IF20 Concept Note of the Webinar
“Specific Aim: An interfaith perspective, informed primarily by indigenous, customary, local, and peasant networks to promote sovereign data governance, promotes that the intersectionality of these various networks is guided by values of …”
Speakers
Dr. Hugh Govan
Hugh was born in Scotland, raised in Spain and lived 6 years each in Solomon Islands and Costa Rica followed by 18 years around the Pacific Region based in Fiji. He has explored a diversity of areas, both geographically (sailed across the Atlantic in 1982, explored in the Colombian Amazon 198-2001) and thematically (biology, aquaculture, economics, development, linguistics, ethnobiology…). He is freelance and a key adviser to the Locally Managed Marine Area Network (LMMA) in Asia and the Pacific since its inception in 2000, honorary member of the Indigenous and Community Conserved Area (ICCA) Consortium and Adjunct Senior Fellow at USP’s School of Law and Social Sciences since 2017.
Lorna Israel
Lorna Q. Israel teaches international studies as an assistant professor at Miriam College and serves as a faculty associate of the Women and Gender Institute (WAGI). For over two decades, she has been imparting knowledge and leading workshops on gender studies, feminism, women’s human rights, and other subjects. She is currently the president of Philippine International Studies Organization (PHISO), and the vice president of Vice President of Philippine-Middle East Studies Association (PMESA). Lorna obtained her BA in International Studies from Maryknoll/Miriam College, her MA in Philippine Studies with Socio-Cultural Studies as her Area of Specialization from the Asian Center, University of the Philippines where she is finishing her PhD in Philippine Studies. She is also a self-taught artist, with abstract art as her favorite art form.
Robert Ford
Currently serving as the Senior Technical & Policy Advisor at TMG (Telecommunications Management Group Inc.), Robert Ford is an influential leader in the ICT sector. He has recently been appointed Visiting Lecturer at the Kobe Institute of Computing, Kobe, Japan and is President of Rwanda Software Testing Qualification Board, (RWSTQB) a member of ISTQB. He is the Country Director for Yellow Card Rwanda, and has previously offered expertise as a Technical Support Specialist in Child Online Protection for UNICEF in 2021. Co-founder and former CEO of Aurasoft, a FinTech company, from 2018 to 2020, Robert has also been instrumental in regional initiatives, serving as the Vice Chair of the AFRINIC Board in 2019 and as Chief Coordinator for the Northern Corridor Technology Alliance from 2015 to 2018. Robert’s leadership roles have extended to the Rwanda ICT Chamber, where he was a Special Advisor for Export and Global Partnerships and an Executive Vice Chair. Committed to fostering sector-wide growth, Robert was also a board member of AfICTA and has significantly contributed to ICT development policies in Rwanda, including the NICI plan.
Dr. Aram Sinnreich
Dr. Aram Sinnreich is a media professor, author, and musician. Originally from Brooklyn NYC, he currently lives with his wife and musical partner Dunia Best in the Washington, DC area. Sinnreich is a professor at American University’s School of Communication, where he currently serves as Chair of Communication Studies. His work there focuses on the intersection of technology, law, and culture, with an emphasis on subjects such as music, data surveillance, and copyright.
As an author, Sinnreich writes both nonfiction and fiction books, often on themes related to his research, including music and technology. As a novelist, he collaborates with his sister, Rachel Hope Cleves, using the shared pseudonym R.A. Sinn. He has also written articles for outlets including The New York Times, Wired, Billboard, The Daily Beast, and Rolling Stone. His newest book is “The Secret Life of Data,” coauthored with Jesse Gilbert and published by MIT Press in 2024. As a musician, Sinnreich plays bass, percussion, and guitar. A composer in styles such as jazz, reggae, and soul, he has been a finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition and the Bernard/Ebb Songwriting Award. His song “It’s Never Easy, Si,” performed with his group Dunia & Aram, reached #2 on the World Independent Music radio charts in 2023.
Press Release