Wednesday, December 11, 2024 from 12:00PM – 1:30PM (EDT)
In-person and Webcast
Event Description:
The Global Taiwan Institute (GTI) is pleased to invite you to a panel discussion titled “Multilateralizing Digital Resilience and the Role of Taiwan.”
In an era of growing digital threats to national security, resilience is essential not only for sustaining democratic values but also for safeguarding communication and computer systems. Digital resilience requires not just robust hardware but also effective software reinforced by strategic international partnerships to counter much larger and more powerful authoritarian adversaries. Drawing on lessons from Ukraine’s wartime experiences, this panel will explore Taiwan’s pivotal role in fostering global digital resilience. It will examine initiatives like Taiwan’s Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee, which prioritizes digital resilience, and the critical role of Taiwan’s civil society in advancing digital diplomacy and resilience during peacetime. The discussion will address key steps Taiwan can take to enhance its digital resilience and how the United States, allies, and like-minded partners can collaborate to bolster these efforts.
The event will be held at GTI’s office located at 1836 Jefferson Place NW in Washington DC (approximately one block from the Dupont Circle Metro). Doors will open at 11:30 AM, and the event will begin at 12:00 PM. Please direct questions or concerns to Program Manager Adrienne Wu at awu@globaltaiwan.org.
**Media: Please contact Adrienne Wu at awu@globaltaiwan.org if you would like to bring additional crew members or equipment, so that we can be sure to accommodate you.
The Panelists:
Chiayo Kuo is the founder and president of the Taiwan Digital Diplomacy Association (TDDA), a committee member of the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee at the Taiwan Presidential Office, a board member at Radio Taiwan International, a committee member of the Human Rights Committee of the Ministry of the Interior, and a member of the International Affairs Committee of the Taiwan Network Information Center. She focused on promoting social networking advocacy and international exchange between Taiwan and its diplomatic partners, and is committed to utilizing the internet to gain further international exposure for Taiwan. Her leadership from 2018 to 2024 has enabled the TDDA to promote various Taiwanese causes across 350+ media outlets in 25 countries. Chiayo’s unrelenting efforts to amplify Taiwan’s global presence through digital diplomacy have earned her prestigious accolades and recognition, making her a significant contributor to society.
Adam King is IRI’s regional director for East Asia and the Pacific. During his more than 13 years at IRI he has held various positions within the Asia-Pacific division including intern, Hong Kong-based program officer, and Northeast Asia program manager. While at IRI he has worked with partners across the Asia-Pacific to implement programs focused on civil society strengthening, elections, media freedom, migrant worker rights, minority rights, public budgeting, youth civic activism, women’s political participation, and many others. He has also observed elections in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Mongolia, and Timor-Leste.
Gulsanna Mamediieva is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and a leading expert in tech policy and digital government transformation. From 2019 to 2023, she served as Director General at Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation, where she spearheaded strategic initiatives, including the development of the award-winning Diia app, which has revolutionized e-government services for over 20 million Ukrainians. Amid the challenges of war, she led critical projects to secure telecom infrastructure, negotiate the EU-Ukraine free roaming agreement, and integrate Ukraine into key EU digital programs. As CEO of the Digitality GovTech Center of Excellence, she now fosters global collaboration to scale innovative government technologies. A native of Crimea, Gulsanna holds a Master’s in IT Law from the University of Tartu and is pursuing a PhD in Internet Law at the Kyiv Institute of International Relations. Passionate about diversity in tech, she champions data-driven solutions to strengthen democracy and inclusion.
Libby Lange is a director of intelligence at the Special Competitive Studies Project. Prior to SCSP, Libby worked as an intel analyst at Graphika, where she focused on Chinese state-linked influence operations and public health misinformation. Prior to Graphika, she served as a speechwriter and communications manager for Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, accompanying the President on multiple state visits. Libby holds an MA in Global Affairs from Yale University and a BA in Political Science from National Taiwan University.
The Moderator:
Russell Hsiao is the executive director of GTI, senior fellow at The Jamestown Foundation, and adjunct fellow at Pacific Forum. He is a former Penn Kemble fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy and visiting scholar at the University of Tokyo’s Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia. He previously served as a senior research fellow at The Project 2049 Institute and national security fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Prior to those positions he was the editor of China Brief at The Jamestown Foundation from October 2007 to July 2011 and a special associate in the International Cooperation Department at the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy. While in law school, he clerked within the Office of the Chairman at the Federal Communications Commission and the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center at the Office of the US Trade Representative. Mr. Hsiao received his JD and certificate from the Law and Technology Institute at the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law where he served as the editor-in-chief of the Catholic University’s Journal of Law and Technology. He received a BA in international studies from the American University’s School of International Service and the University Honors Program.