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Looking back, moving forward: how to continue to empower the IGF’s role in Internet Governance

Time
Thursday, 19th December, 2024 (07:30 UTC) - Thursday, 19th December, 2024 (09:30 UTC)
About this Session
Reaching the WSIS vision for a people-centered, inclusive and sustainable information society requires two fundamental considerations: multistakeholder collaboration and enabling, interoperable policy environments. As one of the key outcomes of WSIS, the IGF is a pioneering example and enabler of bottom-up discussions allowing stakeholders to exchange best practices, address challenges and reap the opportunities that the Internet, and more broadly, digital technologies have to offer. Since the first IGF in 2006, the contribution it has made in shaping the Internet is profound. The development of its intersessional work enabled by meaningful exchange of information and good practices, and connection with national and regional initiatives, continue to facilitate a common understanding on how to maximize the opportunities of the Internet and address challenges in a holistic, bottom-up manner. Despite significant progress made, the vision for people-centric, sustainable digitalisation remains out of reach.

With the Global Digital Compact agreed, the upcoming WSIS review of what has happened over the past two decades, and what should happen next, the IGF community must now ensure that the future of Internet governance continues to embrace an open and inclusive Internet.
This Main Session will showcase the unique role of the IGF as a central asset in enabling global digital cooperation, and a vehicle towards interoperable policy approaches in Internet and digital governance. The session will present examples of the long term contributions that the IGF and its multistakeholder community have made to the broader Internet governance space and share recommendations on how to strengthen the IGF and ensure that it is prepared to be one of the key follow-up frameworks to the outcomes deriving from the GDC and the WSIS+20 processes.

Policy questions:

- What challenges are there in coordinating and leveraging the existing structures and processes in the digital cooperation ecosystem? How can the IGF evolve to support this coordination?

- What steps must be taken to leverage the IGF’s long term contributions to the governance of the Internet, in view of the Global Digital Compact and the WSIS+20 review?

- What are the best practices and lessons learned that we can draw to continue to enable global digital cooperation, in the context of the review of the IGF mandate?

- How can we ensure that the IGF can contribute to the development of enabling policy environments?

- What are the key practical aspects that should be considered in the WSIS+20 process to improve and strengthen the IGF?

Expected outcomes:

This Main Session will contribute actionable insights and suggestions to advance the IGF’s mandate in tandem with the adoption of the Global Digital Compact and the upcoming WSIS+20 review.

Reference documents:

IGF Vision document: https://intgovforum.org/en/filedepot_download/213/28513

Speakers:

  1. Ms Timea Suto, Global Digital Policy Lead, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
  2. Ms Valeria Betancourt, Internet governance lead, Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
  3. Ms Christine Arida, Board Member & Strategic Advisor to the Executive President, National Telecom Regulatory Authority of Egypt
  4. Mr Kurtis Erik Lindqvist, President and CEO, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)

Moderator:

Ms Carol Roach, IGF MAG Chair

Theme
Improving digital governance for the Internet We Want
Session Time
Thursday, 19th December, 2024 (07:30 UTC) - Thursday, 19th December, 2024 (09:30 UTC)
Key Takeaways (* deadline 2 hours after session)
(1) IGF has been contributing in enhancing the implementation of the WSIS action lines over the last 20 years by bringing together different stakeholders to discuss issues of Internet governance.
(2) It is also required to strengthen the effectiveness of the IGF to produce tangible outcomes and actionable recommendations, effectively communicating key messages to relevant policymaking spaces.
(3) The strengthening of the IGF`s collaboration between multistakeholder processes and multilateral bodies is essential to enhance the IGF's role in global Internet governance.
Call to Action (* deadline 2 hours after session)
(1) Integrate the IGF into a permanent part of the UN system in order to guarantee the continuous adaptation to the evolving Internet landscape and effective contribution to global Internet governance.
(2) Build the capacity of the IGF to produce tangible, actionable outcomes, such as evidence-based policy recommendations, and improve outreach to policymakers and decision-makers. (3) Improve participation in IGF by various stakeholders from the global south, the youth, women and marginalized groups to broaden the Internet governance perspectives.
Session Report (* deadline Monday 20 December) - click on the ? symbol for instructions

