CADE – Civil Society Alliances for Digital Empowerment

What’s next for the Global Digital Compact? Pathways to civil society engagement in the implementation and follow-up
2024-10-31 14:00 - 16:00 UTC
Date: 31 October 2024
Time: 9–11 am ET | 3–5 pm CET | 6:30–8:30 pm IST
The Global Digital Compact (GDC), adopted during the Summit of the Future, includes a commitment to strengthen and leverage multistakeholder cooperation to achieve the objectives set out in the GDC. Next to new mechanisms, existing multistakeholder such as the Internet Governance Forum and WSIS Forum have been identified as critical for implementing the GDC.
The online roundtable, organised by the Civil Society Alliances for Digital Empowerment (CADE) in partnership with the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and the Internet Governance Forum Secretariat, aims to explore what effective multistakeholder cooperation should look like in practice when implementing and reviewing the GDC. Through two dynamic panel discussions, we will unpack mechanisms for engagement introduced by the GDC, clarify how the GDC could leverage the role of existing multistakeholder processes, such as WSIS or the IGF, and map out key entry points for civil society to contribute to the implementation and follow-up processes.
Confirmed speakers include:

Kelly Anderson, Director for International Cyber, Digital and Emerging Technology Policy, Global Affairs Canada
Samara Castro, Director, Promotion of Freedom of Expression, Digital Policies Section – Secretariat of Social Communication, Presidency of Brazil
Chengetai Masango, Head of Office, UN IGF Secretariat
Grace Githaiga, CEO, KICTANet
Anita Gurumurthy, Executive Director, IT for Change
Li Zhou, Human Rights Officer, Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Sorina Teleanu, Director of Knowledge, Diplo

Register

Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa
2024-09-24 - 2024-09-27
Date: 25–27 September 2024
Organiser: CIPESA
The 11th edition of the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica) will take place in Dakar, Senegal from 25 to 27 September 2024. For the first time, this premier gathering on digital rights will be hosted in Francophone Africa.
This year’s event will spotlight the state of digital democracy in Francophone Africa, addressing critical issues such as internet shutdowns, online censorship, and data protection. Senegal, known for its strong democratic institutions and progressive digital policies, will serve as a key example in promoting digital rights across the continent.
Visit the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa 2024 website to learn more.
RegisterAbout CADE’s role at the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa: The CADE consortium works to strengthen Civil Society Organisation (CSO) contributions to multistakeholder discussions and the trustworthiness and relevance of the national and regional IGFs and other IG-related forums in their regions, in this case, through CIPESA, which is both a CADE consortium member and organiser of the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa.

Pacific Internet Governance Forum 2024
2024-09-01 - 2024-09-03
Date: 2–3 September 2024
Organiser: Pacific Islands Chapter of the Internet Society (PICISOC)
Under the theme ‘Strengthening Digital Governance and Resilience in the Pacific Islands’, the 6th Pacific Internet Governance Forum will be held in Wellington, New Zealand, on 2–3 September 2024, alongside APNIC 58.
Visit the Pacific Internet Governance Forum website to learn more.
RegisterAbout CADE’s role at the Pacific IGF 2024: The CADE consortium works to strengthen Civil Society Organisations (CSO) contributions to multistakeholder discussions and the trustworthiness and relevance of the national and regional IGFs and other IG-related forums in their regions, in this case, through PICISOC, CADE consortium member and Pacific IGF 2024 organiser.

CSOs Engagement in Digital Policy Processes: Lessons from the Global Digital Compact Process
2024-08-07 13:00 - 14:30
Date: Wednesday, 7 August 2024
Session Duration: 90 mins – 13.00–14.30 UTC. Check your time zone here.
Collaborating partners: Digital Rights Coalition (Malawi), European Center for Non-for-profit Law (ECNL), Forus, Fingo (Finland), Global Focus (Denmark), Paradigm Initiative (Pan-African).
The Civil Society Alliances for Digital Empowerment (CADE) is organising the webinar CSOs Engagement in Digital Policy Processes: Lessons from the Global Digital Compact Process. The online event will highlight the important role CSOs can play in multilateral and multistakeholder digital processes, taking stock of the Global Digital Compact consultations and looking ahead to the Summit of the Future and upcoming internet governance fora.
To ensure active participation, the webinar will benefit from simultaneous interpretation in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

About the Global Digital Compact:
The Global Digital Compact (GDC) is a United Nations global digital cooperation initiative as part of recommendations from the “Our Common Agenda” report, which included proposals for a Global Summit of the Future and a Global Digital Compact (GDC), among many others. The GDC’s primary aim is to ensure that digital technologies are used responsibly and inclusively, benefiting all and addressing the existing digital divide. The GDC is conceived as a collaborative effort involving governments, the private sector, civil society, and other stakeholders, to agree on shared principles and commitments to create a safer and more equitable global digital environment.

Kenya Internet Governance Forum 2024
2024-07-31 - 2024-08-01
Date: Thursday, 1 August
Organiser: KICTANet (Kenya ICT Action Network)
Under the theme ‘The Internet We Want – Empowering All Kenyan People’, the Kenya Internet Governance Forum (KIGF) 2024 brings together stakeholders representing government, the private sector, civil society, the technical and academic communities, media, and the public in an informal setting for policy dialogue on internet governance issues on an equal basis through an open and inclusive process.
The annual hybrid event is expected to bring together 300 people in situ, along with another 700 online participants.
Visit the official Kenya Internet Governance Forum page to learn more.
About CADE’s role at the KIGF 2024: The CADE consortium works to strengthen Civil Society Organisations (CSO) contributions to multistakeholder discussions and the trustworthiness and relevance of the national and regional IGFs and other IG-related forums in their regions; in this case, through KICTANet (CADE consortium member and KIGF 2024 organiser).

CADE official launch at WSIS+20 Forum
2024-05-31 07:00 - 08:45
The Civil Society Alliances for Digital Empowerment (CADE) project will officially launch at the WSIS+20 Forum in Geneva and online.
The launch will be held via two consecutive events.

CADE Public Announcement
09:00–09:40 CEST (07:00–07:40 UTC) – ITU Montbrillant Building, Room K2
This session will serve as the public announcement of CADE’s launch.
Speakers:
– Ambassador Lotte Knudsen, Permanent Representative of the EU to the UN in Geneva
– Prof. Jovan Kurbalija, DiploFoundation Director, and Head of the Geneva Internet Platform
– Dr Stephanie Borg Psaila, CADE lead

Enhancing CSO participation in global digital policy processes: Roles, structures, and accountability
10:00–10:45 CEST (08:00–08:45 UTC) – ITU Montbrillant Building, Room H1
This session will introduce the work of the CADE project in enhancing the participation of civil society organisations (CSOs) in global policy processes, including standard-setting processes. By focusing on the evolving roles of CSOs, structural changes to processes, accountability mechanisms, joint Global South-Global North advocacy, and other measures, CADE will develop concrete strategies that ensure more inclusive and effective contributions from CSOs. Emphasis will be placed on addressing the diverse needs of stakeholders from the Global South.
Panellists:

Jovan Kurbalija, Executive Director, DiploFoundation
Radka Sibille, Digital Affairs Advisor, EU Delegation to the UN in Geneva
Sadhvi Saran, Strategy and Policy Advisor, ITU
Adam Peake, Civil Society Engagement Sr. Manager, ICANN
Karolina Iwańska, Digital Civic Space Advisor, ECNL
Abed Kataya, Digital Expert, SMEX

Moderator:

Stephanie Borg Psaila, Director Digital Policy, DiploFoundation (CADE project lead)

To learn more and join this session, visit the official event page.
