Session
Subtheme
Organizer 1: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 2: Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 3: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 2: Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 3: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 1: Sebastian Schwemer, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Sofie Schönborn, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Armando Guío, Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 4: Isobel Acquah, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 5: Maricela Muñoz, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 6: Nele Leosk, Government, Eastern European Group
Speaker 7: Lucien M. CASTEX, Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 8: Markus Siewert, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 9: Philipp S. Mueller, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Sofie Schönborn, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Armando Guío, Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 4: Isobel Acquah, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 5: Maricela Muñoz, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 6: Nele Leosk, Government, Eastern European Group
Speaker 7: Lucien M. CASTEX, Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 8: Markus Siewert, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 9: Philipp S. Mueller, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Format
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: The session will be designed as an interactive roundtable discussion, featuring short expert interventions, followed by a moderated dialogue with audience engagement. Participants will be encouraged to share experiences, pose questions, and contribute to the development of actionable recommendations for leveraging science and technology diplomacy in digital governance. The roundtable setup fosters an open, interactive exchange among the diverse stakeholders. This format enables participants to engage in dynamic discussions, share insights from different sectors and regions, and collectively explore innovative approaches to strengthening digital cooperation in the evolving geopolitical landscape.
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: The session will be designed as an interactive roundtable discussion, featuring short expert interventions, followed by a moderated dialogue with audience engagement. Participants will be encouraged to share experiences, pose questions, and contribute to the development of actionable recommendations for leveraging science and technology diplomacy in digital governance. The roundtable setup fosters an open, interactive exchange among the diverse stakeholders. This format enables participants to engage in dynamic discussions, share insights from different sectors and regions, and collectively explore innovative approaches to strengthening digital cooperation in the evolving geopolitical landscape.
Policy Question(s)
How can science diplomacy help mitigate geopolitical fractures in digital governance, ensuring that diverse perspectives—particularly from underrepresented regions—are meaningfully integrated into global discussions?
What is the potential of multistakeholder networks to act as trusted intermediaries in international digital cooperation, fostering dialogue beyond traditional diplomatic channels?
What are the pathways to empower non-traditional science diplomacy actors to proactively shape global digital norms and governance mechanisms?
What will participants gain from attending this session? Attendees explore how science and technology diplomacy can bridge diverse stakeholders in digital governance and cooperation. The session provides an opportunity to learn from real-world examples of collaborative approaches to digital governance, offering perspectives on how academic institutions, research networks, industry, the technical community, and civil society organizations can contribute to shaping digital norms and policies alongside traditional diplomatic actors.
Attendees also gain practical knowledge on how to leverage interdisciplinary expertise and cross-sectoral partnerships to enhance global digital cooperation. The discussion highlights strategies for ensuring that science and technology diplomacy efforts remain inclusive and responsive to the needs of underrepresented communities, reinforcing the role of knowledge-driven policymaking in digital governance.
Engaging with a diverse group of experts and practitioners, participants have the opportunity to contribute their own perspectives and experiences, fostering a richer dialogue on the contribution of science and technology diplomacy to digital governance and cooperation.
SDGs
Description:
As geopolitical tensions rise and digital divides deepen, global cooperation on internet governance, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity is increasingly fragmented. Traditional diplomatic approaches struggle to address these rapidly evolving digital challenges. This panel spotlights the transformative potential of science and technology diplomacy, especially through multistakeholder networks involving academia, civil society, industry, and governments. Participants will explore how innovative collaborations can bridge divides, build trust, and craft resilient, inclusive frameworks for digital governance. Through real-world case studies and expert insights, attendees will discover how non-traditional diplomacy actors—such as academic networks, think tanks, and civil society—can proactively shape global norms, strengthen multilateral initiatives like the IGF and the Global Digital Compact, and ensure underrepresented perspectives are genuinely integrated. Join us to envision practical, collaborative pathways toward inclusive, evidence-driven digital cooperation in an era of increasing geopolitical complexity. We will: Examine how networks and science diplomacy initiatives can complement and reinforce multilateral digital governance processes such as the IGF, WSIS+20 review, the Global Digital Compact, and AI governance discussions. Discuss the potential of multistakeholder networks to act as trusted intermediaries in international digital cooperation, fostering dialogue beyond traditional diplomatic channels. Identify pathways to empower non-traditional science diplomacy actors to proactively shape global digital norms and governance mechanisms. Explore how science diplomacy can help mitigate geopolitical fractures in digital governance, ensuring that diverse perspectives—particularly from underrepresented regions—are meaningfully integrated into global discussions. By examining real-world case studies, this session offers practical insights on how to strengthen digital cooperation through science and technology diplomacy, ensuring that governance structures remain agile, inclusive, and effective in addressing the digital challenges of the future.
As geopolitical tensions rise and digital divides deepen, global cooperation on internet governance, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity is increasingly fragmented. Traditional diplomatic approaches struggle to address these rapidly evolving digital challenges. This panel spotlights the transformative potential of science and technology diplomacy, especially through multistakeholder networks involving academia, civil society, industry, and governments. Participants will explore how innovative collaborations can bridge divides, build trust, and craft resilient, inclusive frameworks for digital governance. Through real-world case studies and expert insights, attendees will discover how non-traditional diplomacy actors—such as academic networks, think tanks, and civil society—can proactively shape global norms, strengthen multilateral initiatives like the IGF and the Global Digital Compact, and ensure underrepresented perspectives are genuinely integrated. Join us to envision practical, collaborative pathways toward inclusive, evidence-driven digital cooperation in an era of increasing geopolitical complexity. We will: Examine how networks and science diplomacy initiatives can complement and reinforce multilateral digital governance processes such as the IGF, WSIS+20 review, the Global Digital Compact, and AI governance discussions. Discuss the potential of multistakeholder networks to act as trusted intermediaries in international digital cooperation, fostering dialogue beyond traditional diplomatic channels. Identify pathways to empower non-traditional science diplomacy actors to proactively shape global digital norms and governance mechanisms. Explore how science diplomacy can help mitigate geopolitical fractures in digital governance, ensuring that diverse perspectives—particularly from underrepresented regions—are meaningfully integrated into global discussions. By examining real-world case studies, this session offers practical insights on how to strengthen digital cooperation through science and technology diplomacy, ensuring that governance structures remain agile, inclusive, and effective in addressing the digital challenges of the future.
Expected Outcomes
Expected outcomes include:
A synthesis - in the form of a white paper or alike - of key insights on the role of science diplomacy in digital governance, offering practical guidance on how to leverage scientific collaboration and interdisciplinary approaches to strengthen global digital cooperation.
Opportunities for follow-up engagements, such as working groups, research collaborations, or multistakeholder discussions to further explore the discussed questions.
Hybrid Format: To ensure a participatory experience both online and offline, the session will integrate structured facilitation and interactive questions and dialogue that enable interaction between onsite and online attendees.
The dual-moderation setup will be used, with one moderator facilitating the in-room discussion and another dedicated to engaging the online audience. The online moderator will actively bring virtual attendees into the conversation by monitoring the chat, curating audience questions, and ensuring their contributions are addressed in real-time. While most roundtable speakers will be in the room in person, the two moderators experienced in facilitating hybrid events will ensure inclusion and consideration of online participants.
We are considering live audience polling and Q&A where online participants can interact and provide real-time feedback.