ICTworks

I made a quick video that guides you through each day and highlights sessions that I want to attend. I’ve also listed those sessions below, to help you plan your Wednesday and Thursday participation. Remember – the GDDF 2022 Platform is Open Now! You can log in today to start planning your learning journey, RSVPing to sessions, and jumping into Networking conversations.

May 4 2022

The forum starts at 4:00 GMT just so our friends in South/Southeast Asia can participate in their work day. Stay up late/wake up early to join them for sessions like these, as the forum moves around the globe, with workday sessions for Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

• 4:00 GMT: Keynote Digital Democracy: Insights from Sri Lanka’s #GotaGoHome Protests: We begin #GDDF2022 with a conversation with two Sri Lankan media professionals on a range of digital tools to organize, document and amplify protests .
• 4:30 GMT: Lightning Talks We will have sets of five lightning talks throughout the day. Sisters of Code: The First Female Coding Club in Cambodia will share experience of creating and running the first female coding club in Cambodia to grow a new generation of digital creators.
• 5:00 GMT: The Wickedness of Exclusion in Digital Development: Engage with experts on digital gender inclusion, inclusion and diversity in artificial intelligence, disability and digital development, participatory approaches in digital development, and complexity of digital inclusion.
• 6:30 GMT: How Can You Influence the Future of Elections? A 55min-long voyage into internet shutdowns, AI-powered citizen engagement platforms, and disinformation on social media with UK’s FCDO and partner organisations working on elections around the world.
• 7:30 GMT: Behind the Screen’s with Africa’s Digital Economy Champions Explore perspectives from digital economy champions who have been laboring behind the user interfaces and screens to seed and sustain inclusive growth through digital transformation and innovation.
• 9:00GMT: Funding for Locally-Led Digital Development Organizations: I’ll be leading a discussion with innovative leaders of novel efforts that are creating new investments in digitally-powered solutions to development challenges. Join us to explore how you can find new resources.
• 10:00 GMT: Keynote Conversation with Doreen Bogdan-Marin of the ITU will discuss it’s critical role in closing the digital divide, and how the development community can engage with Partner2Connect, to connect the billions of people who remain offline.
• 10:30 GMT Lightning Talks: Decolonizing the Internet: Barriers Faced in Promoting Local Languages Online will uncover the role that language plays in promoting digital inclusion and practical challenges that people face in using language as a tool to decolonize the Internet.
• 11:00 GMT: USAID Digital Development Advisors will focus on the work of DDAs in four USAID missions who support the implementation of the USAID Digital Strategy through specific digital interventions and advise on digital approaches and best practices.
• 13:00 GMT: Keynote Embracing Today’s Digital Age: USAID Administrator Samantha Power will reflect on the growing importance of digital development in achieving USAID’s new vision for inclusive development and the critical role of locally-led organizations and technology startups.
• 14:00 GMT How to Prioritize and Sustain Cybersecurity in International Development? We’ll discuss how to plan for comprehensive and sustainable cybersecurity programs, while balancing competing priorities and the promise of doing no harm.
• 16:00 GMT: Keynote Satellites, AI, and Tree Saplings: will will discuss how satellites constellations and artificial intelligence are helping more projects and businesses plan and track agroforestry interventions and landscape restoration programs.
• 17:00 GMT Build Your Own Chatbot in 30 Minutes: Join this session learn the basics, capabilities, design and value of incorporating a chatbot to a given solution and have a step-by-step plan to create one in your program.
• 18:30 GMT How Technology Can Mitigate the Effects of Conflict and Climate Change: How can policy, technology, and stabilization expertise view complex climate-conflict relationship in Liberia and Mozambique, and use satellite technology and locally-sourced reporting tools for change.

May 5 2022

My personal Day 2 of the forum unofficial starts with an independent side session and then moves into another day of great content!

• 11:30 GMT: Strategies for Addressing Mis and Dis-information in Eastern and Central Europe: At this independent side session (please RSVP separately), learn from those on the front lines how you can help build trust and civil society literacy for authentic information in your programs.
• 13:00 GMT: Web3 Keynote Presentation & Panel Discussion Explore how the emergence of web3, decentralized finance, and cryptocurrency economies could create powerful new models to transform economic development and unlock new tools for strengthening democracy.
• 14:00 GMT: Can a Crypto DAO Spur Climate Change Action? Can a Distributed Autonomous Organization (DAO) that used blockchain-based evaluations and cryptocurrencies impact climate change? Can we create this idea in 55 minutes or less? Join us to find out!
• 15:00 GMT: Blockchain. Emergent or Divergent? Learn about cryptocurrency, CDBCs, Stablecoins, and Blockchain FinTech, some of the most misunderstood technologies in the digital development sector, and how to use them in your development solutions.
• 16:00 GMT: Keynote Making WhatsApp Work for Social Impact: Hear directly from WhatsApp on how the platform can be used to advance social impact around the world, with a new pricing model designed specifically for eligible nonprofits and civic actors.

These are my picks. Log into the GDDF Platform and find yours now. You can RSVP to them today and check out the Tech Demos featuring new and innovative solutions to your development problems.