Events for September 29th, 2023 - September 29th, 2023 › WSIS Forum 2023

Cybersecurity special track Can cyber technology be resilient and green? There are some key events that have characterised the recent period one of these is the so-called ... Read more digital transformation considered the natural evolution of the current society in the light of a pervasive technology like digital technology. Digital technology is intertwined with almost all the life sectors. Since the dawn of digital technology, the number of application and solutions based on such technology had a surprising rate of growth. Nowadays there is no field of human knowledge that doesn’t take advantage or is based on digital: communication, education, government, health, energy, mobility, etc.. We are increasing leaving the analog, face to face, paper-based world to enter the intangible digital mediated one. At the same time, society already faced several relevant cyber infrastructure malfunctions and attacks due to hackers, some targeting Governmental or Law Enforcement agencies and Institutions, some targeting critical infrastructures, others targeting big companies. Nowadays we are surrounded by “critical infrastructures” managed by cyber components that, in case of attacks, may create minor or mayor impacts on our daily life. The actual trend is to transfer to the digital domain as much as possible any “traditional” process and document, so in a glimpse government procedures and citizens documents and data will flow in the format of bit streams, sometimes, under the pressure of critical events this process wasn’t designed to ensure security. Consequently, the more we become digitalised, the more we are vulnerable to hackers and hybrid threats. Of course, the overall scenario includes many other aspects and “shades”. In the “analogue” world we had different pipelines and “channels” to perform, thanks to different tools and means, our activities, in the cyber world the whole activity depends on a single “pillar”: cyber technology. The pervasiveness of cyber technology, the internet and the quick deployment of emerging number crunching applications is emphasizing energy consumption, at the same time the rapid pace of innovation in the field of consumers’ devices produces significant amount of waste to be recycled or disposed. As a consequence, can cyber technology be considered green and resilient?

The U4SSC is the United Nations United for Smart and Sustainability initative. The State of Geneva (canton de Genève) recently passed the UN ITU U4SSC ... Read more audit for Smart and Sustainable cities. We will share key findings from this verification. We will look at best practices your City & State can leverage from this exercise. We will share how the State of Geneva engages with Innovation stakeholders to address its most pressing sustainability challenges in the energy sector.

