Sunday, 23rd February 2025: A delegation from the Paradigm Initiative (PIN) will join hundreds of global players next week at one of the world’s leading human rights summits, which will take place in Taipei, Taiwan, from February 24th to February 27th 2025.
The team, led by ‘Gbenga Sesan, PIN’s Executive Director, comprises Thobekile Matimbe, Senior Manager for Partnerships and Engagement, Judith Ogutu, Communications Manager, Miriam Beatrice Wanjiru, Programmes Officer for East Africa and Bridgette Ndlovu, Partnerships and Engagements Officer.
The summit, an annual event convened by RightsCon, is organised by Access Now, a non-profit organisation that defends and extends the digital rights of people and communities at risk by combining direct technical support, strategic advocacy, grassroots grant-making, and convenings. The organisation also fights for human rights in the digital age. The PIN team will participate in several panel sessions, workshops, roundtable discussions, and private meetings, providing thought leadership in the following thematic areas: Emerging technologies, content moderation, data protection, encryption, global processes, trust and safety, internet shutdowns, digital inclusion, journalism, surveillance, and accountability online.
‘Gbenga will be a speaker in the following panel sessions, where he will share key insights: Journalism and Surveillance, Accountability Online, Battling Shadows: The Global Struggles against Attacks on Journalists, and the #KeepItOn Community Meetup.
On her part, Thobekile will address the following sessions: Reimagining the Balance between Individual and Collective Approaches to Privacy and Data Protection and Data-driven Harms; European Digital Rights (EDRi); Courting Digital Authoritarianism: The Global South’s Strategic Litigation Handbook on Internet and Platform Shutdowns; Empowering Collaboration: Bridging the Gap between Trust & Safety Teams and Civil Society in the Global Majority; Advancing Digital Inclusion for Women with Disabilities across Africa and Beyond and a collective strategy session on the Road to WSIS+20 and other Internet governance-related processes.
Miriam will address Local vs. Global: Equitable Non-English Content Moderation and Algorithmic Transparency in the Acquisition and Deployment of Emerging Technologies by Global Majority Governments. Bridgette will discuss Connectivity as Aid: Digital Inclusion or Digital Capitalism.
Speaking ahead of the event, ‘Gbenga said: “The PIN team will be bringing critical thought leadership to RightsCon 2025, engaging in various discussions that contribute towards the future of digital rights and inclusion. As we navigate the complexities and dynamic developments in the sector, we will reinforce the need for accountability, transparency, and digital equity. Through our panel sessions, workshops, and strategic meetings, we aim to amplify voices from the Global South, advocate for meaningful policy shifts, and collaborate towards an open and inclusive digital future.”
As a thought leader in digital rights and inclusion, Paradigm Initiative annually monitors the space and produces the Digital Rights and Inclusion in Africa report – Londa. The 2023 report covers 26 African countries. The 2024 report will be released in April this year.
In order to reach a wider audience and break down the report further for ease of understanding among diverse audiences, PIN produces short films, with the latest one being Undersight. The organisation has also developed two digital toolkits: Ayeta, and Ripoti. This in addition to developing policy briefs, providing capacity building for key stakeholders and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on topical issues in the sector, advocating for digital rights and inclusion, undertaking strategic litigation, and connecting under-served African youth with digital opportunities. PIN also convenes the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF) with registration currently on-going ahead of the 12th Edition to be held in Lusaka, Zambia between April 29th and May 1st, 2025.
RightsCon brings together business leaders, policymakers, general counsels, government representatives, technologists, academics, journalists, and human rights advocates from around the world to tackle pressing issues at the intersection of human rights and technology.
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