UNESCO’s IUIs building trust and advancing human rights in cyberspace

UNESCO’s Internet Universality Indicators(IUIs) has been highlighted as a tool to drive ‘co-creation of an Internet ecosystem that is ROAM-X: human Rights-based, Open, Accessible, Multistakeholder-shaped and inclusive’. This is according to a news report on a recent event organized by UNESCO in collaboration with the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). The event held online as part of the Stockholm Internet Forum 2021 explored internet risks and opportunities in the context of human rights and how UNESCO’s Internet Universality principles can help manage them. Lead researchers of the national assessments of IUIs in Pakistan, Kenya and Germany respectively shared their experiences by underscoring the point that the holistic and multistakeholder approach of IUIs encourages synergies and partnerships between various internet stakeholders. They also recommended that IUI analysis be done more frequently to help identify gaps and seize importunities in a timely manner.