At the end of 2023, we hosted our very first Digital Policy Leadership Forum. The virtual half-day event took place on 5 December, and gathered more than 60 participants from across Europe, and beyond, centered around the themes of Policy Leadership Opportunities, Needs, and Visions for 2024.
The Forum was imagined as a way through which emerging, practicing, and accomplished policy leaders come together, share knowledge and collaborate around the current and next wave of digital policy challenges and opportunities, as well as share skills and support each other on their policy journeys.
The first part of the Forum was focused on understanding current digital policy issues. The second part was all about understanding how to do the policy work and empowering new forms of leadership. Among some of the policy focused sessions explored at the Forum were discussions on what to expect and how to prepare for the elections 2024 in the EU and around the world; eradicating digital poverty: opportunities and challenges of digitalisation and the green transition; campaigning on biometric surveillance; LGBTQi rights and EU health data; and incorporating gender perspective into digital advertising reform. In the sessions focused on leadership we discussed how to build effective relationships with companies and governments; how to use strategic comms to enhance impact; how to be effective in digital policy without being a techie; exploring best practices when practicing solidarity in our movements; and understanding EU digital policy from a global perspective.
A Participatory Approach
The day’s agenda was co-designed by participants of the program, including members of past and current Policy Leadership Cohorts, our Policy Leadership Advisory Group, and those that have attended the Policy Leadership Summit which took place in Brussels in February 2023. We are deeply grateful to all participants and our 19 (!) facilitators. Thank you for your active listening, engagement, and supporting this growing community of practice.
We look forward to developing more offerings and touchpoints for this growing community, including our second Digital Policy Leadership Summit, which will take place in 2024 in Brussels, Belgium. Stay tuned for more!