CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Submission Deadline: June 30, 2019, 11:59 PM ET
The Legal Vice Presidency of the World Bank is pleased to solicit proposals for the Law, Justice and Development (LJD) Week 2019, to be held on November 4-7, 2019, at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington D.C.
We are looking for innovative sessions with world-class speakers and materials aimed at exploring the theme of Rights, Technology and Development. Our goal is to create a program that demonstrates value and impact, focusing on the following objectives:
- Discuss the intersection of human rights and technologies.
- Explore the legal response to the impact on development challenges posed by disruptive technologies.
- Examine how technology in fragile contexts affects development outcomes with a focus on vulnerable groups.
- Observe the legal and ethical implications of new technologies and economic development.
- Analyze the impact of technology on the practice of law.
- Study ways to incorporate technology into the administration of justice.
Submission Deadline
June 30, 2019 11:59PM ET.
Who Can Submit Proposals?
You. Please read the selection criteria below. All event-related expenses, travel and accommodation are the responsibility of the speakers and participants.
Selection Criteria
Each proposal will be evaluated on the degree to which they meet the following criteria:
- Relevance to the theme of Rights, Technology and Development in the legal context.
- Potential impact for developing countries.
- Innovative, research-based and cutting-edge ideas covered.
- Expected outcomes.
- Clarity of content presentation.
Submission Questions
You will need to open an account to submit your proposal.
The submission includes the following questions:
Author's Details (and Co-Authors if applicable)
- First Name
- Last Name
- Email Address
- Organization
- Job Title
Submission Details
- Session Title (clearly capturing the session intent. 80 characters max.)
- Session Description (1,000 characters max.)
- How does this session contribute to a deeper understanding of Rights, Technology and Development in the legal context? (300 characters max.)
- What is the potential impact for developing countries? (300 characters max.)
- What are the innovative, research-based and cutting-edge ideas that will be covered in this session? (300 characters max.)
- What outcomes do you expect from this session? (300 characters max. Bullets preferred)
- What is the Primary Theme? (Select from Rights; Technology; Development; Legal Operations)
- What are the issues covered ? (Select max. 3 from the list of issues below)
- Session Format (Select from the list of formats below)
- Proposed Speaker(s). Include name, title, organization and if speaker(s) is/are confirmed. (All event-related expenses, travel and accommodation are the responsibility of the speakers.)
You will be able to review your submission before submitting.
Background
Global Development Context
Much of the innovation driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution is powered by disruptive technologies. Disruptive technologies cover a plethora of technologies and applications which include (but are not limited to) artificial intelligence, geospatial technology, nano-technology, drones, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, distributed ledger technologies, including cryptocurrencies and smart contracts, FinTech, and RegTech. While leaders in innovation generally come from the private sector, governments can deploy technologies to increase their own efficiency, transparency, and accessibility. Government uses of technology to deliver services include land registry, voting, identification, healthcare, company registration, taxation, by port authorities and for supply chain traceability amongst others. These disruptive technologies and innovative applications challenge traditional legal frameworks which are often unable to adjust quickly enough to technological innovations, territorial disconnection, and increased speed and mobility of goods, services, money, people and data. This year’s Law, Justice and Development week will be devoted to exploring the different legal aspects of these technologies in the global development context.
World Bank Group Context
Disruptive technologies result in a step change in the access to products and services, and dramatically alter how the economies gather information, make products, and interact. They can accelerate progress toward the World Bank Group (WBG) twin goals and the SDGs, but they also pose risks such as rising inequality, job loss, exclusion, data privacy, security, and increased a loss of societal trust. The WBG aims to harness these disruptive technologies in its work through building the infrastructure and regulatory foundations for technology-enabled economies; boosting the capacity of people, firms, and institutions in developing economies to thrive in times of change; and brokering partnerships that harness disruptive technology, data, and expertise to solve development challenges (the Build-Boost-Broker approach).
The WBG has endorsed five corporate priorities in this regard:
- Using country diagnostics (to help countries maximize the opportunities and mitigate the risks posed by disruptive technologies).
- Exploring the application of agile regulations (to promote innovation and mobilize the private sector while addressing risks associated with technological disruptions of sectors and markets).
- Promoting universal and affordable connectivity as a catalyst for this agenda.
- Promoting the provision of transparent, efficient, and accountable digital government services through a new GovTech initiative.
- Supporting investment in human capital to develop skills and capabilities for the new economy. Sectoral and regional programs, such as the Digital Economy for Africa Moonshot, will enable the WBG to focus on interventions that draw on its comparative advantages, address binding constraints, and have the greatest impact on achieving the twin goals.
Accordingly, in this global and institutional context, LJD Week 2019 seeks to explore both the legal response to the impact on development challenges posed by disruptive technologies, including areas of facilitation of or tensions with rights and development solutions, as well as how law and the legal community can anticipate and proactively and positively shape positively shape this evolving agenda.
LJD Week 2019 will be divided into two broad areas with sub-themes. First, we will analyze what the impact of technological innovations will have from both a legal, ethical and developmental perspective. Second, we will have a smaller theme on the impact these technologies are having on the actual practice of law (i.e. legal operations).
