Washington, DC
[Remarks as Prepared]
DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR ISOBEL COLEMAN: Thank you, Paul. And thanks to your team at New America for convening us here today.
I’d also like to recognize Estonian Secretary General Jonatan Vseviov, UK Deputy Director Kanbar Hossein-Bor, and Access Now's Executive Director, Brett Solomon, whose countries and organizations have demonstrated extraordinary leadership as co-leads of the Technology for Democracy cohort.
There is a vital question that animates the work of this cohort: Will the future of global digital governance be defined by democratic values and respect for human rights?
Or by authoritarian states and actors seeking to consolidate power and suppress dissent?
The Internet was built on a multistakeholder vision. It is the product of difficult – and at times messy – collaboration between engineers, government workers, and private companies.
Today, it is maintained and regulated not by governments alone, but by a diverse group of stakeholders with varying strengths, contributions, and goals.
But all-too-common violations of privacy and safety remind us that democracy in the digital age is only as strong as these multi-stakeholder partnerships.
Authoritarians have long sought to displace this multistakeholder model of digital governance with one that cedes control to the state.
And the repercussions are severe, as malevolent actors are quick to capitalize on new tech innovations, weaponizing tools and information against perceived adversaries.
Last year’s Freedom House “Freedom on the Net” report found that global Internet freedom has declined over the past 12 years, underscoring how much work there is to be done.
But democratic actors are rising to the challenge and coming together to protect – and expand access to – an Internet that is open, free, global, interoperable, reliable, and secure; and digital technologies that advance, not undermine, democratic values and human rights.
At this afternoon's Summit for Democracy event, we will gather together to celebrate the achievements democratic actors around the world have made over the past year to fortify our democracies by strengthening our digital ecosystems.
We’ll also take stock of key Summit accomplishments, including the Guiding Principles on Government Use of Surveillance Technology and ongoing work to strengthen the Freedom Online Coalition.
Over the past year, the Technology for Democracy Cohort has helped foster diverse coalitions of governments, civil society, private sector partners, multilateral organizations, NGOs, and university experts committed to strengthening human rights across countries’ digital ecosystems.
Efforts of the United Kingdom, the Internet Society, and Access Now to monitor and counter Internet shutdowns, which I learned from Brett has happened 187 times in 35 countries over the past year, demonstrate the power of this cohort – we have them to thank for the expansion of the Internet Society's Pulse platform, a public-facing portal that provides key information on shutdowns.
Meanwhile, commitments made by the Government of Estonia, Estonia's e-Governance Academy, and Accountability Lab to develop technical specifications for an e-governance software component show promise for greater citizen participation in democratic processes globally.
This deliverable is an important reminder that to build a strong digital democracy, we need coders and engineers at the table alongside civil society partners.
At USAID, we have spent the past year deepening investments in digital democracy, including through the Advancing Digital Democracy initiative, which supports democratic stakeholders in developing, using, and governing technology in alignment with democratic values and human rights.
USAID will establish nine Advancing Digital Democracy programs in countries around the world in 2023 – creating new multi-stakeholder partnerships and strengthening existing ones – to support bold digital innovation that is safe, accountable, and respects human rights.
These programs will build upon progress made in pilots launched last year.
In Serbia, for example, USAID is partnering with the Commissioner for Data Protection to bring together new and established stakeholders to support private companies to implement Serbia's Data Protection Law.
The private sector is eager to comply with Serbia’s Data Protection Law to enhance their competitiveness in markets that favor robust data protection.
But most Serbian companies have little knowledge of human rights law and limited resources to operationalize the Law in their planning.
By bringing together diverse stakeholders to build concrete guidelines for the private sector, USAID's program will help facilitate more digital products with privacy protections at their core, making digital engagement safer for all users.
It will also enhance the competitiveness of Serbian companies operating in a complex and rapidly changing regional regulatory environment.
But building a democratic digital future cannot be accomplished through programming alone. We must drive progress beyond the scope of our programs and budget.
Last fall, Administrator Power appointed Vera Zakem as the Agency's first Chief Digital Democracy and Rights Officer, a new role that reflects USAID's deep commitment to these issues.
And today, I am pleased to announce that we’re working with partners to develop a set of Donor Principles for the Digital Age.
In a world where the pace of digital transformation often far exceeds our ability to assess and constrain potential harms, these Principles will serve as guardrails so that our investments in digital ecosystems promote and protect democratic values and human rights.
We will lead negotiations for these Principles through the Freedom Online Coalition, where we are also spearheading efforts to coordinate donors, advance inclusion and share knowledge.
In this spirit, I want to end by once again congratulating the Cohort for their leadership and hard work, and for taking steps to help ensure the progress made under the Summit for Democracy can be sustained well beyond it.
Thank you.