Elonnai Hickok
Managing Director, Global Network Initiative
Actions
As Managing Director, Elonnai works to strengthen and grow a unique and impactful multistakeholder organization working to advance freedom of expression and privacy. She has contributed to international policy initiatives and has presented worldwide on issues of digital rights and emerging technology, and the counterbalancing of governmental and individual interests and rights. She has developed research and written extensively on privacy, cybersecurity, surveillance, intermediary liability, and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. She currently serves as a member of a number of multi-stakeholder initiatives, including as the co-chair of the Freedom Online Coalition Advisory Network, a member of the GIFCT Independent Advisory Committee, and a member of the ChristChurch Call Advisory Network. Formerly, Elonnai was a non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the chief operating officer of the Centre for Internet & Society, India. Elonnai graduated from the University of Toronto, where she studied international development and political science.
Links
Forging connections between Internet Governance, human rights, and development through the WSIS+20
In 2025, a myriad of processes and initiatives at the intersection of sustainable development and Internet governance will continue to be implemented. In this context, defining and defending the importance of a multistakeholder model to Internet governance is critical. The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process is a key internet governance process and has been instrumental in forging connections between digital technologies and development across contexts. This critical role must continue in the future. To do this, the WSIS Forum must build on, support, and integrate new and existing forums and processes. This includes affirming the renewal of the mandate of the IGF and integrating the implementation of the Global Digital Compact into the WSIS ecosystem. It must also uphold multistakeholder principles and facilitate an inclusive process. As we approach the 2025 WSIS+20 review, there is a critical need to raise awareness of the WSIS+20 process and articulate a vision for how the Forum can promote a multistakeholder approach to internet governance and support human rights, development, and achievement of the SDGs.
This multistakeholder roundtable discussion will bring together policymakers, the technical community, civil society, and academia to explore how stakeholders can leverage the WSIS Forum to advance a commitment to the open, global, and interoperable Internet and the SDGs. In particular, the session will explore:
1. How can the WSIS+20 process be leveraged to achieve the SDGs and promote human rights, particularly across African countries? Are there past examples of WSIS implementation to learn from?
2. How can the WSIS+20 facilitate an inclusive and multistakeholder process? How have governments integrated stakeholders into WSIS+20 preparations thus far? Are there best practices, including the São Paulo Multistakeholder Guidelines for multistakeholder consensus-building and decision-making, that should be integrated?
3. In practice, how should the WSIS+20 process integrate other initiatives, such as affirming the renewal of the IGF mandate and integrating the implementation of the Global Digital Compact?
Please note that Sessionize is not responsible for the accuracy or validity of the data provided by speakers. If you suspect this profile to be fake or spam, please let us know.
Jump to top