Subthemes
Organization of Sessions around “Rights” Issues
- Access to Justice
- Collective/Group rights and Human/Individual rights
- Cybersecurity
- Data Governance (ownership, sovereignty, privacy, bias/discrimination, safety)
- Digital Property Rights
- Free Prior Informed Consent
- Gender
- Identity
- Jobs/Labor/Future of Work
- Privacy
- Shifting allocation of rights/responsibilities between public and private
Organization of Sessions around “Technology” Issues
- Artificial Intelligence
- Biometrics
- Blockchain, including cryptocurrencies and smart contracts
- Digital Twin
- Digital Divide
- Drones
- Internet of Things
- Nanotechnology
- Open Source
- Telemedicine
- Virtual/Augmented Reality
Organization of Sessions around “Development” Issues
- Access/Inclusion
- Agritech/Precision Agriculture
- Climate
- Data valuation (including tax)
- Entrepreneurship
- FCV
- Fintech
- Gender Equity
- Govtech
- Human Capital
- Infrastructure Investment and Risk of Stranded Assets Development Finance and Dual Use Technologies
- Judicial Systems
- Land
- Market Integrity
- Procurement
- Regtech
Organization of Sessions around “Legal Operations” Issues
- Case Management
- Contract Management
- Risk Management
- E-Signatures
- Effecting Organizational Change
- Using AI, data, and analytics in managing a legal department
- Using AI to pre-screen cases and arguments for judges
- Use of technology to improve client service
- Use of technology to facilitate process improvement in service delivery
Session Formats
This year’s LJD Week will place enhanced emphasis on shorter and more creative session formats. Sessions will therefore be between 7 and 30 minutes long and can be followed live through social media to further interaction and engagement.
Panel and Roundtable formats will not be offered as options in the call for proposals. These formats will be reserved for gatherings of development partners and other stakeholders to discuss specific development priorities identified by the LJD Week Team.
INSPIRING—TED-STYLE TALK
What—Presentation of a well-formed and compelling new idea that challenges existing beliefs. Presentation is under 15 minutes.
Who—One speaker.
Duration—15 minutes followed by Q&A.
How—Presentation format.
ILLUMINATING—LIGHTNING TALK
What—Presentation in which the presenter shares creative and innovative ideas, thoughts, etc.
Who—One speaker at a time. Session includes several consecutive presenters.
Duration—Circa 7 minutes.
How—Presentation format where maximum 20 slides are shown for maximum 20 seconds each to keep the talk concise and fast-paced. Presentation will be timed.
INQUISITIVE—INTERVIEW
What—Interview with approximately five questions. Answers are as succinct as possible.
Who—One speaker and one interviewer.
Duration—30 minutes.
How—An interviewer will pose challenging questions to the speaker. Questions and answers may be prepared in advance.
INFORMATIVE—FIRESIDE CHAT
What—Fast-paced conversation between 2-3 speakers, where different points of view around a common, well identified and explained topic are covered. The conversation is well prepared and appears informal and natural.
Who—Two (or maximum three) speakers.
Duration—30 minutes.
How—Two speakers sit on armchairs facing each other. The discussion topic is initially presented in three minutes by one of the speakers that will be followed by a back-and-forth between the speakers. Last two minutes are devoted to summary and wrap up.
ARGUMENTATIVE—COURTROOM
What—The topic is presented by two sides (prosecutor and defendant) that are in disagreement and try to convince the audience (jury) by arguing in favor or against the topic presented at the beginning by the moderator.
Who—Two speakers and a moderator.
Duration—30 minutes.
How—The topic is introduced by the moderator in the first three minutes. Subsequently, the moderator opens the floor to the two experts, each of whom have three minutes to present their own side/angle. A debate between the two experts follows for 10 minutes. In the end, the audience will vote to decide which argument was more convincing.
CHALLENGING—Q&A
What—Questions around a common theme are submitted by LJD Week participants and answered by an expert.
Who—One speaker.
Duration—30 minutes.
How—Session will kick off with a short, maximum 5-minute-long presentation and the remainder of the allotted time will be spent answering queries. LJD Week team will solicit questions among LJD Week participants in advance. Questions are submitted and vetted by LJD Week team following submission. Speaker will get the chance in advance to select queries s/he wishes to answer during this session. Answers are as succinct as possible.
ENGAGING—GAME/QUIZ
What—Game or quiz with audience.
Who—One or multiple speakers.
Duration—30 minutes.
How—This format allows for a lot of flexibility around the “how.” It can be a quiz for the audience with questions related to a topic or a game with the audience. Speaker(s) will be responsible for providing the solution and explanation after each quiz.
Guidelines for Authors of Proposals
Authors are responsible for the design and implementation of their respective sessions. They should organize and execute the logistical requirements for a successful event.
Authors will:
- Identify the topic, speakers/moderators and work to reach a consensus on the content, title and description of the session.
- Ensure there is diversity and select only top-notch speakers who are recognized as experts in the area they will discuss, when making selection for speakers.
- Organize conference calls/meetings with speakers/moderators and communications coordinators before the session to define the plan or strategy on how to run the session.
- Identify communications coordinator to share information about LJD Week session and encourage participation and engagement through different social media platforms and networks, such as blogging, social networking sites, chat rooms and/or discussion board—While LJD Week team advertises the overall event, assigned communications coordinators are in charge of advertising their respective sessions using own or organizational social media platforms. Flyer templates and branding will be provided by LJD Week team.
Go here to submit your proposal by June 30, 2019 11:59 PM ET