Open Health Network Session 169 Open Space Talks The healthcare needs of people in underserved communities around the world are vast and urgent. Addressing these needs requires a ... Read more multifaceted approach that includes improving access to healthcare services, addressing maternal and child health challenges, combatting infectious diseases, and strengthening healthcare infrastructure. Technologies can play a crucial role in improving healthcare for people in underserved communities around the world. Here are some ways in which technologies can help: Telemedicine: Telemedicine enables healthcare professionals to provide medical consultations, advice, and treatment remotely, using digital technologies such as video conferencing and messaging apps. This technology can be particularly beneficial for people living in remote areas with limited access to healthcare services. Mobile Health (mHealth) Applications: mHealth applications allow patients to monitor their health, receive medical advice, and access healthcare services using mobile devices. These apps can be especially useful in underserved communities, where access to healthcare services may be limited. Electronic Health Records (EHRs): EHRs can help healthcare providers to manage patient data and medical records more efficiently. This technology can enable healthcare providers to provide more accurate diagnoses and treatments, as well as facilitate better communication between healthcare professionals. Wearable Devices: Wearable devices such as smartwatches and fitness trackers can help patients to monitor their health and wellbeing, including tracking vital signs such as heart rate and blood pressure. This technology can help patients to identify potential health issues early and take steps to address them. Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI can help healthcare providers to identify patterns and trends in patient data, enabling them to make more accurate diagnoses and develop more effective treatment plans. AI can also be used to develop predictive models that can help healthcare providers to identify patients who are at risk of developing certain health conditions. Blockchain: Blockchain technology can help to secure and manage patient data, improving data privacy and security. This technology can also enable patients to share their health data with healthcare providers securely, ensuring that healthcare professionals have access to the most up-to-date and accurate information. Overall, technologies can be a powerful tool for improving healthcare in underserved communities around the world. By leveraging these technologies, healthcare providers can deliver better care to more people, regardless of their location or socioeconomic status. In this session we will review existing and new technologies, discuss their use in healthcare and impact on health of people in underserved communities around the world. Review challenges and opportunities. Tatyana Kanzaveli CEO Open Health Network, USA Moderator Tatyana Kanzaveli has gone from a programmer to senior executive at Big 5 to founder and CEO of a startup company along her 20 year career,recognized as a thought leader, mentor for her ability to guide Fortune 500 and startup companies through business challenges. She’s worked for major companies like PricewaterhouseCoopers and Fujitsu and startups in the early days of the Web. Tatyana has personally helped companies jump from 0 to millions in revenue even during the toughest economic times. She opened new verticals and markets. Today she is the founder and CEO of Open Health Network, the startup in a Big Data, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare space. PatientSphere by Open Health Network has been featured in Venture Beat, Mobile Health News, and other prominent publications. She is a mentor at 500Startups and Richard Branson Entrepreneurs Centre and serves on boards for private companies. She also is licensee and organizer of highly notable TEDxBayArea conferences, she is a frequent speaker at US and International conferences on innovation, entrepreneurship and digital health. Tatyana has been featured in the White House blog , spoke at the United Nations, presented at the first White House Demo Day hosted by the President Obama, did a TEDx talk; keynoted at WEBIT, WSIS and other international conferences. Tatyana has been recognized as one of the top 10 Influential Women in Healthcare IT in 2015 and by Forbes as one of the top 50 women-led startup in tech founders. In 2022 Tatyana has been named as one of top 25 Women In AI in Healthcare and Pharma. Tatyana was USSR chess champion, played in the same team with Gary Kasparov, she loves to cook and kayak. Shuchi Rana Global Head of Whitespace Intelligence ServiceNow, US Shuchi brings 20 years of Silicon Valley and Cross-border experience in various sectors, with a focus on Technology and Impact. She is currently the Global Head of Whitespace Intelligence at ServiceNow, where she focuses on co-innovation with the healthcare organizations around the world, among others, to solve for some of the biggest challenges faced by the industry. Shuchi has previously served as the GM for VentureBeat Transform and as the Head of GTM for HeadSpin, a google backed startup. Prior to that she was the Head of SAP.iO Foundry at SAP, a strategic program that invests in and accelerates Enterprise Software Startups. In her role she helped enterprise startups go to market with SAP, and some of SAP’s largest customers with their digital transformation. In her previous roles she has led operations, funding diligence & M&A for startups. Over the course of her career, she has worked with great entrepreneurs and mentored and advised Startups out of Startup Weekend, Women 2.0, Founder Labs, Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center, and others. She is a big advocate of anti-recidivism, inclusion and has worked with the likes of UCLA, Anti-Recidivism Coalition, and the Tech/Startup ecosystems to create opportunities for at-risk and underserved communities. She was named a Digital Leader by the United Nations Foundation. Katerina Botsiou Communications Consultant World Health Organization Katerina is a Communications professional with a passion for humanitarian work and a specific focus on serving underprivileged populations. She currently works with the World Health Organization on various digital projects, leveraging technology to make a positive impact in the world and help people live longer, healthier lives. Katerina is approaching challenges with creativity and fresh ideas. She is committed to making a positive impact in the world through her work, and she believes that by using technology and innovation, we can make a difference in the lives of people who need it most. In the past, she has worked with several notable United Nations agencies, including the United Nations Office at Geneva, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), and the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). Katerina has a background in the Arts, owns more books than she can count and aspires to publish her own book soon. Simone St Claire Technical Officer World Health Organization, Switzerland Simone St. Claire is a public health expert and World Health Organization consultant.

