“Global Digital Governance: What Role for Geneva?”; UNIGE – UNOG Conversations with Academia

Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear friends and colleagues,

It is my pleasure to welcome you today to the Palais des Nations to celebrate a new joint initiative between the United Nations Office at Geneva and the University of Geneva.

Over the years, UNIGE has been an important partner to us here at the UN, and this new series called “Conversations with Academia”, will only serve to reinforce that partnership.

This new initiative aims to create an informal knowledge network between UNIGE scholars and UN experts on new and exciting topics which are relevant for the 21st century and beyond.

By merging our two worlds through these conversations, we have the opportunity to create a community of experts comprising both academia and practitioners from and beyond Geneva, to share knowledge and best practices on global challenges.

We will organize four events each year at the Palais des Nations, and today, our inaugural session will tackle the role of Geneva in Global Digital Governance.

Now more than ever we are recognising that digital technology is spreading and changing at unprecedented rates. While this presents us with new opportunities, our current level of international cooperation in the digital space is not yet up to the challenge.

The UN is looking into ways to strengthen cooperation among Governments, the private sector, civil society, international organizations, academia and other relevant stakeholders.

Last July, our Secretary-General Mr. Antonio Guterres established the High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation to delve further into these issues and draw expertise from around the world in realizing the full social and economic potential of digital technologies as well as mitigating any risks they could pose.

And Geneva, as a global hub for internet governance, where over half of global internet policy discussions take place, is perfectly placed to contribute to this broader debate on how to ensure a safe and inclusive digital future for all.

I am now glad to introduce our speaker for today, Professor Jacques de Werra, who will further expand on this topic. Professor de Werra is Vice Rector and Professor of intellectual property law at the University of Geneva.

A seasoned law practitioner and scholar, Professor de Werra is an expert on topics related to intellectual property law, IT and Internet law, as well as alternative dispute resolution mechanisms for IP, technology and Internet-related disputes.

I am grateful to Professor de Werra for being with us today and to all of you for your interest. I hope you enjoy this lecture and discussion and that you will join us again for the subsequent sessions.

Thank you.