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Photo by Mat Reding on Unsplash

Photo by Mat Reding on Unsplash

Calling for inclusivity and transparency in the UN Tech Envoy appointment

Web Foundation · November 20, 2020

This post was written by Nnenna Nwakanma, Chief Web Advocate. Follow Nnenna on Twitter @nnenna.


The year 2020 will be remembered as one that brought humanity face to face with the urgency of digital connectivity. The resultant shift in paradigm due to the Covid-19 pandemic has catapulted the need for more global collaboration, not just on health issues, but also on digital.

The fundamental vision on which the internet and the World Wide Web were built — that of a single safe, secure, and open digital ecosystem, where everyone will have the possibility to create, to contribute, and also to benefit — has been put to test.

In the words of Sir Tim Berners-Lee, this is for everyone. In global language, we say it is a global public good. In UN language, we say leave no one behind. This is the motivation for the Global Goals as well as the UN Secretary General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation. However, as we know, the biggest challenge to the Roadmap is in our capacity to build a bridge across the member-state UN way of doing things and the digital community co-creation way of doing things.

That is why the Web Foundation is leading a coalition of non-State stakeholders, towards an inclusive and dialogue-based implementation of the key action points of the Roadmap. On November 16, the coalition sent the following Position Paper to the UN Secretary General, outlining the aspirations of the non-State Stakeholders in the appointment of the UN Tech Envoy.

Non-State-Stakeholders-Position-paper-on-UN-Tech-Envoy-

Signatories 

  1. <A+> Alliance for Inclusive Algorithms
  2. Access Now
  3. Accur8Africa
  4. Advocacy Initiative for Development (AID)
  5. Afghanistan Democracy and Development Organization (ADDO)
  6. Africa Foundation for Community Development (AFCOD-Uganda)
  7. Africa Freedom of Information Centre
  8. African Centre for Citizens Orientation
  9. African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms Coalition
  10. African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX)
  11. Africa Open Data and Internet Research Foundation (AODIRF)
  12. AFRIX
  13. AfroLeadership
  14. Afrotribune
  15. Alliance for Affordable Internet – A4AI
  16. Asociación Colombiana de Usuarios de Internet
  17. Asociación TEDIC
  18. Association for Progressive Communications – APC
  19. Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication
  20. Bareedo Platform, Somalia
  21. Bloggers of Zambia
  22. CCAOI, India
  23. Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
  24. Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD)
  25. Centre for Multilateral Affairs (CfMA)
  26. Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa –  CIPESA
  27. Community Development Initiative (CDI), Kano, Nigeria
  28. Data2X
  29. Datalat, Quito (Ecuador)
  30. Derechos Digitales
  31. Digital Peace Now
  32. Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF) 
  33. Digital Rights Foundation (DRF)
  34. DigitalSENSE Africa
  35. Environmental Development Initiative
  36. European Center for Not-for-profit Law
  37. Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica)
  38. Free Expression Myanmar (FEM)
  39. Future of Life Institute 
  40. Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD)
  41. Global Partners Digital
  42. Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data
  43. HOUSE OF AFRICA, Ndjamena,Chad
  44. iamtheCODE
  45. Impact4News, UK 
  46. Instituto Nupef
  47. Internet Governance Caucus 
  48. Internet Society – ISOC 
  49. Inventario Nacional de Calidad del (Agua-INCA) National Inventory for Water Quality 
  50. Jade Propuestas Sociales y Alternativas al Desarrollo, A.C. (JADE SOCIALES), Yucatán, México
  51. Jokkolabs Banjul
  52. Keeping It Real (KIR) Foundation 
  53. Kinango Coalition for Human Rights Defenders
  54. League for Societal Protection Against Drug Abuse (LESPADA)
  55. Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)
  56. Media Institute of Southern Africa-Zimbabwe Chapter
  57. Media Matters for Democracy (MMfD)
  58. Media Rights Agenda (MRA)
  59. OISTE
  60. Open Data Watch
  61. Organization of the Justice Campaign
  62. Ovillage, Côte d’Ivoire 
  63. PACKS Africa 
  64. Paradigm Initiative 
  65. Policy Alert – Nigeria
  66. Rainier Communications
  67. Red en Defensa de los Derechos Digitales (R3D)
  68. RNW Media
  69. SDSN TReNDS group
  70. Simply Secure
  71. Social Media Exchange (SMEX)
  72. Somali Youth Development Foundation (SYDF).
  73. Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression (SafeNet)
  74. Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Economic Development Initiative (SEEDi)
  75. Tanzania Health Care and Environmental Conservation Organisation 
  76. Taraaz
  77. The Bachchao Project
  78. The Empathy Business
  79. Ubunteam
  80. UCSF Global Programs, Kenya
  81. WikiRate
  82. Wisekey SA
  83. Women at the Table
  84. Women in Crisis Response LLC   
  85. World Wide Web Foundation
  86. Youth Coalition on Internet Governance
  87. ZeroToOne Foundation 

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