A survey conducted by the Central Statistics Bureau (BPS) Indonesia reveals that the number of people with disabilities in Indonesia reached around 22.5 million people ... Read more in 2022. This number has increased from 2021 which amounted to 16.5 million. Unfortunately, this trend isn't matched by the level of productivity of persons with disabilities in Indonesia. The same research shows that only 7.6 million out of 17 million persons with disabilities of productive age are working. The low participation of persons with disabilities in the workforce is caused by the emergence of the industrial revolution 4.0, which prioritizes digital talent as an absolute requirement for competent human resources. Even the need for digital talent is projected to be at least 600,000 people each year (Ministry of Communication and Informatics Republic of Indonesia, 2022) On the other hand, a study found out that there’s still a digital divide between persons with disabilities and non-disabilities in Indonesia (Prestianta et. al, 2018). According to Windasari et. al (2011), this digital divide includes three aspects, namely, gaps in accessing technology which cause differences in distribution of information, gaps in technology use skills, and gaps in utilizing information obtained from the internet. However, this problem can be overcomed by providing education and training about digital technology that is focused and specific for those who are excluded. This is also regulated in Law number 8 year 2016, where public policies and programs must be inclusive and accessible to persons with disabilities in Indonesia. Seeing the gap between the needs of digital talents and the digital competencies of persons with disabilities, the Ministry of Communication and Informatics of Republic Indonesia (Kominfo) in collaboration with the National Movement for Digital Literacy (GNLD) Siberkreasi initiated an inclusive digital literacy program for persons with disabilities. This program is aimed to increase persons with disabilities’s awareness about the importance of digital competence and to equip them with appropriate digital skills By holding this forum we hoped that we can provide an overview to the audiences regarding Indonesia's efforts in strengthening collaboration with multistakeholders on providing equal access to digital literacy for persons with disabilities in Indonesia. Ultimately, it is hoped that there will be discussions with the participants in overcoming the problem of inequality of access faced by persons with disabilities.

Since over five years, our Swiss partner Swiss Engineering Geneva has experienced a few workshops in classrooms at primary schools in Geneva, targeting young girls ... Read more and boys aged 10-12 years. The objective is to raise awareness on gender stereotypes in STEM* careers (Science Technology Engineering Maths) in a session of a maximum of two sessions: (1) First of all, we help deconstruct gender stereotypes linked to technical professions: we, women, explain what we do as an engineer, a technician in our daily job, and thus we push the role models forward as we are under the spotlight; (2) The second part of the workshop is devoted to an exercise in electrical circuit assembly, bringing the kids to work in a team of 4 mixed people, each one having a role with simple technical instructions. So far, nearly 2’000 young students in Geneva were reached thanks to our partnership where WOMENVAI brings in the method and the technical elements of the technical game. We have also experienced the same exercise, but focused on girls only, in Mauritania (2021) and Benin (2022) where more than 100 girls attended our KIDsVAI workshop, with the support of the local education authorities and our ambassadors.

What are standards developers and users doing today to address sustainability and climate change? There is a technological transformation underway that inspires pioneering opportunities and ... Read more encourages evolutionary innovation. Global standards leverage these advancements using the application of ethical design criteria for products and services and take into consideration the need to consider today’s challenges in support of a globally sustainable and resilient future. In short, they provide a way forward in sustainable development. This panel will cover how technological innovations and the application of ethical design principles based on recognized international standards and best practices can be used to address the challenges being faced by stakeholders as they look to implement policies and recommend approaches that support a sustainable and resilient environment to meet the SDGs and address the climate change agenda. The workshop will focus on best practices and standards for addressing sustainability, environmental stewardship, and climate change challenges through a pragmatic lens – bringing in IEEE standard P7800™ for Addressing Sustainability, Environmental Stewardship and Climate Change Challenges in Professional Practice, and IEEE P7010.1™ on Environmental Social Governance (ESG) and Social Development Goal (SDG) Action Implementation and Advancing Corporate Social Responsibility, as the framework for an open and interactive discussion. It will include a focus on how stakeholders can leverage and use resources and communities to help hasten the achievement of the SDGs in an environment when more than ever breakthroughs on collaboration, collective action, communication, governance, and business model reforms are needed to be aligned with technologically sound solutions and innovations that can be adopted and practically deployed.