Key takeaways
The session explored the IGF's unique role as a central asset in advancing global digital cooperation and its contributions to building interoperable policy environments. The GDC (Global Digital Compact) recognized the IGF as the primary multi-stakeholder platform for discussions of Internet governance issues. The IGF’s role should not be undermined. In the context of the GDC and the upcoming WSIS+20 review, discussions cantered on how the IGF can evolve to address challenges and opportunities in internet governance. Panellists and the audience shared insights on strengthening the IGF’s mandate and enhancing its relevance as a key framework for implementing the outcomes of these global processes.
The IGF was universally recognized for its unique position as a multistakeholder platform that fosters inclusive dialogue on internet governance. It has played a critical role in raising awareness of global digital issues, supporting intersessional work, and encouraging diverse stakeholder participation across governments, civil society, and the private sector.
As the IGF approaches its 20th anniversary, and in the context of the recently published GDC, there was broad consensus that there shouldn’t be duplication of effort or devaluing of the current institutions. The forum's future could be strengthened through structural improvements, including the potential for becoming a permanent forum. Participants highlighted the importance of adapting the IGF’s mandate to ensure stability, adequate funding, and long-term impact.
A recurring theme was the need for the IGF to produce tangible, actionable outcomes. The IGF’s discussions should translate into concrete recommendations and solutions for internet governance challenges. Suggestions included fostering stronger links with governments and improving communication of IGF outputs to policymaking spaces.
Participants stressed the need for the IGF to become more inclusive, particularly for underrepresented regions, youth, and marginalized communities. Strengthening the role of national and regional IGFs (NRIs) was suggested as a means to localize internet governance discussions and increase grassroots engagement.
The discussion also addressed the balance between fostering innovation and addressing inclusivity and privacy concerns. Emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), were identified as key challenges for future internet governance. The IGF must play a crucial role in ensuring that digital innovation benefits all while safeguarding privacy and inclusivity.


Call to action
A call to action was made for a clearer vision and action plan for the IGF’s future, as well as strategies to improve engagement with underserved communities and ensure its outputs are actionable for policymakers. Additionally, the creation of a compendium of IGF’s achievements over its first 19 years was suggested as a way to showcase its impact and inform future directions.
While there is consensus on these objectives, key questions remain regarding the specific mechanisms for improving the IGF’s outcomes and balancing its role as an open forum with the need for more concrete outputs. These challenges will form the foundation for ongoing discussions as the IGF evolves to meet the changing landscape of global internet governance.
More concretely, the speakers and the audience shared the following calls to action:

  • Improve the reach of the IGF and develop an action plan to increase inclusivity and participation of NIRs so that we can all work together.
  • Develop a plan and effective procedures to make the IGF known to more organizations, in particular initiatives to encourage stronger collaboration and to reduce the questions of lack of inclusion of certain countries.
  • Make more recommendations to address internet access issues in certain areas. Organize meetings to gather recommendations to reduce internet access issues. Ensure that the rich, meaningful discussions generated at the IGF are translated into tangible, actionable outcomes, which could have real impact in bridging the digital divide and connecting the unconnected.
  • Consider and develop solutions to strengthen local and regional interconnection, implementation of innovative connectivity solutions to connect the hardest to reach parts of the world and bring the internet to everyone.
  • Assess the current state of the Internet in order to know how to evolve for the future of IGF.

Overall, the IGF’s contributions to internet governance over the past two decades have been transformative. However, achieving a sustainable, people-centric digital future requires scaling these efforts to address emerging challenges. By aligning with global agendas like the GDC and WSIS+20, the IGF can continue to empower inclusive, multistakeholder-driven governance and remain a cornerstone of digital cooperation.