Building Information for All (IFAP) through good evidence for advancing digital governance and development in Latin America and the Caribbean

On the occasion of ICEGOV 2023, UNESCO Information for All Programme (IFAP) and Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br | NIC.br) jointly organize this roundtable, to raise awareness of applying good evidence-based approach and measurements  for fostering a more democratic, equitable and inclusive Internet society in Latin America and Caribbean. 

Created by UNESCO Member States in 2001, IFAP provides a framework for international co-operation and partnerships aimed at building inclusive and sustainable Knowledge Societies. Central to IFAP’s contributions are its support to digital policy empowerment and capacity building, as well as the generation of robust evidence for humanistic Internet and digital development. 

As highlighted in its new IFAP Strategic Plan 2023-2029,  IFAP aims to mainstream principles and policies for inclusive, equitable, and sustainable Knowledge Societies into national development plans and digital transformation processes, including employing measurement frameworks to address digital inequalities between and within countries and communities. IFAP thus promotes a number of UNESCO’s  related principles and measurement frameworks, to assess national digital ecosystems as well as institutional and individual capacities, and works extensively with partners and stakeholders to promote evidence-based digital governance, on the basis of indicator frameworks such as the UN E-Government Survey with UNDESA.  

The session will also trigger discussion on the UN Secretary-General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation by raising awareness of the importance of the Global Digital Compact (GDC), and how to formulate multi-stakeholder collaboration and enhance evidence-based policy recommendations emerging from indicator assessments at national level as well as conducting foresighted Policy studies on the implications of emerging technologies to ensure an emphasis on universal meaningful access to information. 

Objectives for the participants

• Present IFAP Strategic Plan 2023-2029 and sensitize governments and communities about the value of information to underpin development policies,  particularly to advance  towards  inclusive,  equitable  and  sustainable Knowledge  Societies.
• Showcase key achievements, findings, recommendations, and follow-up of indicators assessments of digital development in Latin America and Caribbean (LAC), and share best practices of LAC and other regions on the implementation of evidence-based recommendations to strengthen digital policy. 
• Reflect on the relevance of evidence to digital policymaking in LAC countries, and discuss how to strengthen evidence to contribute to effective policies in face of the rapid development and unprecedented challenges of digital transformation.