About DRIF23
The Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF) is a platform where conversations on digital policy in Africa are shaped, policy directions debated and partnerships forged for action.
The 9th edition of the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum will take place between April 12th-14th 2023 under the theme: “ Building A Sustainable Internet for All”. The discussion will be attended by multi-country communities that contribute to promoting digital rights and inclusion in Africa.
The DRIF23 event will involve physical convening in Nairobi, Kenya at Sarova Stanley Hotel with participation from Non-Government Organisations, Civil Society Organisations, academia, and policy makers.
WOUGNET’s Participation at DRIF23
WOUGNET will participate in four sessions namely; “Gender Justice is Under Attack: Countering Online Gender Backlash in Africa, Internet Access and Marginalisation in Africa, Evading Accountability through internet shutdowns in Africa and the Middle East and What Does Inclusion Look Like on Wikipedia.”
WOUGNET will be participating because it will be a discussion that rhymes with our priorities of women’s rights online focusing on digital rights and inclusion, specifically cybersecurity, gender digital divide, ICT policy advocacy, and online gender-based violence. These priorities are met through making meaningful and visible inclusion through active participation of all women and girls in the digital spaces and platforms, and usage of ICTs to enhance gender equity and justice in Uganda.
Sessions WOUGNET is Organising and Participating in
Thursday 13th April 2023
DRIF23: Internet Access and Marginalization in Africa: Experiences within Africa
Time: 09:00am-10:00am EAT
Session Format: Panel discussion, Lecture/Lightning talk about issues of connectivity in Africa and the world at large.
This session will focus on providing a platform to interrogate barriers to internet access and the exclusive effects as well as provide solutions and recommendations to the issues of internet connectivity across Africa.
Click here for more:https://drif.paradigmhq.org/stec_event/global-voices-drif23/
Thursday 13th April 2023
DRIF23: What Does Digital Inclusion Look Like on Wikipedia?
Time:09:00am-10:00am EAT
Session Format: Panel Discussion about the shortage of fact-based news, information, and knowledge about women across the content on Wikipedia.
This session will narrate practical stories on what is being done by Wilimedians in Uganda and Botswana to advance digital inclusion on Wikipedia, an open, free, safe, and secure environment for all. The session will help the audience understand the work of East African Wikimedians in closing the digital divide in other countries and it will be captured in the form of a blog.
Click here for more: https://drif.paradigmhq.org/stec_event/wikimedia-botswana-and-wikimedia-uganda-drif23/
Thursday 13th April 2023
DRIF23: Gender Justice is Under Attack: Countering Online Gender Backlash in Africa
Time:11:30 am-12:30 pm EAT
Session Format: Panel Discussion about legal frameworks and counterattacks on women online with WOUGNET
This session will analyze key data protection concerns in regard to genomic and bio-banking research in Africa and it will discuss key concerns of consent, ethical guidelines, and principles. The session will also lay a foundation for better regulation of this contemporary area with lessons drawn from Europe.
Click here for more:https://drif.paradigmhq.org/stec_event/women-of-uganda-network-drif23/
Thursday 13th April 2023
DRIF23: Evading accountability through Internet shutdowns: Trends in Africa and the Middle East
Time: 02:00 pm-03:00 pm EAT
Session Format: Panel Discussion on how governments, the private sector, regulators, and human rights institutions can raise awareness.
This session will focus on a deep dive into the recent shutdowns in Ethiopia, Sudan, Chad, and Burkina Faso. Panelists will raise awareness of the gravity of internet shutdowns in fostering constructive dialogue and recommendations on how governments, the private sector, regulators, and international human rights institutions can call attention to and push back against the trend.
Click here for more: https://drif.paradigmhq.org/stec_event/global-partners-digital-and-access-now-drif23-2/
Tags: DRIF 2023, Internet Freedom, Paradigm Initiative
