Proposal

APrIGF 2023 Session Proposal Submission Form
Part 1 - Lead Organizer
Contact Person
Ms. Gayatri Khandhadai
Email
Organization / Affiliation (Please state "Individual" if appropriate) *
Buiness and Human Rights Resource Centre
Designation
Head of Technology and Human Rights
Gender
Female
Economy of Residence
Mauritius
Primary Stakeholder Group
Civil Society
Part 2 - Session Proposal
Session Title
Unpacking stakeholder enagement with the private sector
Session Format
Workshop
Where do you plan to organize your session?
Onsite at the venue (with online moderator for questions and comments from remote participants)
Specific Issues for Discussion
Information Communication Technologies companies have determining effects across personal, professional, social and political facets of our lives. While increased productivity, access to information and efficiency are hallmarks of the expansive ICT sector, so too are the negative consequences of many of its products and services. Against this background, the role of civil society in calling for corporate accountability and transparency remains both vitally important and uniquely challenging. Simultaneously, companies have increasingly attempted to put in place human rights policies and engage with civil society.
In recent years, human rights defenders have sought to engage with ICT companies to ensure users’ rights are protected. Their experiences make clear that despite these efforts, tech companies have a significant accountability gap to close. HRDs report that the challenges faced by digital rights groups working to hold companies accountable in the Global South primarily relate to opaque business practices, inaccessible of company structures, limited internal capacity, a lack of whistleblower protections and pervasive discriminatory practices.
Against this backdrop, the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre seeks to bring together CSOs and representatives of companies to discuss challenges in, strategies and best practices for engagement with tech companies. This will be an open exchange and interactive session with an introduction from the moderator, followed by a guided discussion with all the participants in the room on the following questions:
1. What are the current challenges we are facing with holding tech companies accountable?
2. What are some positive examples from tech companies?
3. What is the change we want to see?
4. What do we need to achieve this change?
The aim of the session is to build better understanding between companies and civil society towards building capacity for meaningful stakeholder engagement.
Describe the Relevance of Your Session to APrIGF
The ecosystem for internet governance is determined by adequate inclusion of all stakeholders and meaningful engagement. This goes to the heart of inclusion and trust. Unless civil society voices are accounted for by companies, trust in corporate accountability cannot be developed.
Methodology / Agenda (Please add rows by clicking "+" on the right)
Time frame (e.g. 5 minutes, 20 minutes, should add up to 60 minutes) Description
60 minutes Open discussion and brainstorming
Moderators & Speakers Info (Please complete where possible)

  • Moderator (Primary)

    • Name: Gayatri Khandhadai
    • Organization: BHRRC
    • Designation: Head of Technology and Human Rights
    • Gender: Female
    • Economy / Country of Residence: Mauritius
    • Stakeholder Group: Select One
    • Expected Presence: Select One
    • Status of Confirmation: Select One

  • Moderator (Facilitator)

    • Stakeholder Group: Select One
    • Expected Presence: Select One
    • Status of Confirmation: Select One

  • Speaker 1

    • Stakeholder Group: Select One
    • Expected Presence: Select One
    • Status of Confirmation: Select One

  • Speaker 2

    • Stakeholder Group: Select One
    • Expected Presence: Select One
    • Status of Confirmation: Select One

  • Speaker 3

    • Stakeholder Group: Select One
    • Expected Presence: Select One
    • Status of Confirmation: Select One

  • Speaker 4

    • Stakeholder Group: Select One
    • Expected Presence: Select One
    • Status of Confirmation: Select One
Please explain the rationale for choosing each of the above contributors to the session.
Gayatri Khandhadai has authored a recent report titled Dismantling the facade: A global south perspective on the state of engagement with tech companies (https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/from-us/briefings/dismantling-the-facade-a-global-south-perspective-on-the-state-of-engagement-with-tech-companies/). She has hosted multiple conversations/discussion on this topic and has helped civil society members strategies for corporate accountability in the tech sector.
If you need assistance to find a suitable speaker to contribute to your session, or an onsite facilitator for your online-only session, please specify your request with details of what you are looking for.
It would be great to reach out to companies participating at the Forum to have them in the room to share their perspectives.
Please declare if you have any potential conflict of interest with the Program Committee 2023.
No
Are you or other session contributors planning to apply for the APrIGF Fellowship Program 2023?
No
Number of Attendees (Please fill in numbers)
    Gender Balance in Moderators/Speakers (Please fill in numbers)
      Consent
      I agree that my data can be submitted to forms.for.asia and processed by APrIGF organizers for the program selection of APrIGF 2023.