The 2020 Kenya Internet Governance Forum (KeIGF) will be hosted virtually this year on October 29.
The forum takes place at the backdrop of the global COVID-19 pandemic that has brought the unprecedented need for embracing a new normal.
This year’s Global IGF theme is “Internet for human resilience and solidarity” Proposed theme for the Kenyan IGF is the “Internet for human resilience and solidarity.”
“This is an important issue in light of the role the Internet has played during the COVID-19 Pandemic which has ravaged the entire globe. Some of the envisioned sub-themes are data; inclusion; and trust,” says the organizers of the forum.
The Data track will contribute to identifying best approaches to ensure the development of human-centric data governance frameworks at national, regional and international levels. It will enable an exchange of views on how to support and operationalize the exercise of human rights and the empowerment of individuals in their digital identity in current uses and development of data-driven technologies. And it will consider how to create the conditions needed to facilitate data-driven innovation, to ensure competition, and to foster trust in the development of services and new technologies, including through the use of inclusive data and the fulfillment of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Trust in the online world is a prerequisite for the Internet to develop its potential as a tool for empowerment, a channel of free speech, and an engine of economic development. In this context, trust relates to the security, stability, and resilience of the infrastructure, systems, and devices, and also to the need for people to be safe and secure. These are both vital elements for enabling a healthy and empowering digital environment, beneficial to all. This track will provide opportunities to discuss strategies and best practices for protecting both systems and users, along with the appropriate roles and responsibilities of governments, industry and other stakeholders, while taking into account multidisciplinary perspectives.
Inclusion is about ensuring those with limited or no access to the Internet, such as the unserved and underserved communities, as well as those for which the internet is not accessible due to gender, disability, digital literacy, affordability, or for any other reason, are now included and have equal opportunity to be meaningfully connected to the internet. Inclusion is also about the activities related to the achievement of an inclusive information society, about engaging all stakeholders and ensuring everyone’s voice is heard and treated equally in the decision-making processes and ensuring that everyone has the right access, skills, and motivations to reap the social benefits of going online and participate in the digital economy.
The participants will consist of over 200 individuals representing various sectors including government, the private sector, civil society, the technical and academic community, and the general public.
Outcomes from the event will feed into the Fifteenth Annual Meeting of the Internet Governance Forum which will be hosted online by the United Nations from 2 – 6 November 2020.
Key speakers include Grace Githaiga, Convenor, KICTAnet, Mercy Wanjau, Ag. Director-General, Communication Authority, Prof. Bitange Ndemo, University of Nairobi, Hon. William Kisang’, Chairman, National Assembly, ICT Committee, Dr. Kate Getao, ICT Authority, Kadrih Humal Ayal, Estonia Consul, Abshiro Halake, Vice-Chair, Senate ICT Committee, Diana Gichengo, Kenya Human Rights Commission among others.
The IGF has been held annually since 2006 and Kenya hosted the Global IGF in 2011.
Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) has been involved in organizing the Kenya IGF in partnership with industry stakeholders to address key Internet issues since 2008.
This year’s KeIGF is organized in partnership between the Communications Authority (CA), Safaricom, CIO East Africa, Kenya Network Information Center (Kenic), Facebook, and Association for Progressive Communications (APC).
#KeIGF2020 registration is now open. To learn more and register, visit the Kenya Internet Governance Forum 2020 website.
