[digital.global] in dialogue
The [digital.global] network brings together more than 100 stakeholders from politics, the private sector, civil society and academia in Germany, our partner countries and our multilateral partner system.
As a platform for all stakeholders driving a socio-ecological and feminist digital transformation, the network thrives on its strong partnerships and continuous exchange. Its aim is to harness the innovative power of the digital economy for development policy goals by responding to the needs of partner countries. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is in constant dialogue with its initiatives and partners to adapt technical and financial cooperation to the constantly changing challenges of the ongoing digital transformation in all areas of life.
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Telangana Global AI Summit
Locally relevant data is key to driving impactful AI innovation in India and beyond. With the rise of open datasets and open-source AI models, there’s immense potential to boost local AI ecosystems. However, this also brings challenges in governance and regulation.
FAIR Forward, a political initiavie of BMZ and GIZ , in collaboration with nasscom, hosts a panel on “Open-Source AI: Opportunities, Challenges, and Governance” at the Telangana Global AI Summit.
Key topics of the panel:
- The definition and unique characteristics of “open-source AI” compared to traditional Open Source software.
- The role of open-source AI in strengthening India’s AI landscape.
- Regulatory efforts by governments, including Telangana’s responsible AI procurement and global discussions in the US, UK, and EU.
- Strategies for businesses to harness open-source AI responsibly.
- The definition and unique characteristics of “open-source AI” compared to traditional Open Source software.
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NDE Forum Africa on climate technology and AI
© UN CTCN 
© UN CTCN 
© UN CTCN 
© UN CTCN 
© UN CTCN 
© UN CTCN On 27-30 August, the Africa NDE Forum hosted by the UN Climate Technology Centre & Network (CTCN) in Nairobi brought together over 50 National Designated Entities (NDEs) from all over Africa.
Besides many learning sessions under the #AI4ClimateAction Capacity Building Programme, a key highlight was the visit to the Pan African IY Data Centre in Kenya, where participants explored the crucial role of data centers for scaling digitalization and AI responsibly. The visit was facilitated by the GIZ and HAUS initiative DIF (Digital Investment Facility) and also emphasized the importance of developing sustainable, “green” infrastructure to support the continent’s growing digital economy.
The #AI4ClimateAction Initiative aims to deliver concrete and transformative results under the UNFCCC Technology Mechanism, contributing to the Paris Agreement.
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Webinars on the market study: Responsible Investment in Technology
- How to invest responsibly in technology companies?
- How can environmental, social and governance risks (ESG risks) be assessed and avoided in connection with investments in digital technologies?
DEG addressed these questions in its market study and its guidelines for investors, which it developed together with its subsidiaries DEG Impact via Africa Grow and DEG Impulse. As a contribution to the current discourse on responsible digitalisation, the analysis of existing frameworks shows that there is still no cross-sector and cross-business model framework or recommendations for investors. The guidelines now developed by DEG and its subsidiaries are an initial approach to identifying, categorizing, evaluating and mitigating ESG-related risks in Technology Investments. They make suggestions on how investors can assess these issues and integrate them into existing investment processes.
TO THE Market studyto the guidelines
If you want to learn more about responsible technology investments, attend one of the two webinars on the market study offered by KfW DEG on 18 July:
Webinar 1 (July 18th, 10:00 – 11:00 CET):
Webinar 2 (July 18th, 15:00 – 16:00 CET) :
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Online discussion round: how AI is shaping online work
Speaker Dr. Oğuz Alyanak, Postdoctoral Researcher at Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford 
Speaker Safiya Husain, Chief Impact Officer & Co-Founder of Karya 
Speaker Frida Mwangi, Director & Co-founder at iWorkers Kenya Artificial intelligence or machine learning requires extensive “training data” that helps AI models learn to make connections and identify objects for purposes like facial and image recognition. This training data is prepared through human labor on Digital Labor Platforms (DLPs), a prominent example being Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT). Here, cloudworkers earn fixed amounts of money by completing tasks like labeling and classifying datasets to help AI models learn.
Humans also perform tasks that AI cannot comprehend or complete and supplement AI decision-making, making human labor an integral part of AI functionality. Despite their crucial role, the labor of cloudworkers often remains invisible, earning the term “ghost work” from Gray and Suri (2019). As AI technology continues to evolve and permeate various sectors, the importance of cloudwork and the ethical questions surrounding DLPs become increasingly significant.
Whether you’re an AI enthusiast, a digital worker, or a business leader, this event promises to provide valuable insights and spark meaningful conversations. We will explore the trajectory of AI and its growing presence in the workforce, questioning whether the rise of algorithms and automation is an unstoppable force shaping the future of work. Our aim is to uncover the hidden labor and vast resources behind AI technologies to discuss the often-overlooked human effort that keeps AI systems running, as well as the sectors where AI is set to dominate and the implications for workers in these fields.
