Arab Forum on Digital Cooperation & Development (AFDCD 2021)

Operating under the One-UN approach, and within the framework of related track under the Arab States Action Programme on “Advancing Digital Cooperation and Development” launched by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN-ESCWA) in 2020, UN-ESCWA, in partnership with the League of Arab States (LAS) and a number of major players in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) processes, including the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), is organizing the first edition of the Arab Forum on Digital Cooperation and Development  (AFDCD 2021).

The mega-event will involve several policy dialogues and policy advocacy platforms, including:

Arab World Summit on the Information Society Forum          

The 3rd Arab High-Level Forum on WSIS and 2030 Agenda (Arab WSIS – 3), mirroring the global WSIS.

Arab Internet Governance Forum

The 6th Conference of the Arab Internet Governance Forum (Arab IGF – 6), mirroring the global IGF.

The consolidated multi-segment and multi-track mega-event aims to enable engagement, dialogue and partnership among various stakeholders and experts from the Arab region on crucial issues pertaining to digital development and digital cooperation, and to review and discuss the inter-linkages between the areas of information society, digital economy, and Internet governance with the 2030 development agenda.

Open Call for Session and Workshop Proposals

In line with the inclusive and participatory nature of the event, two open calls for submissions of session and workshop proposals are open until November 6th.

1. Call for Session Proposals to the Arab WSIS Community

All Arab WSIS stakeholders who would like to share their digital development experiences or engage in the discussions around their Arab WSIS-related thematic work, or policy-aspects pertaining to digital development and/or digital cooperation as a mean to the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, are encouraged to participate by submitting proposals for special sessions using the online form available here

2. Call for Workshop Proposals to the Arab IGF Community

The Arab IGF Community, youth in particular, is encouraged to engage in workshops around the five thematic areas namely: Global and Regional Internet Governance Ecosystems, Access and Inclusiveness, Legal, Policy and Regulatory Framework, Digital Economy and Digital Transformation and Human, Cultural and Behavioral Aspects related to Digital Platforms. Workshop proposals can be submitted using the online form available here

For additional information, please refer to the information note