How Eugenio V Garcia is Helping to Co-Create a Better Tech Future | Responsible Tech Guide Interview

Written By David Polgar

Eugenio V Garcia (Tech Diplomat, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil) discusses thorny tech & society issues, how her work contributes to tackling big tech issues, and her vision for a better tech future. This interview was conducted for All Tech Is Human’s Responsible Tech Guide.

The Responsible Tech Guide is designed to inform, inspire, and illuminate pathways for individuals to expand their impact in the Responsible Tech ecosystem. Following our three pillars for change (community, education, careers), the Responsible Tech Guide features actionable ways to grow your community, increase your knowledge, and better understand career pathways.

What is the biggest tech & society issue we are currently facing?

As a Tech Diplomat, my role is to build bridges to connect people and promote Tech for Good. Technology should be beneficial for everyone, everywhere, respecting the rich cultural diversity of the world’s population and the local needs of different societies across the globe. We need to promote further dialogue and bridge the gap between technologists (developers, engineers, experts from private companies) and policymakers (leaders, politicians, diplomats, governmental officials, parliamentarians) to explore opportunities for interconnection between these two worlds, with special regard to policymaking in the digital domain.

How does your role help tackle thorny tech & society issues?

In my current role, I support organizations across sectors to develop and sustain public interest tech projects. Whether working with funders to design and run various grant and investment programs, or with nonprofits to develop strong technical and organizational strategies, or with the private sector to build responsible tech products and resources, I support leaders in tackling tech and society issues through well-executed programs. I also do a fair amount of speaking and training on tech and society issues – sharing my own insights from studying and working across the growing field. Finally, I get to develop partnerships and work in collaboration with a number of phenomenal leaders in different sectors.

How did your career grow, and what advice would you give to others wanting to be in a similar position?

My job has been rising in importance in a globalized digital ecosystem. We need more experts on board. Technology is too important to be left to technologists alone. This is why Tech Diplomats need to be bilingual: speak the languages of both diplomacy and technology to bridge the gap between technologists and policymakers. Global co-governance can only succeed with the participation of a wide range of players in a multistakeholder setting, with developing countries actively engaged. Unless we take the concerns of the majority of the world’s population seriously, reaping the rewards of the technological revolution will be a privilege confined to a minority, or worse still, controlled by a few hands.

“Global co-governance can only succeed with the participation of a wide range of players in a multistakeholder setting, with developing countries actively engaged.” - Eugenio V Garcia

What backgrounds or voices would you like to see more of in the Responsible Tech ecosystem?

Global tech policymaking demands responsible strategies to prevent disturbing scenarios, build commonly accepted rules and minimum standards, and foster international cooperation to avoid strategic uncertainty. Predictability by means of norm-setting is in everyone’s interest. Effective global governance means that international issues are to be addressed in good faith by all interested parties, following procedures commonly agreed upon to uphold the rule of law and fairness. Tech Diplomacy will be increasingly called to manage the globalized digital ecosystem as it stands today to reach political solutions that can accommodate all views and concerns as much as possible. In this larger debate, we need the participation of more scholars and policymakers of the Global South.

What is your vision of a better tech future and how can we move towards that vision?

In my view, Tech Diplomats from developing countries can play an active role in a number of areas: pushing for international cooperation; engaging in global policymaking; supporting efforts to ensure responsible use of new technologies; exchanging views and coordinating positions; promoting a common vision for the future; or joining forces with other partners in cross-region institutions. They can also embrace multi-stakeholderism; engage civil society, private companies, researchers, and other stakeholders in bona fide cross-cultural dialogues; pursue geographical and gender balance to ensure broad representation at all levels; promote normative leadership; invest in capacity-building to empower people and foster tech literacy among vulnerable communities; seek inputs from marginalized groups and neglected audiences; and learn from multidisciplinary perspectives by bringing new voices to the table.

About All Tech Is Human

All Tech Is Human is a non-profit committed to building the world’s largest multistakeholder, multidisciplinary network in Responsible Tech. This allows us to tackle wicked tech & society issues while moving at the speed of tech, leverage the collective intelligence of the community, and diversify the traditional tech pipeline. Together, we work to solve tech & society’s thorniest issues.

David Polgar
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