Expert Preparatory Roundtable: Technology and Digital Cooperation

This expert preparatory roundtable on digital cooperation, organized in partnership with the office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology and the United Nations Foundation, is one of a series of expert consultations that the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research has held to inform the HLAB’s work.

This roundtable discussion will be guided by the following interrelated question areas:

• What would it mean to govern the internet as a global public good?
• What would be required from governments, the private sector, civil society, the technical community, and other actors?
• What are the greatest threats to further fragmentation of the internet and digital commons (digital sovereignty, commercial interests, governance gaps)?
• The Secretary-General emphasized in the Our Common Agenda report that “it is time to protect the online space and strengthen its governance.” Where is digital governance working? What can we learn from work underway to strengthen digital cooperation, including the Secretary-General’s Roadmap on Digital Cooperation? Are there lessons from regional and multi-stakeholder models?
• Where are the most urgent gaps in digital cooperation?
• How can actors across international organizations, governments, the private sector, civil society, and technical communities develop a shared vision that can be delivered with roles and responsibilities for all?

The event was co-moderated by Dr Adam Day (UNU-CPR), Yu Ping Chan (Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology), and Megan Roberts (UN Foundation).