Don’t miss this opportunity to stay ahead of the curve and understand the evolving landscape of AI and work. Register now and be part of the conversation shaping the future of labor and technology.
Key questions:
- What kinds of work (and workers) are artificial intelligence poised to take over?
- What kinds of work (and workers) are likely to not benefit from AI advances?
- What kind of labor and resources go into sustaining AI? Where is training data sourced from?
- How “people-free” are contemporary AI technologies?
- How has cloudwork sustained AI and algorithms?
- How might the relationship between algorithms and ghost work change?
- Will ghost work ever “end?”
- How does AI enhance tasks and jobs on Digital Labor Platforms?
Speakers:
- Safiya Hussain – Co-Founder & Chief Impact Officer at Karya Technologies
- Frida Mwangi – Director and Co-founder at iWorkers Kenya
- Dr Oğuz Alyanak – Posdoctoral Researcher at University of Oxford and Fairwork
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Democratizing Gender Data for Better Policymaking – Official HLPF Side Event
At this year’s High-level Political Forum (HLPF) the Data to Policy Network is shining a spotlight on gender data.
While more gender data is available now than ever before, data silos are preventing gender insights from reaching policymakers. To overcome these challenges, the Data to Policy Network, invites everyone from governments to civil society, businesses, academics and journalists to get involved at this HLPF.
Join the side-event ‘Democratizing Gender Data for Better Policymaking’ on July 10th at 4pm CEST online, to learn how to help rebuild gender data systems. In this 60-minute learning session, we will cover how to mobilize partners, share compelling narratives, drive capacity building and more.
The event is co-organized by Paris21, UNDP, UNOSSC, and GIZ.
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Ghana and EU reach milestone: Workshop on National Data Strategy for a data-driven future
The Government of Ghana, in collaboration with the European Union and Smart Africa successfully completed a Validation Workshop for the development of a National Data Strategy. For more information, read the entire press release from Smart Africa.
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Democracy Forum – Alliance for Integrity
The digitally transformed global economy – an engine for democracy?
What responsibility do we bear in dealing with autocracies in international economic cooperation, and what does the digital industry have to do with it? To discuss these questions with you, the Alliance for Integrity and the Agency for Business and Economic Development, together with the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), invite you to the Democracy Forum on June 26th.
The Forum will address the following questions:
👉 How can politics and business work together to strengthen democracies?
👉 What challenges do autocracies pose in international cooperation?
👉 How can the digital industry contribute to promoting democracy?Take the opportunity to exchange views with decision-makers on topics such as #AIregulation, #dataprotection, and #cybersecurity. Expect keynote speeches from experts like:
- Johannes O. Tonn, Anti-Corruption and Governance Center (ACGC), Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)
- Dr. Anna-Maija Mertens, German Institute for Compliance (DICO)
- Pascal R., Initiative for Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chains (INA)
- Dr. Anita Schieffer, Siemens Energy
- Dr. Anna Würth, German Institute for Human Rights
- Susanne Kuehn, Transparency International Germany
- Representative of the Federation of German Industries (BDI)
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Launch of the Global Index on Responsible AI
© Global Center on AI Governance 
© Global Center on AI Governance According to the first “Global Index on Responsible AI“, which was launched on June 13th 2024 in Washington, Germany is among the leading countries in the field of “Responsible Artificial Intelligence.” For the Global Center on AI Governance from South Africa, researchers from all over the world evaluated how countries implement ethical and human rights-centered AI principles. Germany performed well in 17 of the 19 areas, reaching second place overall behind the Netherlands.
The report recommends that countries with a lot of implementation knowledge share their experiences with other countries. It advocates more mutual learning and calls for joint efforts to align AI with human rights.
The German national AI strategy has a focus on “International cooperation on AI with emerging nations worldwide” since 2019. The BMZ tasked GIZ’s “FAIR Forward – Artificial Intelligence for All” initiative with promoting ethical and human rights-centered AI worldwide, and using AI to fight poverty, reduce inequalities and strengthen local agriculture.
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AI for Good Global Summit 2024
© GIZ The AI for Good Global Summit highlighted the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the common good. The conference in Geneva, organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), provided a platform for exchanging knowledge, best practices, and collaboration in the field of open AI technologies. The summit aimed to promote health, climate protection, gender equality, sustainable infrastructure, and global prosperity through the use of AI.
© GIZ
© GIZ
FAIR Forward organized a session on the topic “Unleashing the power of open-source AI: Transforming digital public services for a better tomorrow”, which took place on May 31 from 8:30 AM to 12:15 PM. This session shed light on the role of open-source AI in public administration and presented concrete use cases from countries such as Kenya, Rwanda, and Kazakhstan. Noémie Bürkl, Head of Unit, Head of Unit for Digitalisation at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) gave the closing remarks at this event.
