Kiri

Timo Harakka Minister of Transport and Communications Our Ref: 06.09.2022 No 24.1-8/2022/5361-1 of the Republic of Finland Eteläesplanadi 4, Helsinki PO Box 31, FI-00023 Government, Finland Dear Mr. Harakka The rules-based world order is undergoing a seismic shift on multiple fronts. New challenges and geostrategic imperatives oblige us to revitalize and reconfigure relationships among like-minded democracies and our closest partners. We need moral clarity and careful stewardship to ensure our future peace and prosperity, and to ward off a future racked with hardship and oppression. The common thread across our shared efforts is connectivity. The immense global demand for infrastructure will be satisfied, one way or another. We must present a united front against authoritarianism and forge a prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable future—together. These themes will underline this year’s Tallinn Digital Summit. We will build upon last year’s focus on Trusted Connectivity as a shared conceptual framework for democracies to unite their many connectivity initiatives and to develop digital and physical infrastructure according to our democratic values and our highest standards. Now we turn to delivering trusted connectivity through trusted partnerships. We will explore the role connectivity plays in fostering global security, energy security, cybersecurity and data protection, in the development of new technologies and novel digital solutions, as well as in the reconstruction of a free and democratic Ukraine. I invite you to join me in person at Tallinn Digital Summit 2022 on 10 and 11 October. It would be my honor to benefit from your insights. Please find attached to this invitation the concept paper for this year’s Tallinn Digital Summit. Additional information will soon be forthcoming. The democratic world has demonstrated great unity in our response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and against the rules-based world order. Let us translate this unity into tangible results, together. I look forward to welcoming you in Tallinn! Kristjan Järvan Minister of Entrepreneurship and Information Technology Suur-Ameerika 1 / 10122 Tallinn / ESTONIA Phone: +372 625 6342 / Fax: +372 631 3660 / E-mail: [email protected] / http://www.mkm.ee Tallinn Digital Summit 2022 Concept Paper The Tallinn Digital Summit is an annual event hosted by the Estonian Prime Minister that brings together leaders from like-minded and digitally-advanced countries, international organizations, and the private sector to address the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow, as well as to seize the opportunities on our road toward a connected digital future. Our transition to this digital future, built upon our shared democratic values, has collided with the grim realities of geopolitics and the malign influence of autocracies. Democracies seek to harness the digital transformation to build a future that is more free, prosperous, and sustainable, whereas autocracies seek to exploit technology to inflict coercion both at home and abroad. These opposing approaches are driving a race for technological supremacy. At the heart of this conflict lie trust—our confidence in systems of governance and in new technologies—and connectivity—physical, digital, and virtual infrastructure. There is now a premium on presenting a united front against authoritarianism and on trusted partnerships, based on common interests, on democratic values, and on the highest standards—the very essence of trusted connectivity. At last year’s Tallinn Digital Summit, Estonia introduced Trusted Connectivity as a shared conceptual framework to consolidate and amplify the many connectivity initiatives of like-minded democracies. This year’s Summit will focus on delivering trusted connectivity through trusted partnerships. The Summit will build bridges among various connectivity initiatives and elaborate on what constitutes a trusted and secure digital society, as well as on concrete steps for governments, financial institutions, international organizations, technical experts, and the private sector to take to ensure our democratic values, our commitments to human freedom and human dignity, and the rules-based international order prevail. We will explore the role of trusted connectivity and trusted partnerships across topics such as global stability, supply chains, energy, economic, and cyber security, digital policy, international standards, artificial intelligence, clouds and satellites, digital public goods, and Web 3.0, as well as their role in the reconstruction of a free and democratic Ukraine. All this necessitates the holistic shaping of the requisite political, institutional, and entrepreneurial ecosystems to increase public and private investments in connectivity, as well as establishing an architecture of trust within the international system, particularly through plurilateral arrangements such as the transatlantic alliance, the G7, and the Quad. The Summit takes place against the backdrop of several momentous developments. First, many new connectivity initiatives have recently been introduced, including the G7’s Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, the EU’s Global Gateway, the UK’s Clean Green Initiative, and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity. Second, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, in conjunction with continuing cyberattacks against vital infrastructure, have amply underscored the geopolitical importance of values-based investments into trusted connectivity and of reducing our strategic dependencies on malign actors. But new geostrategic imperatives also present an auspicious opportunity to revitalize our cooperation in the face of shared challenges. Main Topics ● Global Security: Building trusted partnerships to alleviate geopolitical turmoil. ● Energy Security: Decoupling from untrusted partners and seeking trusted alternatives. ● Cybersecurity: Enabling collective defense and enhancing resilience through trusted connectivity. ● Attracting Investments: Public–private cooperation in delivering trusted connectivity in practice. ● Modern Problems Require Modern Solutions: Trusted frameworks and partnerships across the digital domain, including data governance, artificial intelligence, clouds and satellites, and beyond. Practical Information Tallinn Digital Summit 2022 will take place on 10–11 October at the Tallinn Creative Hub. The two days consist of keynote speeches and panel discussions. A welcome dinner will be held at the Port of Tallinn Cruise Terminal at the end of the first day.