The United Nations University – Operating Unit on Policy-driven Electronic Governance (UNU-EGOV) is hosting the launch of the book "Digital Inclusion in an Unequal World: An Emancipatory Manifesto" by Tim Unwin, on April 20th, at 10:00 (Lisbon Time).
The event will take place at UNU‑EGOV and will be led by the author. The book offers a critical reflection on dominant approaches to digital inclusion, questioning why many digital interventions fail to benefit the world’s poorest and most marginalised communities. It argues for a fundamentally emancipatory perspective, grounded in social justice, equity and responsibility.
The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session, providing participants with the opportunity to engage directly with the author and discuss the implications of emancipatory digital inclusion for policy, governance and international cooperation.
To secure your online attendance, please use this registration form. The access link will be sent to you by email after registration.
About the author
Tim Unwin (born 1955) is a British academic and public figure, specialising in the uses of digital technology by the world’s poorest and most marginalised peoples.
Trained as a geographer, he believes in crossing boundaries between disciplines and sectors, as well as in the importance of international understanding between peoples and governments.
He was Secretary General of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) from 2011-2015, and was Chair of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission from 2009-2014.
In 2007 he also became founding Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair in Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) at the then named Royal Holloway, University of London, a post he held until 2023.
He took early retirement in 2011 (and was granted the title of Emeritus Professor) to enable him to do the research he really cared about and to teach bright students in other parts of the world, but was asked instead to become CEO and then Secretary General of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation, a post that he held until 2015.
