Session
A Technical Community Coalition for Multistakeholderism (TCCM)
Jordan Carter, auDA
Nick Wenban-Smith, Nominet UK
Jennifer Chung, DotAsia
Jordan Carter
Alishah Shariff
Sabrina Wilkinson
9.1
9.a
9.c
10.2
10.3
16.10
16.6
16.7
16.8
16.a
17.8
17.9
Targets: The SDGs highlighted above, and indeed many others not listed, speak to making technology more accessible, inclusive, equitable and accountable while protecting fundamental freedoms. A free, open, interoperable, secure and resilient Internet is key to achieving many of these SDGs, and a multistakeholder approach is important to delivering the desired outcomes. A multistakeholder approach which brings together the technical community, academia, civil society, governments and the private sector is more likely to deliver reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, particularly in developing countries, in a more equitable way. If done effectively, multistakeholderism empowers individuals globally to take part in discussions on issues which affect them, regardless of geographical location, age, sex, educational background, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or other status. Multistakeholderism is also key to achieving many of the outcomes of SDG 16, building accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels, by giving stakeholders a voice and say in decision-making. Part of the TCCM’s agenda is to support the technical community (across a wide range of geographic contexts) to more effectively engage in global processes on Internet governance internationally, regionally and domestically. In this way, and through collaboration across diverse geographic regions, the TCCM supports capacity building on issues related to the Internet.
Roundtable
The event format would be 15 minutes of keynote addresses followed by 15-20 mins of Q&A (both online and in-person questions). This would be followed by 25-30 mins of networking, providing the opportunity for members of the Coalition and wider Internet community to connect. The online equivalent of the networking would consist of a moderated discussion to enable participants to meet one another and discuss contemporary success and challenges of multistakeholderism based on their experience.
A Technical Community Coalition for Multistakeholderism (TCCM) was formed in April 2024 by auDA, CIRA, InternetNZ and Nominet, with a growing membership that represents a group of aligned members of the technical community with a long history of involvement in multistakeholder Internet governance. The TCCM recognises that the technological success of the Internet is the direct result of the multistakeholder approach to internet governance. This approach enables stakeholders to come together on an equal footing to discuss or make decisions about the Internet and to foster its ongoing evolution and expansion. Multistakeholderism fosters a level of diversity, accountability, and transparency that cannot be replicated in intergovernmental environments alone, and ensures decision-making about the Internet and its governance are not led by individual nation-based political interests.
Protecting the multistakeholder model of Internet governance for the years to come is of crucial importance, particularly in the current period of critical decision-making at the UN across 2024 and 2025. Ensuring the inclusion of the technical community, on an equal footing with other stakeholders, as a key voice in Internet governance, continuing to strengthen the multistakeholder model, and a renewed mandate for the IGF are priorities for us. The TCCM therefore aims to defend, evolve and strengthen multistakeholderism in decision-making and dialogues about the Internet and digital policy processes. This event will look to formally launch the TCCM in the global setting of UN IGF. It will provide an opportunity to reflect on some of the successes to date (for example the TCCM’s contribution to shaping the Global Digital Compact) and the challenges that lie ahead (including the upcoming WSIS+20 review) and ways we can work together to evolve and strengthen the multistakeholder approach.
The event will consist of a presentation and Q&A, followed by the opportunity to network for in-person participants and a facilitated discussion for virtual participants.