The Digital Freedom Coalition held its first Digital Freedom Summit on December 9th, 2022, with the theme “Promoting Democracy in Digital Age”. The summit was divided into four panel discussions, including “Democracy in the Digital Age: Political Perspective”, “Freedom to Connect: Infrastructure & Content”, “Digital Freedom and Civic Engagement”, and “Digital Economy: Road Ahead”. The keynote speech by Dr. Swarnim Wagle covered the economic perspective of digital freedom, including inclusivity, efficiency, innovation, and the impact on youth through platforms like YouTube and UpWork.
The panel discussions covered a range of topics related to digital freedom, including the challenges of misinformation, disinformation, and fake news, the importance of safeguarding freedom of expression, and issues of digital literacy and access to digital services in rural areas. The panelists also discussed the challenges faced by the banking and e-commerce sectors and highlighted the need for regulatory mechanisms and policies to promote and protect individual privacy and data security.
The closing ceremony of the Digital Freedom Summit was attended by the Chair of the Digital Freedom Coalition, Mr. Babu Ram Aryal, and the Special Guest, Dr. Ganesh Raj Pandey, Secretary of Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. Dr. Pandey shared his thoughts on the present state of digital services utilization in Nepal and highlighted the numerous opportunities that could be enabled by adapting technology for public service delivery.
Digital Freedom Summit was a success, with more than 200 participants and panelists discussing important issues related to digital freedom and democracy in Nepal. We promise that we would come back with a more constructive summit next year.