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Launch of the GovStack e-Learning Hub at WSIS
© copyright Yolanda MartÍnez The official launch of the GovStack Knowledge & Learning Hub was recently announced at the WSIS Forum (World Summit on the Information Society) in Geneva. This hub aims to equip digital teams with the necessary knowledge and skills to reshape the landscape of digital government. As part of this event, a comprehensive range of eLearning courses were presented to give digital experts the tools they need to succeed in an increasingly complex ecosystem.
Empowering women, driving innovation: The best projects of the ‘Women in GovTech Challenge 2023-24’
The best projects of the first Women in GovTech Challenge 2023-24 were also presented at the event. Participants Aparajita Dubey, Rupal Jain, Michelle Grell-Bereaux and Yessenia Duran presented the projects, which reflect the diversity of the GovTech landscape.
The Women in GovTech Challenge gathers 139 women working in digital government teams from 59 countries. Led by experienced professionals from the global GovTech ecosystem, the participants worked closely with mentors and developed projects to pave the way for a more inclusive and efficient framework for digital government.
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“Data Against Disasters: How Big Data and AI can protect us from future health crises” at re:publica
From the prevention of pandemics to the prediction of health risks – the use of data and AI brings unimagined opportunities: who cares that Data is accessible and AI used fairly, especially in African countries? The panel discussion explored the potential of digital tools in safeguarding global health at this year’s re:publica (#rp24).
Moderated by Christine Mundhwa, correspondent for Deutsche Welle and CNBC Africa, the discussion featured prominent experts from diverse sectors. Anna Sophie Herken, member of the Management Board at Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, highlighted the immense potential of big data in healthcare, noting that health data is projected to comprise 30% of the world’s data by 2030. She emphasized the need for collaboration and trust-building across sectors and countries.
© copyright Jan Michalko/re:publica
copyright Jan Michalko /re:publica
© copyright Lennart Funck /GIZ
© copyright Jan Michalko /re:publica
© copyright Lennart Funck/GIZ
© copyright Lennart Funck/ GIZ
Dr. Mary Mbole-Kariuki, Project Coordinator of the African Union One Health Data Alliance Africa (AU-OHDAA) and Technology, Innovations and Skills Development Expert at the Inter African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) stressed the importance of fair access to data and AI, particularly in African countries. Nina Bekele from Google’s Social Impact Product Partnerships team discussed the role of technology companies in promoting global health resilience. The discussion also touched on the BMZ/GIZ DIPC initiative, which aims to strengthen digital health systems for pandemic prevention. The DIPC initiative exemplifies concrete actions taken to leverage digital tools for global health benefits.About re:publica
re:publica Berlin is the conference for the digital society in Germany. It focuses on the exchange of knowledge and the networking of people on digital policy issues and promotes innovation and synergies between civil society, (net) politics, (traditional) companies, technology, science and (pop) culture. Participants include representatives from politics, NGOs, start-ups, media & marketing as well as well-known bloggers, activists, hackers, artists and social media experts. This year’s conference took place under the motto ‘Who cares?’ from 27 to 29 May 2024 at STATION Berlin.
MORE INFORMATIONwatch the Panel
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eLearning Africa Conference 2024
© GIZ The eLearning Africa annual conference and exhibition, which was established in 2005, is the largest and most comprehensive knowledge sharing event for digital education, training and skills on the African continent.It is a global forum for everyone with an interest in education, training and skills development in Africa. In the past years it has offered thousands of professionals in education, training and development invaluable insights into the evolving world of technology learning.
The 17th Edition of eLearning Africa was held from 29 – 31 May, 2024 in Kigali, the booming capital city of Rwanda at the Kigali Convention Center.
©GIZ
© GIZ
© GIZ
© GIZ
The overall theme for the 17th edition of eLearning Africa was:
“Education Fuels Innovation, Investment Amplifies Skills: Africa’s Vibrant Leap Forward”atingi took part in the session ‘Let Us Lead: Data Upskilling for Africans, by Africans’ and hosted an exhibition stand during the conference to give visitors the possibility to learn more about our digital learning platform and how we’re empowering learners and educators across Africa and beyond.
Our partners FAIR Forward and the Agri-Business Facility for Africa (ABF) joinend atingi at the booth, collaborating to amplify its impact and reach. As a platform committed to empowering learners and educators in Africa and beyond, atingi took the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals, organizations, and thought leaders to drive meaningful change in education.
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Digital health: PAHO and GIZ decide on joint measures
The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, initiated by the initiative Digital Innovation Pandemic Control (DIPC), took place in Geneva.
