| APrIGF 2024 Session Proposal Submission Form | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1 - Lead Organizer | |||||||||||||||
| Contact Person | |||||||||||||||
| Mr. Omar Ansari | |||||||||||||||
| Organization / Affiliation (Please state "Individual" if appropriate) * | |||||||||||||||
| APNIC Foundation | |||||||||||||||
| Designation | |||||||||||||||
| Digital Leap South Asia Project Lead | |||||||||||||||
| Gender | |||||||||||||||
| Male | |||||||||||||||
| Economy of Residence | |||||||||||||||
| Australia | |||||||||||||||
| Primary Stakeholder Group | |||||||||||||||
| Technical Community | |||||||||||||||
| List Your Organizing Partners (if any) | |||||||||||||||
| Raj Singh, CEO, APNIC Foundation, raj.singh@apnic.net |
|||||||||||||||
| Part 2 - Session Proposal | |||||||||||||||
| Session Title | |||||||||||||||
| Digital Leap- Enhancing Connectivity in South Asia | |||||||||||||||
| Session Format | |||||||||||||||
| Panel Discussion (60 minutes) | |||||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||||
| South Asia is home to a staggering 57% of the world’s offline population, accounting for over 1.49 billion individuals, as reported by the ITU's 2022 World Telecom/ICT Indicators Database. In five South Asian economies—Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and India—over 50% of the population remains offline. Bridging this digital gap is imperative not only for ensuring equitable access to information and opportunities, but also for fostering social inclusion and economic development. Specific Issues for Discussion: Organised by APNIC Foundation’s Digital Leap South Asia Project, the session will explore multifaceted challenges hindering Internet connectivity in South Asia and explore actionable strategies to address them. Key topics for discussion include: - Current State of Connectivity: Understanding existing Internet access disparities in South Asia, including limitations in infrastructure, gaps in digital literacy, and issues related to affordability. - Policy Frameworks and Regulatory Measures: Assessing the effectiveness of current policies in promoting connectivity and digital inclusion, and discussing the need for adaptive frameworks to foster innovation while safeguarding consumer rights and privacy. - Innovative Technologies: Highlighting technologies like fiber, wireless, satellite, and community networks, and discussing their potential to extend Internet access to underserved communities. - Partnerships for Accelerating Connectivity: Exploring the role of public-private partnerships and regional cooperation initiatives in accelerating connectivity efforts, and identifying opportunities for stakeholder engagement and resource mobilisation. - Role of Regional Internet Registry and Foundations: Introducing the contributions of organisations, such as RIRs, in capacity-building, policy reform, and infrastructure development in South Asia. |
|||||||||||||||
| Describe the Relevance of Your Session to APrIGF | |||||||||||||||
| The season is directly relevant to APrIGF theme of “Evolving Ecosystems, Enduring Principles: Shaping Responsible Internet Governance” and its thematic track of Resilience. South Asia, hosting the world’s largest offline population, faces significant challenges in Internet connectivity, hindering social inclusion and economic development. This session aims to address these challenges by discussing the current state of connectivity, digital infrastructure, policy and skills in the region. It seeks to identify actionable strategies, policy recommendations, and foster collaboration among stakeholders to accelerate connectivity efforts. Furthermore, the session will explore innovative technologies and successful initiatives from within the region and globally aiming to promote Internet access, digital inclusion and socio-economic development in South Asia. Through discussions on policy frameworks, regulatory measures, and partnerships, the session will contribute to shaping responsible Internet governance principles. Lastly, it will provide networking opportunities for stakeholders to forge partnerships, share resources, and collaborate on future initiatives, aligning with the overarching theme and expected outcomes of the APrIGF. |
|||||||||||||||
| Methodology / Agenda (Please add rows by clicking "+" on the right) | |||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
| Moderators & Speakers Info (Please complete where possible) | |||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
| Please explain the rationale for choosing each of the above contributors to the session. | |||||||||||||||
| The selection of contributors for this session was based on their expertise, experience, and relevance to the topic of enhancing connectivity in South Asia. Each contributor brings unique perspectives and insights that contribute to the richness and depth of the discussion. Moderator: Omar Ansari was chosen as the facilitator for this session due to his extensive experience in Internet governance, connectivity issues, and facilitating discussions on complex topics. He recently served as the head of Afghanistan’s telecom regulator and is leading the APNIC Foundation's Digital Leap South Asia Project. His background in business, policy, and regulatory equips him with the necessary skills to guide the conversation, ensure inclusivity, and facilitate meaningful dialogue among participants. Facilitator, Lima Madomi, worked with the IGF secretariat as a fellow, is a student of technology focusing on AI and brings years of experience in project and event management. Panel Speakers: 1. Raj Singh (Australia) brings a wealth of experience as a technology industry thought leader with extensive involvement in the Asia-Pacific region. His background in business management, strategy development, and leadership roles in different sectors provides a deep understanding of the region's complexities and challenges. His advocacy for an open, secure, and accessible internet aligns perfectly with the session's objectives. 2. Mohamed Shareef (Maldives) has expertise in policy frameworks, regulatory measures, and successful infrastructure initiatives related to internet connectivity in South Asia. Mohamed's role as Director of Government & Int. Relations at OXIQA and previous ministerial experience make him a valuable speaker for the session. 3. Amrita Choudhury’s (India) extensive experience in digital programs, community engagement, and advocacy for digital inclusion in South Asia aligns well with the session's objectives. As Director of CCAOI and holding various leadership positions in internet governance organizations, her expertise adds significant value to the discussion. 4. Mahesh Uppal (India) with his over 25 years of expertise in telecom and internet policy, regulation, and strategy made invaluable contributions to Internet development. His work in leveraging telecom for development and his contributions to establishing the telecom regulator of India (TRAI) make him a renowned figure in India's Internet sector. 5. Waqas Hassan (Pakistan) has a background of working with government and civil society. He is an Internet Governance expert and active in various international forums such as ITU, APT, GSMA, APrIGF, ICANN etc. Currently, he is responsible for international coordination, capacity building, partnerships and collaborative engagements at the telecom regulator. Each speaker brings a unique perspective and expertise to the session, ensuring a comprehensive exploration of the challenges, opportunities, and strategies for enhancing connectivity. 6. Aimal Marjan (UK/Afghanistan) is former deputy minister IT of Afghanistan. He has over 20 years of experience coordinating globally-scaled projects and teams. Utilizes holistic analytics tools to assess client needs and develop customized support addressing current and preventive measures. Develops state-of-the-art ICT and Digital Infrastructure, Digital Public Services, and Information Systems, including drafting policies and procedures, regulatory compliance, and contract negotiation. |
|||||||||||||||
| 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. | |||||||||||||||
| Could you please add Aimal Marjan to the speaker list, his email address is below: - Name: Aimal Marjan - Title: Digital Policy and Analysis Consultant (Fiji and The Solomons Islands), ITU - Email: aimal.marjan@gmail.com - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aimal-marjan-70328814/ |
|||||||||||||||
| Please declare if you have any potential conflict of interest with the Program Committee 2024. | |||||||||||||||
| No | |||||||||||||||
| Are you or other session contributors planning to apply for the APrIGF Fellowship Program 2024? | |||||||||||||||
| Yes | |||||||||||||||
| APrIGF offers live transcript in English for all sessions. Do you need any other translation support or any disability related requests for your session? APrIGF makes every effort to be a fully inclusive and accessible event, and will do the best to fulfill your needs. | |||||||||||||||
| Not sure yet | |||||||||||||||
| 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 2024. |
|||||||||||||||