IGF 2017: Shape Your Digital Future!

NOTE :    the organisers of the WS 238 'Local cotent: an opportunity for underserved regions' and the 2017 IGF Best Practice Forum on Local Content, which were scheduled in parallel decided to share a timeslot and meeting room. This will allow both sessions on local contnent to share their audiences and feed directly into each other's discussion.  
[ WS238 was originally scheduled in room XXVII, on Thur 21 Dec, 11:50-13:20]

Below is the original description of both sessions.


*** WS238 Local Content: an opportunity for underserved regions'
Proposer's Name: Mr. Abdelaziz HILALI

Proposer's Organization: Mediterranean Federation of Internet Associations (FMAI)
Co-Proposer's Name: Ms. Roula Mikhael
Co-Proposer's Organization: Maharat Foundation
Co-Organizers:

Prof Abdelaziz Hilali, Civil Society, Mediterranean Federation of Internet Associations (FMAI)
Ms. Roula Mikhael, Civil Society, Maharat Foundation
Mr. Khalid Ibrahim, Civil Society, Gulf Centre for Human Rights

Session Format: Round Table - 90 Min

Proposer:
Country: Morocco
Stakeholder Group: Civil Society

Co-Proposer:
Country: Lebanon
Stakeholder Group: Civil Society

Speaker: Roula Mikhael

Speaker: Aziz Hilali

Speaker: Layal Bahnam

 Speaker: Khalid Ibrahim

Speaker: Marie Noemie Marques

Speaker: Glenn McKnight

 

Content of the Session:

The Internet has become a critical enabler of social and economic change, advancing a sustainable information society for all.

However, citizens of developing countries such as the Arab World do not produce digital content in local language that is compatible with grassroots needs of local communities, whereas the content that is most important to people is in their own language and relevant to where they live and work.

This workshop will highlight the main factors impeding the creation of local content in the region from a free flow of information perspective and economic and social development.

The main factors are related to:

• The access to internet and the level of internet infrastructure development
• The access to education mainly digital and information literacy
• The local content in local language as a mean of effective existence on the net and a tool for development
• Open access to content including content production, use, reuse and redistribution  
• The content availability and the existence of legal restrictions on content affecting providers as well as content creators

One of the possible recommendations of the Workshop would be the adoption of further policies and initiatives to encourage local content creators to develop content tailored for the needs of local communities as well as to create an enabling learning environment in order to improve basic and digital literacy, critical thinking ability, and media and information skills targeting especially youth and women.Agenda:
Introduction of the speakers and the topic by the Moderator – 10 min
Round of short presentations by the 5 speakers – TOTAL – 25 min
Open Debate - All participants attending the Roundtable – 50 min
Wrap up by the Moderator - 5 min

Agenda:

·       Introduction of the speakers and the topic by the Moderator – 10 min

·       Round of short presentations by the 6 speakers – TOTAL – 30 min

·       Open Debate - All participants attending (in person or remotely) the Roundtable – 45 min

.       Wrap up - 5 min

Relevance of the Session:
This session will explore the issue of Local content development by local people in local language which is one of the main important ways to make the underserved regions benefit from the technology. How can you shape your digital future if you don't contribute in the digital content production, use, reuse and redistribution, and if your grassroots don't use it for their daily life (basic and digital literacy, critical thinking ability, media and information skills). 

Tag 1: Digital Rights
Tag 2: Content
Tag 3: Digital Economy

Interventions:
After the introduction of the topic and the speakers by the moderator, each of the 6 speakers will have 5 minutes to address briefly an aspect of the roundtable topic. Then an open discussion will be launched where every participant (in person or online) will have the same rights to speak and express him/her self. The speakers contribute in this open discussion and give insights and feedback when necessary.

Diversity:
The 6 speakers are from Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. They are gender balanced (3 men and 3 women), from Civil Society, Private Sector, Academia, and media.

Onsite Moderator: Mohamed Tijani BEN JEMAA
Online Moderator: Hussein Elsherif 
Rapporteur: Karim Abdulrady

Online Participation:
Remote participation will be an essential channel of participation in our workshop. Our online moderator will be also in charge of following the tweets. We will use the IGF remote participation platform.
For a successful remote participation, the announcement of the workshop will be spread widely, not only among the IGF participants, but also all the other networks highlighting the easy remote participation.
The Remote contributions will be taken alternatively with the in person contributions, and if the remote queue is longer than the one in the room, we will take more remote participants than from the room.  

Discussion facilitation:
Speakers will have very short slots (5 minutes) to introduce the various aspects of the topic. This is to free more time for the audience (in the room and online). All attendees have the same rights and are treated equally. Remote participants also will speak when they want, and they will be given the priority in the extreme cases  

Conducted a Workshop in IGF before?: No
Link to Report: 

Agenda: 

·       Introduction of the speakers and the topic by the Moderator – 10 min

·       Round of short presentations by the 6 speakers – TOTAL – 30 min

·       Open Debate - All participants attending (in person or remotely) the Roundtable – 45 min

.       Wrap up - 5 min

*** BEST PRACTICE FORUM ON LOCAL CONTENT ***

The 2017 Best Practice Forum on Local Content is an intersessional activity, leading into the 12th annual IGF meeting.

The availability of locally relevant content is an important driver for the development of the Internet, globally, and in rural or developing areas in particular. The creation of local content is one of the elements that contributes to making the Internet relevant and attracting new users.
 
In preparation of this session, the BPF collected examples of projects and initiatives stimulating the creation of relevant local content for the local Internet user, and identified factors that helped or hindered these project to achieve success.  (NOTE: it is still possible to submit examples at https://goo.gl/forms/swORcnYZBhKerDlE3 ).

The current draft BPF output document is available at https://www.intgovforum.org/multilingual/content/best-practice-forums-7  .

Community input received via the online review platform and during the meeting will be used to further enrich the document, and the final BPF Cybersecurity output will be publish after the IGF meeting as part of the tangible results of the IGF’s 2017 intersessional activities.