Q3/2019 - World Economic Forum Davos (WEF)

Summer conference WEF-Africa, Cape Town, 6. - 7. September 2019

The World Economic Forum Davos (WEF) held its summer conference in September 2019 at Cape Town in South Africa. The basis of the meeting was an e-commerce roadmap for Africa prepared by the WEF"[1]. Digitalisation, artificial intelligence, 5G and cyber security were key issues of discussion. The meeting took place against the background of the recently agreed “Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)“. The President of the Republic of Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, who also co-chairs the ILO Global Commission on the Future of Work, expressed great optimism with regard to the future or his country at the WEF Forum: “The future is great, it looks very bright for the African continent, and if there was ever a time when Africa can definitely be said to be on the rise, this is the time. This is Africa's century, and we want to utilize it to good effect"[2].

Study „Responsible Use of Technology“, San Francisco, 19 September 2019

In a new study performed by the WEF Institute in San Francisco on the 4th industrial revolution, the WEF investigated new developments of disruptive technologies on the Internet, in cyberspace and in the digital field. The topics of the study “White Paper: Responsible Use of Technology” include Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, 3D Printing, Internet of Things (IoT), 5G, blockchain, quantum computing, autonomous driving, biotechnology and nanotechnology. The study gives recommendations how to manage and control the new phenomena, in particular with a view to existing human rights norms and ethical standards. The document proposes a “Framework for the responsible use of technologies[3].

Mehr zum Thema
Q3/2019WEF
  1. [1] World Economic Forum in Africa: An E-Commerce Roadmap, Kapstadt, 6. September 2019, „E-commerce in Africa is well underway, but it has potential to grow, creating new jobs and driving sustainable development. E-commerce stakeholders from within and beyond the continent have put together an action agenda to overcome the challenges to future e-commerce growth in the region. Goals and recommended next steps are identified in eight areas: 1. Refresh policies; 2. Expand connectivity, 3. Upgrade logistics, 4. Enable e-payments, 5. Manage data, 6. Grow tech, 7. Coach small business, 8. Join forces. The agenda recognizes that for any individual e-commerce business to prosper, a wide ecosystem of digital technology and supporting companies must flourish, with a mix of local and global action needed to leverage cross-border opportunities. The agenda also notes that e-commerce sits within a broader digital economy context, including infrastructure-related, and technology questions, such as 5G. Policy cooperation on related digital issues – taxation, competition, labour and consumer protection, intellectual property – is critical too. These areas will be the guard-rails of e-commerce and the digital economy. The publication is led by the World Economic Forum and the International Trade Centre, with contributions from other partners. Siehe: https://www.weforum.org/reports/africa-e-commerce-agenda-roadmap-for-action
  2. [2] Cyril Ramaphosa, Rede auf dem WEF Forum Afrika, Kapstadt, 6. September 2019: This is Africa's century' - what we learned at the World Economic Forum in Cape Town 2019, siehe: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/09/world-economic-forum-africa-2019-ramaphosa-gender-violence-youth/ Programme siehe auch: https://www.weforum.org/events/world-economic-forum-on-africa-2019/programme
  3. [3] How to Design Responsible Technology: New Framework for Innovation from World Economic Forum Released, San Francisco, 19. September 2019, „Conclusion: Building on this report, the Responsible Development, Deployment and Use of Technology project seeks to produce a framework and suite of implementation tools for organizations to use to advance responsible technology practices. These tools will implement our desire for a smart and deliberate combination of both ethics‑based and human‑rights‑based approaches. With a multistakeholder steering committee now in place, the project is focused on pursuing global stakeholder input and participation. Planned deliverables include a “World Economic Forum Responsible Use Decision Framework” and a library of resources to improve the integration of both ethical and human‑rights‑based approaches across roles and business functions. Furthermore, the project will work to create toolkits or playbooks pertaining to each stage of the product life cycle: development, deployment and use. Responsible Use of Technology.“ Siehe: https://www.weforum.org/press/2019/09/how-to-design-responsible-technology-new-framework-for-innovation-from-world-economic-forum-released-10a5d43deb