Raising Environmental Awareness in the Classroom Education plays a vital role in preparing children and young people for the future, equipping them with important skills, knowledge, ... Read more and values. However, complex subjects such as diversity, sustainability can be difficult to teach. Storytelling helps students understand these challenging subjects by conveying complex information in an engaging and easy to understand format. When students participate in the process of storytelling, they can share their perspectives and find solutions to complex challenges. By incorporating technology into the storytelling process, students can create their own stories in an immersive, multisensory and interactive environment, developing their digital and creative skills, while also building empathy for their subject matter. In this session, we will examine the use of Extended Reality (XR) technology developed in the EU funded projects GreenSCENT (Grant no. 101036480) and MediaVerse (Grant No 957252) to raise awareness on environmental and diversity issues in the classroom, taking the example of a workshop carried out with 20 secondary school students between the ages of 15-16, in Barcelona, Spain as part of the ITACA campus initiative. Using both the GreenVerse and the MediaVerse platforms. These platform share the same functions as interactive and immersive storytelling set of tools. Students were asked to identify and propose solutions to an environmental issue. Divided into groups of five, students created their own interactive story, drawing on a mixture of 360 and 2D videos and photographs. In this session, we will describe the methodology and results of the workshop, drawing on group discussions and students’ stories as our main research data. We will end this workshop by reflecting on the results of this initiative and suggest possible ways in which to integrate interactive and immersive storytelling digital tools into mainstream teaching as a way to raise environmental awareness and foster empathy for people with disabilities.

Ansgar Roald Koene Global AI Ethics and Regulatory Leader Belgium Moderator Dr. Ansgar Koene is Global AI Ethics and Regulatory Leader at EY (Ernst & Young) where he leads ... Read more the AI related public policy team and contributes to the work on AI governance and EY’s Trusted AI framework. As part of this work, he represents EY at the OECD Working Party on AI and Governance and the Business at OECD Committee on Digital Economic Policy (BIAC CDEP). Ansgar chaired the IEEE P7003 Standard for Algorithmic Bias Considerations working group and is a co-convener for the CEN-CENELEC JTC21 “AI” committee’s work on AI conformity assessment. He is a trustee for the 5Rights foundation for the Rights of Young People Online and advises on AI and Data Ethics for the pan-African NGO AfroLeadership and the smart-mobility start-up Hayden AI. Ansgar has a multi-disciplinary research background, having worked and published on topics ranging from Policy and Governance of Algorithmic Systems (AI), data-privacy, AI Ethics, AI Standards, bio-inspired Robotics, AI and Computational Neuroscience to experimental Human Behaviour/Perception studies. He holds an MSc in Electrical Engineering and a PhD in Computational Neuroscience. Ahmed Imran Assistant Professor University of Canberra, Australia Dr Ahmed Imran is an Information Systems researcher at the University of Canberra who leads the interdisciplinary research cluster of Digital inequality and Social change (Rc-disc). Ahmed’s research interests include the strategic use of IT, eGovernment, ICT4D and the socio-cultural impact of ICT and organizational transformation impacted by ICT. Dr Imran has garnered over a decade of academic experience in two of Australia’s leading Universities (ANU and UNSW) before moving to UC and has published in top-tier journals. His vast experience as an IT manager as well as his work in developing countries became invaluable for research, and in understanding and providing a rich insight into the socio-cultural context through multiple lenses, resulting in interdisciplinary research opportunities. Dr. Imran’s research has proven to bring real-world applications to the table, something that cemented its importance and relevance in the eyes of the research community.

Public Engagement A public engagement on the topic of robotics in health care. The Medical Internet of Things MIoT will bring advanced technological devices into the ... Read more home. Hospital @ home care is here. Robotics are being used in hospitals, rehabilitation and research centers. What are the benefits and risks for users such as caregivers and patients? What ethical matters should be considered?