RightsCon is a global leading event on human rights in the digital age hosted by Access Now. This year, the event will be taking place in San Jose’, Costa Rica and online from June 5th to 8th, 2023. The summit provides an opportunity for human rights and technology experts, government representatives and activists to discuss pressing human rights challenges and their potential solutions.
Paradigm Initiative, a leading Pan African digital rights and inclusion organisation has several sessions lined up at the event. The delegation attending the summit comprises ‘Gbenga Sesan, the Executive Director, Boye Adegoke, Senior Manager, Grants and Programs Strategy and Thobekile Matimbe, Senior Manager, Partnerships and Engagements.
At the summit, delegates will be able to gain insights from ‘Gbenga as he delves into the survival of the Internet in the age of geopolitics. Emerging leaders who are keen on rising to the helm of their organisations will also have an opportunity to ask anything in a session whose discussions are tailored towards the upcoming leaders.
Another interesting session will be one looking at the role of multinational corporations in influencing governance in Africa. Delegates will also have the opportunity to learn more about the future of Internet governance in an Internet Governance Forum (IGF) leadership panel.
At the summit Boye and Thobekile will also be hosting a Lightning Talk on Fighting Online GBV using Ayeta and RIPOTI Platforms. The two platforms have been developed by Paradigm Initiative.
Below are more details about the sessions.
Sessions with ‘Gbenga Sesan
June 6th, 2023
Session Title: Can a Free, Open, and Global Internet Survive the Age of Geopolitics?
Session: Dialogue
Time: 6:30 – 7:30pm WAT
Venue: Pizote Room
June 7th, 2023
Session Title: So You Want To Be An Executive Director? – A Session for Emerging Leaders to Ask Us Anything
Session: Dialogue
Time: 5:15 – 6:15pm WAT
Venue: Guanacaste 3
Session Title: The Future of Internet Governance – An Exchange with the IGF Leadership Panel
Session: Roundtable
Time: 7:45 – 8:45pm WAT
Venue: Libélula
June 8, 2023
Session Title: Competition for Power- The Role of Multinational Corporations in Influencing Governance in Africa
Session: Dialogue
Time: 11:30pm – June 8, 2023 12:30am WAT
Venue: Pizote
Session Title: Aligning development finance with digital rights: moving towards responsible decision-making
Session: Roundtable
Time: 2:45 – 3:45pm WAT
Venue: Online
Sessions with Thobekile Matimbe and Boye Adegoke
June 7, 2023
Session Title: (Paradigm Initiative Session) Fighting Online GBV using Ayeta and RIPOTI Platforms” (Lightning Talk)
Session: Lightning Talk
Time: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Venue: Colibri
Sessions with Thobekile Matimbe
Session Title: Blocking, throttling, and kill switches: litigating internet shutdowns in Africa
Session: Dialogue
Time: 4 – 5pm WAT
Venue: Online
June 8, 2023
Session Title: Deconstructing Digital Rights Fellowships (and re-constructing them) (private meeting)
Time: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Venue: Online
Sessions with Adeboye Adegoke
Session Title: “Revisiting the Freedom Online Coalition’s Working Group on “An Internet Free and Secure”
Time: June 8, 2023. 10:15am
Session Description: One of the most impactful set of projects from the Freedom Online Coalition was the Working Group several years ago on security and human rights called “An Internet Free and Secure.” The group produced a number of products that explored the relationship between security policy and human rights and helped bring these often disparate communities together. This session will re-examine this work, discussing current challenges and inviting stakeholders to explore ways to further utilise outputs of the Working Group to promote a rights-based approach to cybersecurity laws, practices, and policies.
Sessions with Adeboye Adegoke
Session Title: “Improving Digital Security Practices in Foreign Assistance Programs”
Date & Time: Tuesday, 6 June | 10:15 – 12:30 CST (local time)
Session Description: As state and non-state actors across the democratic spectrum increasingly engage in digital surveillance and repression in contexts around the world, the safety and security of implementing partners and beneficiaries has become more precarious.
There have been efforts made to outline the risks grantees face, as well as how donors can work with their grantees to build their digital hygiene and resilience. This event will build on these efforts by initiating discussion of donor’s practices, from strategic priority setting to project solicitation through closeout, that could introduce or exacerbate risks to grantees and beneficiaries.
The insights gleaned from this conversation will provide critical inputs for discussions within donor agencies. They will also inform initial negotiations around a set of Donor Principles for the Digital Age, which will outline normative parameters for rights-respecting donor investments and engagements in digital contexts. The Donor Principles are USAID’s Summit for Democracy deliverable under the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal, and are being drafted and negotiated in the Freedom Online Coalition with multi stakeholder input.
Format: In Person