Digital Human Rights and Development Cooperation

The Internet and digital technologies are having an increasing impact on our social and economic development. At the same time, the global community is facing many challenges when it comes to ensuring the sustainable development of the free and open Internet. In particular after the revelations around digital surveillance by the USA and other states, European countries have a responsibility to participate actively in the global debate around Internet Freedom and to enable countries from the global South to participate in these debates equally.

One role of development cooperation today is to facilitate a broader dialogue between Germany, other European countries and countries from the Global South to develop and discuss ideas for the structure and the design of a free and open internet of the future. Aim of the project “Europe’s contribution to a free and open Internet”, hosted by the stiftung neue verantwortung is to create a broader understanding and stimulate debates within development organizations as well as with actors in developing countries on Internet Freedom issues.

During the past nine months a group of experts from the German development community have been conducting research into digital rights issues from a development perspective. The work of the project includes research on the ICT4D activities and strategies of European donors, interviews with different experts on digital rights and Internet Governance related issues as well as case studies with contributions and review of the findings by experts from partner countries. We hope you will be able to join our project team in Berlin on September 9th for a lively debate on the role of development cooperation and Internet Freedom.

Program

18:30: Welcome and presentation of the project and the policy recommendations by the project team and invited experts

19.15: Keynote Claudia Roth, Vice President, German Federal Parliament

19:30: Panel Discussion: Development Cooperation and Digital Human Rights

• Nanjira Sambuli, Head of Research, iHub Kenya
• Mishi Choudhary, Executive Director, Software Freedom Law Center, India
• Roland Lindenthal, Head of Division Education and the Digital World

20:30: Reception