Candidate Statement, Olga Kyryliuk, NCUC EC-Europe position
Name: Olga Kyryliuk
Region of residence: Europe
Gender: Female
Employment: CEO & Founder, The Influencer Platform (Ukraine); Independent Researcher & Consultant for the Open Internet for Democracy Initiative, Freedom House, the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine
Conflict of interest: None
Reasons for willingness to take on the position
I’ve been part of the ICANN community since 2017 when I attended my first ICANN58 meeting in Copenhagen as a part of the NextGen Program. Shortly after that I joined NCUC and since then remain an active member, which is proved by my continuous contribution to NCUC outreach activities, participation in working groups, and drafting of public comments. In 2019, I was serving as a member of the selection committee for the ICANN NextGen Program and currently represent NCUC at the NCSG Policy Committee. By now I am quite well aware of the concerns and challenges faced by non-commercial stakeholders within ICANN and am willing to invest my time and expertise to strengthen NCUC’s capacity and voice among other more powerful stakeholders.
I am putting lots of efforts into improving civil society capabilities and facilitating multistakeholder cooperation at the national and regional levels, and would happily add on top of that raising awareness of NCUC and bringing more voices to the community. I am well aware of the specifics of the European IG community and its problems, have extensive professional network including representatives of different stakeholder groups. I highly appreciate the work that has been done on this position before me and will do my best to keep our region actively engaged in NCUC activities. Maintaining regular communication with the members, running outreach activities, fostering member’s active participation in WGs, and PDPs would be a priority for me. I believe it to be extremely important to strive for better diversification of the workload in terms of policy discussions and public comments, which is currently managed by very few people at the extreme of their human capabilities. For that more members should get involved in policy discussions and be able to support the NCUC/NCSG position when needed.
Qualifications for the position
I hold a Ph.D. degree in international law and am CEO and founder of The Influencer Platform – a Ukrainian-based organization that trains and unites stakeholders who stand for digital rights, equal opportunities, communities’ empowerment, and the open Internet. I have over eight years’ experience in issues lying at the intersection of law and technology, including digital rights, data protection, privacy, artificial intelligence, digital sovereignty, and content regulation, as well as four years in rights protection of internally displaced persons. Currently, I’m providing consultancy and expert support to the Freedom House, the Council of Europe, and a range of international companies working all over the world. Prior to establishing my own organization, I’ve been working with the government of Ukraine and the world’s leading humanitarian organizations – the International Committee of the Red Cross and Danish Refugee Council.
I am actively involved in regional and international Internet governance and human rights initiatives, serving on the Executive Committee of the South Eastern European Dialogue on Internet Governance (SEEDIG), and being a founding member of the Internet Freedom Network for Eastern, Central Europe, and Eurasia. Additionally, I’m a regular contributor to the agendas of SEEDIG, EuroDIG, IGF, RightsCon annual meetings, IFLA WLIC, and Internet Freedom Summit, where I’m also presenting as a speaker or a moderator.
Time commitment
I fully acknowledge how time and energy-consuming is to serve on the Executive Committee, especially in such a complex environment as ICANN, but it would be my absolute pleasure to contribute to NCUC development and growth in the upcoming year. I am equally aware that some weeks might be more hectic than others, but I’m part of various IG processes long enough to get used to the huge workload and permanent adjustment to time zones. I believe my legal background and experience in project management would be an asset to perform the duties expected from this position.
Best,
Olga Kyryliuk |