Building inclusive global digital governance

The UNCTAD eWeek 2023 was held on December 4 – 8, 2023, in Geneva, Switzerland under the theme ‘Shaping the future of the digital economy’. The event explored key policy areas that must be addressed to build an inclusive and sustainable digitalization at the national, regional, and global levels with the involvement of all relevant stakeholders.

The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) hosted an online session called “Building inclusive global digital governance” on December 6, 2023, at 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm CET / 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm UTC. Lorrayne Porciuncula, Executive Director of the Datasphere Initiative participated as a speaker.

The 2021 Digital Economy Report pointed to the need for improved global data governance noting that “existing institutional frameworks at the international level are not fit for purpose …”. Since that time the situation, if anything, has become worse. There are still no global frameworks, or safeguards in place for the monetization of personal data, and technology has continued to march forward, particularly with the advent of generative AI.

This panel discussed the latest developments in data and AI governance and provided concrete suggestions on how it can be improved from an international and multistakeholder perspective.