The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has called on Member States to voluntarily assess Internet development in their countries using the Internet Universality Indicators (IUIs) based on the ROAM-X principles.
Mr. Moez Chakchouk, Assistant Director-General for Communication (ADG) and Information to permanent delegations to UNESCO said UNESCO “stands ready to support any Member State interested in voluntarily using the new Internet Universality indicators to produce an evidence-based assessment of digital development in their country.” He made this disclosure while speaking at an Information Meeting on May 24 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, where published copies of the Indicators were launched.
Elaborating on the multi-stakeholder process for conducting a national assessment, Moez said the first key step is to constitute a multistakeholder advisory board (MAB) that includes representatives from government, academia, the technical community, the private sector, journalists and media organizations, civil society, individual Internet users, and UN agencies, or intergovernmental groups.
Also speaking at the event, H.E. Anna Brandt, the Chair of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) and Ambassador of Sweden to UNESCO said: “The ROAM-X indicators framework is a powerful tool which is relevant to all countries, whether developed or developing, to gain a holistic diagnosis of its Internet policies and digital environment. My hope is that Member States will see the value of the voluntary implementation”.
The Intergovernmental Council of the IPDC approved the indicators in 2019 after a two year global consultation process.
Moez explained that the aim of the Multistakeholders Advisory Board is to oversee the research process while reinforcing its quality, legitimacy and transparency. He encouraged interested delegations to help identify national focal points, and provide advice on the leading actors that could be engaged in the Board.
Explaining further, the UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Communication … setting up a research team and developing a research action plan, the assessment process proceeds to data gathering and analysis. The outcome will be a written report including recommendations for diverse actors so as to optimise Internet’s role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Following these steps, it is expected that the team organize a national validation multistakeholder event to conclude the process – which may be followed up by an impact assessment and monitoring phase, explained ADG Chakchouk.
The UNESCO Indicators are complementary to other existing initiatives, such as the OECD’s newly developed “Going Digital” indicators, he noted.
The involvement of UNESCO’s Information for All Programme (IFAP) Bureau in drafting the Indicators was also highlighted at the meeting by the former Chair of IFAP, who mentioned that national committees are encouraged to voluntarily make use of the tool.
Brazil, El Salvador, Tunisia, Germany and the United Kingdom have expressed their support for the Indicators initiative. El Salvador pointed out that the Indicators have the potential to reduce digital divides while Brazilian evoked its potential to contextualize Artificial Intelligence’s development at a national level.
The Internet Universality Indicators (IUIs) were developed over the past three years through a global, open, inclusive and multi-stakeholder process and are designed to assess the state of Internet development at the national level. They are based on the R.O.A.M. principles which look at four key dimensions of any national Internet environment: its respect for human Rights; its Openness, the extent to which it is Accessible to all; and the extent to which it is nurtured by Multistakeholder participation.
Member States or Permanent Delegations wishing to conduct a national assessment of the Internet Universality ROAM-X Indicators in their country have been invited to contact the project’s focal point, Xianhong Hu by email through x.hu@unesco.org.
