The September 2023 monthly meeting of Civil20 (C20) Global Internet Governance, Digital Empowerment and Security Alliance (GLIDES) was held on 13th September 2023 with a distinguished address on ‘Pathways to digital equity, financing the end of the digital divide’ by Mr. Christopher (Chris) Worman, co-founder and Chief Strategy and Partnership Officer of Connect Humanity (http://www.ConnectHumanity.fund). Chris Worman is currently chairing two World Economic Forum working groups (Future of Civil Society and Civil Society and the Future of Work) and has been working with and for NGOs since 1999. Chris has also significantly contributed to the international NGO network, TechSoup which is a network of 1 million+ NGOs all over the world. Internet Society Colombia, CyberKid Vietnam, and IETE India were some of the civil society organizations (CSO), that participated in this GLIDES monthly meeting.
In his presentation, he shared examples, lessons learned, and promising practices for Civil Society Organizations (CSO) toward financing the end of the digital divide. The conversation covered how Connect Humanity has worked with civil society to support communities through a process of planning and financing the digital infrastructure they need with a combination of grants, loans, and partnerships. Dr. Krishnashree Achuthan, Coordinator; Ms. Alison Richards, International Coordinator; and Dr. Prashant R. Nair, GLIDES coordinator of C20 Technology, Security, and Transparency (TST) Working Group (WG) also spoke during the GLIDES monthly meeting.
