Maria-Francesca Spatolisano
Maria-Francesca Spatolisano is the Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter- Agency Affairs, UN DESA since March 2019. At the beginning of February 2021, Maria-Francesca Spatolisano was also appointed Officer-in Charge of the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology in her personal capacity.
Maria-Francesca Spatolisano has 35 years of experience in public service including extensive senior leadership in multilateral affairs. She has served as the European Union Ambassador to the OECD and UNESCO, Monaco and Andorra. She was a member of the EU Delegation to the United Nations, serving as the Head of its Economic and Trade Section, covering all issues related to trade, development and environmental policies in the Second Committee and ECOSOC; she also represented the EC to the Fifth Committee.
Listen to Maria-Francesca Spatolisano speak at the conference
Session 2: Democratic Values In a Digital Future
The opening keynote by Eileen Donahoe will address the issue of the rising geopolitical tensions anchored in the technological development, and what democratic states need to do differently in charging the way forward for a democratic digital future and to combat the spread of digital authoritarianism. Then, in a fireside chat, participants will address the role and responsibilities of civil society and tech companies in navigating this new geopolitical landscape. How do we build in democratic values in the development, dissemination and application of new technologies?