Internet Governance Forum 2022: A chance to work together toward guaranteeing universal digital rights for all

This November 28 – December 2, 2022, people and organizations from all over the world will come together in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for the 17th Internet Governance Forum (IGF), and Equality Now and Women Leading in AI will be there, connecting, and fostering discussion on the need to guarantee universal digital rights for all in order to connect people and safeguard human rights.

The digital age is a reality; with its advance, the boundary between our physical and digital worlds is becoming increasingly blurred, yet regulation of the digital world is inconsistent and ineffective, and those who are most profoundly affected by this are the people, groups, and communities with the least power and privilege. To achieve universal equality of safety, freedom, and dignity in our digital future, we need a universal approach to defining, upholding, and advancing digital rights – for everyone.

This is why it’s so important that the conversation about guaranteeing digital rights be fully present in the agendas of policy-makers and international organizations. And it’s why Equality Now and Women Leading in AI are excited by the opportunity of the IGF to connect with others who want to co-create legal, ethical, and technical solutions to address current and future harms in the digital realm. We want to make sure that the perspectives of women, girls, and other discriminated-against groups from every part of the world are fed into the consultation on the Global Digital Compact, and included in the development of policies and laws so that the internet and digital technology works in our interests, not against them.

Where to find us at the IGF

• Thursday, December 1st: Join the Government of Spain, Equality Now, and Women Leading in AI on Thursday, December 1st, from 1:45-2:45 PM CET, where we will be holding an Open Forum discussing why in working to connect all people and safeguarding human rights, bold, transformative, and universally agreed digital rights are needed.
• Friday, December 2nd: Join Ivana Bartoletti, co-founder of Women Leadig in AI and Author of An Artificial Revolution- on power, politics and AI at a Lightning Talk, “A Global Framework to AI Transparency”  at  11.15am CET
• Daily during the IGF: We will be attending the full range of activities at the IGF, and we look forward to connecting in person and online. Look for us:

  • Equality Now: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
  • Women Leading in AI: Twitter | LinkedIn 
  • Alliance for Universal Digital Rights (AUDRi): Twitter | LinkedIn

What’s next for digital rights?

As Equality Now, we remain committed to making equality a reality, which is why we recently joined with Women Leading in AI to form the Alliance for Universal Digital Rights (AUDRi) to call for the adoption of a universal framework of digital rights rooted in human rights law and supported by an intersectional feminist analysis against discrimination.

AUDRi exists to:

• Convene individuals to collect knowledge and evidence of the opportunities and challenges presented by digital technologies and networks, particularly for women, girls, and others from discriminated groups
• Co-create legal, ethical, and technical solutions for potential harms, identified through collaboration with those whose vision is informed by lived experience and expert understanding; and
•  Advocate for the global adoption of a human rights-based intersectional feminist approach to designing, developing, and regulating digital technologies and networks.