IT for Change is thrilled to be participating in an exciting line-up of sessions at the UNCTAD eWeek from 4-8 December 2023.
Organized with eTrade for all partners and held under the theme ‘Shaping the future of the digital economy’, eWeek 2023 will mobilize global support for a more inclusive and sustainable digital economy. Over 150 high-level and thematic sessions will be held in-person, online, and in a hybrid format during the course of the event. They'll explore key topics, including platform governance, the development impact of artificial intelligence (AI), eco-friendly digital practices, empowering women through digital entrepreneurship, and accelerating digital readiness in developing countries.
At IT for Change, we are excited to invite you to join us in the following sessions, where our colleagues will be participating:
1. A Digital Public Infrastructure Strategy for Sustainable Development - Exploring Effective Possibilities for Regional Cooperation
5 December 2023 | 10 AM CET
Shreeja Sen will be speaking on this panel which will explore learnings from India, Brazil, and Australia in creating an enabling policy environment for digital public goods and infrastructure development in critical sustainable development domains – health, agriculture, and smart mobility. It will then examine learnings on partnership management and governance guardrails for ensuring harm minimization and benefit maximization in digital public infrastructures, in evolving regional cooperation mechanisms on DPI for SDGs.
This session will be organized by the Global Digital Justice Forum and the University of Western Australia.
Update: Find the event report here and view Shreeja's presentation here.
2. Digital Health at the Crossroads of Human Rights, AI Governance, and E-trade
6 December 2023 | 10 AM CET
Anita Gurumurthy will be taking part in this panel discussion to analyze the risks to data privacy caused by the general liberalization of digital health, among other issues. Digital technology has great potential to improve the efficacy and reach of health systems. Its adoption raises, however, human rights and ethical considerations. This session will focus on the impact of digital health in the Global South and its developmental needs. It will present the Brazilian governance of AI in digital health, the interface between trade policy and data protection in India, human rights risks of digital health, and the interface between intellectual property and health.
This session will be organized by the South Centre and the Brazilian Institute of Consumer Rights (Idec).
Update: Find the event report here and view Anita's presentation here.
3. Addressing the Gender Divide in the E-commerce Marketplace – A Policy Playbook for the Global South
7 December 2023 | 1 PM CET
Eshani Vaidya will be virtually joining this panel, where IT for Change and the Institute of Development Studies will share evidence from a multi-country research study in the Global South on the core challenges to effective digital integration of women-led MSMEs, to catalyze an informed dialogue on: How can policymakers meaningfully integrate the gender justice lens in e-commerce policy approaches to build firm-level capabilities, digital marketplace regulation, and public platform marketplace ecosystem development?
This session will be organized by IT for Change and the Institute of Development Studies.
Update: Find the event report here.
4. A Fintech Future for All?
8 December 2023 | 2 PM CET
Nandini Chami will moderate this session. Fintech will play an important role in facilitating the digital economy. In order to effectively leverage fintech for the SDGs, there is a growing recognition to move beyond simplistic narratives about financial inclusion through fintech. This session will explore building blocks, policies and regulations for a sustainable fintech ecosystem that protects vulnerable users, promotes new public interest solutions, and addresses new vulnerabilities to the financial system which affect the economy.
This session will be organized by IT for Change, SOMO, and TNI.
Update: Find the event report here.
To tune in and participate in these discussions, please register here.
Know more about each panel here.