The MoU was signed by PAHO Director Dr Jarbas Barbosa and Tessa Lennemann from DIPC. It emphasises the joint commitment to the use of digital technologies to improve accessibility, efficiency and equity in the health sector.
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UNICEF ‘Digital (Re:) Public Goods: Putting the Next Generation in Charge’ at re:publica 2024
Katharina Mänz (BMZ) at re:publica24 How can we use digital public goods to improve the future of young people around the world? This was the topic of the panel “Digital (Re:) Public Goods: Putting the Next Generation in Charge” organised by UNICEF at this year’s re:publica.
In addition to physical infrastructure such as water pipes, power grids or roads, digital infrastructure is becoming increasingly important – for example, to be able to reach people quickly with financial aid in the event of a disaster or to give them access to medical care even in remote regions: “A strong digital public infrastructure allows us to empower and support millions of people, especially women, can reduce poverty, build resilience and help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” emphasised the BMZ
Together with moderator Lea Gimpel (Digital Public Goods Alliance), Sunita Grote (UNICEF Ventures), Antonella Paola Perrone (Xcapit) and Katharina Mänz discussed, among other things, the crucial role of young people in shaping digital public goods (DPGs).
Sunita Grote (UNICEF Ventures) emphasised the importance of digital public goods in fostering inclusive digital ecosystems and Antonella Paola Perrone (Xcapit) explained why digital public infrastructure facilitates collaboration and promotes positive social outcomes.
Lea Gimpel (DPGA), Antonella Paola Perrone (Xcapit), Sunita Grote (UNICEF Ventures) und Katharina Mämz (BMZ) at re:publica24. The four participants agreed on one thing: international dialogue and cooperation are crucial in order to use the opportunities offered by digital technologies for the benefit of society.
About re:publica
re:publica Berlin is the most important conference for the digital society in Germany. It focuses on the exchange of knowledge and networking of people on digital policy issues. This promotes innovation and synergies between civil society, (net) politics, (traditional) companies, technology, science and (pop) culture. Participants include representatives from politics, NGOs, start-ups, media & marketing as well as well-known bloggers, activists, hackers, artists and social media experts. This year’s conference will take place under the motto ‘Who cares?’ from 27 – 29 May 2024 at STATION Berlin.
Session with UNICEF ‘Digital (Re:) Public Goods: Putting the Next Generation in Charge’
The UN estimates that 70% of the Sustainable Development Goals are based on digital solutions. It is therefore important that young people have a say in their digital future. Digital public goods (DPGs), including open source software, open AI systems, open data and open content repositories, are key to sustainable development and better digital inclusion of young people. DPGs promote transparency, local participation and collaboration. They help countries worldwide to develop a digital public infrastructure for health, education and other important areas.
Our experts from the UNICEF Venture Fund, Xcapit (a UNICEF-supported startup from Argentina) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) offer exciting insights into the international processes, the development of open ecosystems and the alignment of digital transformation with the SDGs. Learn how these efforts are paving the way for a sustainable, equitable digital future for all.
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World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) 2024
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum in Geneva is one of the central venues for international digital policy and internet governance. It is organised by the International Telecommunication Unit (ITU) and other United Nations organisations (including UNESCO, UNCTAD, UNDP).
It brought together various interest groups, including representatives of government, civil society, the private sector and international organisations, to discuss the development of the information society. The WSIS focuses on policy dialogues, networking and thematic sessions on international digital policy issues. Through its WSIS Action Lines, the forum aims to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Head of Division of the BMZ Digital Division Noémie Bürkl spoke at the following sessions:
“DPI High-Level Session & Award Ceremony for WSIS Digital Service Design Prize 2024”: Following Noémie Bürkl’s welcome address, country representatives* from different regions of the world shared their experiences in DPI implementation and discussed how global frameworks such as GovStack, advocacy efforts – such as the DPGA’s “50 in 5” campaign – and organisations such as ITU, UNDP, World Bank and others can accelerate DPI implementation at scale. The Sesseion also included the WSIS Digital Service Design Prize 2024 award ceremony.
“Leaders TalkX: ICT Applications Unlocking the Full Potential of Digital – Part II”: Head of Unit Bürkl on the importance of digital transformation for achieving sustainability goals.
“The future of Digital Public Infrastructure for environmental sustainability”: As an active panel participant, Noémie Bürkl shed light on the potential of digital public infrastructure for environmental sustainability in this session organised by the United Nations Environment Programme.
“GovStack Digital Leaders Forum”: The GovStack Digital Leaders Forum is a unique meeting place for public administration CDOs and leaders of the global GovTech ecosystem to learn from each other’s digital experiences. At this exchange format, Head of Division Noémie Bürkl met Chief Digital Officers from BMZ partner countries to share their experiences and lessons learned from the digitalisation of government services.