The exponential increase in the use and dependency on digital technologies over the past 75 years and their integration into almost all aspects of our daily lives raises a crucial question today: to what extent are we, the users, truly protagonists in the resultant decision-making process shaping our future?
Within this context, we explored three main themes: Human Rights in the Digital Age; Trust and Transparency; and Cyber-Security.
DIGITAL SECURITY
DIGITAL SECURITY EXPERTS
Yu Ping Chan
As Digital Cooperation team lead in the Office of the Special Advisor to the Secretary-General at the UN, she coordinates and oversees the team’s work to the SG’s High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation and Roadmap for Digital Cooperation. She previously led the Policy and Regional Support teams in the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism’s policy, knowledge management and coordination branch. Prior to this, she worked in the Policy and Mediation Division of the UN’s Department of Political Affairs, and in the New York Office of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Dr. Robert Krimmer
Prof. Dr. Robert Krimmer is Full Professor of e-Governance within Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance within the School of Business and Governance at Tallinn University of Technology in Estonia. Robert’s research is focused on digital transformation, cross-border e-services, electronic participation and democracy, as well as e-voting, and all issues further developing a digital society. Robert is Associate Editor of the international scientific journal Government Information Quarterly (GIQ), where he is in charge of participation issues.
Yasmine Ouirhrane
Yasmine is the founder of We Belong, a platform and podcast that amplifies the voice of the New Daughters of Europe. She is also an advocate for Social and Gender Justice in Europe and she was recognized Young European of the Year 2019 by the Schwarzkopf Foundation, EDD Young Leader by the European Commission, Women Deliver Young Leader and a member of the Gender Innovation Agora at UN Women. As an expert on Peace & Security at the AU-EU Youth Cooperation Hub, she drafted a proposal in tracking basic services in fragile contexts to feed into peace processes, currently under implementation in the Lake Chad Basin Region.
Lobsang Gyatso Sither
Lobsang Gyatso Sither is a Tibetan born in exile dedicated to increasing cyber security among Tibetans inside Tibet and in the diaspora. Working with Tibet Action Institute since 2011, he has helped to develop community-specific technologies and educational content and deploys them via training and public awareness campaigns at the grassroots level. He was a member of the Global Cyber Stewards network and the peer-review panel for Security Planner, an easy-to-use guide with expert-reviewed advice for staying safer online.
DIGITAL SECURITY TEAM
MANAGER & CHAIR: Toma Moran
Toma Moran is a postgraduate student at SOAS University of London currently completing his Master's Thesis at the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy. Toma has a proven passion for Human Rights and Humanitarian work as shown through his work in the MENA region. Since returning to London to complete his MA, he has been very active in UN75 conferences on behalf of Peacechild International contributing to UN75 Tallinn and the London ACUNS conference on matters of Digital Security.
DIGITAL SECURITY TEAM
Trust & Transparency Chair
Roxana Lara Pomplun
Completing an MA degree in Digital Humanities at King's College London, Roxana has established her research interests in contemporary digital technologies and their effect on society within a philosophical and sociological context. Additionally, she has gained ample work experience within the tech industry as a web developer and information architect.
Trust & Transparency Chair Soukéïna Belkheir
Soukéïna is an International Law and Security post-graduate student from University of Glasgow. She is an advocate for the right to digital privacy and stands for the advancement of a much-needed extensive and actionable international legal framework.
Digital Human Rights Chair
Anahita Ghanbari Parsa
An MA candidate in International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS, Anahita focuses on gender and international security, campaigning for disarmament. She is keen to explore the nature of digital security respective to individual experiences’, and how the online and technological space offers a new means for activism but also surveillance.
Cyber-Security Chair
Venetia Ellis
Venetia is completing a Master’s degree in International Studies and Diplomacy, and joined the SOAS Study Tour to the UN in Geneva in 2020. She previously worked for seven years across big tech and non-profit, which developed her interest in internet governance and policy making.
Cyber-Security Chair
Emma Walley
Emma is chairing the Cyber Security session. She is completing an MA in International Studies and Diplomacy. Specifically, she is researching the use of technology for war crimes evidence collection and the security issues this presents. Emma joined the study tour to the UN (Geneva) in February 2020.
Digital Human Rights Chair
Estelle Marsh
Estelle is a first year undergraduate student studying International Development with the Environment at the University of East Anglia. With a passion for youth empowerment, peace and the environment, she is also a Peace Child International intern who is really interested in the parts human rights and education play in the field of digital security.
Advisor
Sebastian Dodt
Sebastian is studying International Relations with focus on Artificial Intelligence at SOAS University of London and London School of Economics. He has worked on issues related to Digital Security at the United Nations in New York and the EU parliament.
Digital Human Rights Chair
Nouran Ragrag
Nouran Ragrag is a Masters of International Studies and Diplomacy candidate at SOAS, the University of London. She is exploring the role gender and human rights play in digital security through the UN75 digital security working group and is also a volunteer at Intersectional Feminist Foreign Policy UK.
Digital Human Rights Chair
Aditi Mishra
Aditi works as a writer and researcher in the areas of politics, human rights, post-conflict justice and climate change. She has worked as an Advisor (Intern) at the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the UN in New York in 2015 and was a part of the SOAS, University of London, Study Tour to the UN in Geneva in 2019.