Today, the Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL) announced the open nomination period for the second Digital Principles Advisory Council. The Advisory Council is intended to serve as an independent consultative body to DIAL and will provide guidance to shape the evolution of the Digital Principles, offer input into objectives and project investments, and reinforce DIAL’s accountability and responsibilities to the broader ICT for development (ICT4D) community as stewards. For more details on the specific responsibilities of the Advisory Council, please review the updated 2020 Terms of Reference.

DIAL was named steward of the Digital Principles in 2016 and immediately began seeking counsel and perspectives from hundreds of digital development practitioners in shaping updated guidance and developing new resources for the Digital Principles. In over four years, nearly 2,000 individuals in the sector have been engaged on various projects and the public forum, and 242 organizations across six continents have endorsed the Principles and integrated them into their work.

As the community has grown to encompass diverse sectors and diverging perspectives, DIAL identified the benefit of a dedicated group of professionals advising on all aspects of stewardship and providing a more formal feedback structure to help address the needs of the community with transparency and accountability.

The first Digital Principles Advisory Council was established in 2018, comprised of 8 individuals from diverse geographies, sectors, and backgrounds. During their 18-month tenure, the group met 10 times to provide expert advice and guidance to shape the evolution of the Digital Principles and to reinforce DIAL’s accountability to the community and to ensure DIAL was fulfilling its responsibilities and responding to the shifting needs in the digital development community.

 The objectives of the Council are to provide expert advice and guidance to shape the evolution of the Digital Principles and to reinforce DIAL’s accountability to the community and ensure DIAL is fulfilling its responsibilities as stewards and responding to the shifting needs in the digital development community. The Council provides input into Digital Principles programming and strategy and members serve as Digital Principles advocates and representatives within their respective sectors and networks.

“It’s been incredible to work with ICT and digital development experts dedicated to the mission and practical implementation of the Digital Principles,” said Claudine Lim, Senior Associate of the Digital Principles at DIAL. “They all come from different sectors and backgrounds, but find common ground in the importance of the Principles. This kind of cross-sector collaboration and conversation is necessary for effective, inclusive, and sustainable programming.”

The eight individuals selected for the Advisory Council will represent different sectors, geographies and organizational types. Particular consideration will be given to individuals representative of the Global South to ensure that the future of the Digital Principles reflects the reality of where digital development programs take place and include underrepresented voices in conversations about global goods and development best practice.

As per the 2018 Terms of Reference, terms for inaugural members will be staggered. That is, four of the initial members will be asked to serve initial three-year terms, while the remaining and all subsequent members will serve two-year terms. However, to allow for refreshed perspectives and broader representation, only three former Council Members will remain for a third term.

Digital development practitioners will have six weeks to publicly nominate their peers through our confidential online form or on the Principles for Digital Development Forum. Practitioners are also eligible to nominate themselves. Nominations will require consent of the person being nominated, a resume or CV, and letter of support for their selected candidate.

The nomination period opens today and will close on December 22, 2020. In the first week of January 2021 a seven-person Selection Committee representing diverse regions and sectors will review all candidates and determine who will sit on the second Digital Principles Advisory Council. The following individuals have been identified to serve on the Selection Committee:

• Amjad Hiary: Consultant and CEO at ISEET. Amjad has over 19 years of experience working in IT and has been involved in development and ICT4D since 2006. He has extensive experience strengthening the role of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) by creating technology-driven tools and solutions that serve public health needs and development.
• Maria Zaghi: Maria has over 30 years of experience implementation of projects and entrepreneur efforts related to ICTs in Latin America. She has been the leader for several ICT and innovation agendas in Guatemala and leads business development efforts for over 1,000 ICT companies via a commercialization hub in Guatemala.
• Jaclyn Carlsen: ICT Policy Advisor at USAID and former Digital Principles Advisory Council Member. At the Agency, Jaclyn works with a variety of partners, including missions, host country governments, and tech vendors. She has worked on health information systems activities in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea within USAID’s Ebola Recovery efforts.
• Josh Mandell: Josh is an international development specialist and executive at IBM Services on the Foreign Affairs team and a former member of the Digital Principles Advisory Council. He leads IBM’s effort to partner with development institutions and bring the best of IBM to solve global development challenges.
• Channé Suy Lan: Managing Director, iLab Southeast Asia and former Digital Principles Advisory Council Member. Channé has worked with the iLab since 2009. Her primary focus is to capture user requirements for all aspects that affect the quality of products. She also does software usability design and testing as well as provides on-going support to the clients/partners.
• Rachel Sibande: Program Director for DIAL’s Responsible Use of Network Data Program. Rachel champions the development and deployment of innovative technology solutions across fields such as elections monitoring, citizen engagement and agriculture in Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. She has over 11 years of industry experience spanning academia, development and social enterprise domains.
• Laura Walker McDonald: Senior Director for DIAL’s Insights and Impact team. Laura is a technologist, lawyer and strategist with more than 12 years of global experience in the aid and development space.

DIAL will announce the selected members of the Advisory Council mid-January 2021 and will publish a brief overview of the process that took place and how decisions were reached.

Nominations may be submitted through our confidential online form or the Principles for Digital Development Forum. All questions regarding the nomination process may be posted on this thread or by reaching out to us at PrinciplesAdmin@digitalimpactalliance.org