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
- <A+> Alliance for Inclusive Algorithms
- Access Now
- Accur8Africa
- Advocacy Initiative for Development (AID)
- Afghanistan Democracy and Development Organization (ADDO)
- Africa Foundation for Community Development (AFCOD-Uganda)
- Africa Freedom of Information Centre
- African Centre for Citizens Orientation
- African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms Coalition
- African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX)
- Africa Open Data and Internet Research Foundation (AODIRF)
- AFRIX
- AfroLeadership
- Afrotribune
- Alliance for Affordable Internet – A4AI
- Asociación Colombiana de Usuarios de Internet
- Asociación TEDIC
- Association for Progressive Communications – APC
- Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication
- Bareedo Platform, Somalia
- Bloggers of Zambia
- CCAOI, India
- Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
- Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD)
- Centre for Multilateral Affairs (CfMA)
- Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa – CIPESA
- Community Development Initiative (CDI), Kano, Nigeria
- Data2X
- Datalat, Quito (Ecuador)
- Derechos Digitales
- Digital Peace Now
- Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF)
- Digital Rights Foundation (DRF)
- DigitalSENSE Africa
- Environmental Development Initiative
- European Center for Not-for-profit Law
- Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica)
- Free Expression Myanmar (FEM)
- Future of Life Institute
- Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD)
- Global Partners Digital
- Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data
- HOUSE OF AFRICA, Ndjamena,Chad
- iamtheCODE
- Impact4News, UK
- Instituto Nupef
- Internet Governance Caucus
- Internet Society – ISOC
- Inventario Nacional de Calidad del (Agua-INCA) National Inventory for Water Quality
- Jade Propuestas Sociales y Alternativas al Desarrollo, A.C. (JADE SOCIALES), Yucatán, México
- Jokkolabs Banjul
- Keeping It Real (KIR) Foundation
- Kinango Coalition for Human Rights Defenders
- League for Societal Protection Against Drug Abuse (LESPADA)
- Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)
- Media Institute of Southern Africa-Zimbabwe Chapter
- Media Matters for Democracy (MMfD)
- Media Rights Agenda (MRA)
- OISTE
- Open Data Watch
- Organization of the Justice Campaign
- Ovillage, Côte d’Ivoire
- PACKS Africa
- Paradigm Initiative
- Policy Alert – Nigeria
- Rainier Communications
- Red en Defensa de los Derechos Digitales (R3D)
- RNW Media
- SDSN TReNDS group
- Simply Secure
- Social Media Exchange (SMEX)
- Somali Youth Development Foundation (SYDF).
- Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression (SafeNet)
- Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Economic Development Initiative (SEEDi)
- Tanzania Health Care and Environmental Conservation Organisation
- Taraaz
- The Bachchao Project
- The Empathy Business
- Ubunteam
- UCSF Global Programs, Kenya
- WikiRate
- Wisekey SA
- Women at the Table
- Women in Crisis Response LLC
- World Wide Web Foundation
- Youth Coalition on Internet Governance
- ZeroToOne Foundation
For more updates, follow us on Twitter at @webfoundation and sign up to receive our newsletter.
To receive a weekly news brief on the most important stories in tech, subscribe to The Web This Week.
Tim Berners-Lee, our co-founder, gave the web to the world for free, but fighting for it comes at a cost. Please support our work to build a safe, empowering web for everyone.