“Africa must have an important role in the global governance of global digital platforms,” she stressed in a speech at the opening ceremony of the International Conference on the Governance of Digital Platforms, organized by UNESCO and the Croatian Electronic Media Agency, in commemoration of the International Day Against Hate Speech.
Ms. Akharbach, who also spoke in her capacity as current president of the Network of African Communication Regulatory Bodies, developed several arguments in favor of Africa’s essential contribution to the establishment of a universal regulatory framework. digital platforms, built on the basis of a global consensus respecting diversity.
“As the youngest continent in the world, with 65% of its population under the age of 35, Africa must, in the digital domain, be able to both have access to progress and protect against disruptions,” she said.
The situation is urgent because the non-governance of the action of the Big Tech giants is already affecting the continent in several ways, noted the president of the HACA, noting that Africa must already face the “brain drain” and to the “data drain” in the context of the ultra-rapid development of technology and the insufficiently regulated uses of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
While supporting UNESCO’s initiative for the creation of a Global Forum of Regulators, Ms. Akharbach called for the development of good practices dedicated to adapting the governance of giant platforms to the challenges of technological, cultural and media sovereignty. of Africa.
In this regard, the official cited the example of the recent signing of an agreement between Morocco, UNESCO and the AI Movement center of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University for the establishment of a center of excellence in the field of AI and data sciences oriented towards the needs of the African continent in terms of ethical issues, data management, impact on employment and even transparency.
The opening ceremony of this important international conference was marked by the presence of senior officials from UNESCO, the Minister of Culture and Media as well as the Minister of Justice of Croatia, representatives of the European Union and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development as well as regulators from 70 countries on five continents.
Ms. Akharbach is accompanied during this conference by the director of legal studies at HACA, El Mahdi Aroussi Idrissi.
Organized under the theme “Building a Global Network Forum”, the two-day conference aims to rally audiovisual networks, electronic media, online regulators, and representatives of social networks, against the increase and proliferation of hate speech, discrimination and xenophobia online.
The conference program includes a series of side events organized by UNESCO and its partners, as well as plenary sessions and workshops covering themes ranging from best practices in digital platform management to digital empowerment.
The highlight of this event is the launch of the Global Regulator Network Forum, bringing together regulatory authorities in a global, collaborative space to discuss best practices in the regulation of digital platforms.
2024-10-02 14:17:35