Online)
2. Youth Internet Governance Forum (UYIGF): August 01, 2024
3. Uganda Internet Governance Forum (UIGF): August 02, 2024
4. Uganda Parliamentary Internet Governance Forum (UPIGF): August 02, 2024

TARGET PARTICIPANTS:

1. School of Internet governance: All stakeholders from policy makers, law enforcement officials and academia
2. Parliamentary Forum : Members of Parliament
3. Youth IGF: All young men and women below 30 years of age.
4. UIGF: All stakeholders from government, civil society, private sector, members of parliament, Internet service providers and end users.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

(i)              Training sessions

(ii)            Topic presentations

(iii)           Panel Discussions

(iv)           Networking

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

1. Increased understanding and awareness of the Internet governance process globally and nationally.
2. Increased active engagement from all stakeholders.
3. Strong implementation of proper Internet governance strategies and policies.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES.

The Internet Society Uganda Chapter seeks to promote open development, evolution, and use of the Internet for the benefit of all urban and rural communities while working with different institutions.  Given your interests within the technology space, we would greatly value your opportunity to support in some way possible. The Chapter requests for your support in-form of finances, in kind support or partnership to make this event successful. This will also open an opportunity for you to showcase your business and work during one or all of the activities, connect and associate with other leaders and stakeholders in the industry.

For more information about this proposal, kindly contact, info@isoc.ug /info@uigf.ug

[1] M. Ickson Manda, S. Ben Dhaou. 2019. Responding to the challenges and opportunities in the 4th Industrial revolution in developing countries. In Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV2019), Melbourne, VIC, Australia, April 3-5, 2019, 10 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3326365.3326398