Session
United Nations University - CRIS
Nadia Tjahja, United Nations University-CRIS, IGO, WEOG
Jamal Shahin, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, WEOG
Trisha Meyer, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, WEOG
Nadia Tjahja, United Nations University-CRIS, IGO, WEOG
Jamal Shahin, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, WEOG
Jamal Shahin
Trisha Meyer
Nadia Tjahja
16.6
16.7
17.7
Targets: This dissertation reflects on stakeholder composition, identification and mobility to provide insights into participation at the IGF which allows for a understanding of stakeholders that are participating at the IGF and the framing of their participation, but also identifying which types of stakeholders are missing and for which purposes they should be included (16.7). By being able to navigate the different stakeholder groups more naturally beyond legal entity representation, this research opens the opportunity to find collaboration among stakeholders based on the purpose of participation framework (17.17). Furthermore, using youth as a case study, this dissertation maps the European youth IGF participants (YOUthDIG) through activities at entry, regional and global level, and proposes structure for sustainable and effect participation (16.6) to ensure inclusive and participatory decision-making at all levels at the IGF (16.7).
Theater
The first 15min will be a presentation of the dissertation. This is followed by a discussion between Professor Jamal Shahin and Nadia Tjahja with opportunities for online and on site audiences to contribute to the conversation.
Multistakeholderism exists in many models and practices with no common understanding and varied implementation (Epstein and Nonnecke, 2016; Gasser et al., 2015; Raymond and DeNardis, 2015, and many more). Definitions vary far and wide, but commonly describe stakeholders and participation.
With the discussions on the Global Digital Compact, WSIS+20 and the IGF’s mandate renewal, stakeholders are struggling with navigating multistakeholderism in a time where there is renewed interest in global governance and multilateral decision making.
During this launch session, Nadia Tjahja will be presenting her PhD dissertation on “Meaningful participation in global and regional multistakeholder institutions: the case of the Internet Governance Forum” in discussion with Professor Jamal Shahin, to reflect on the findings of her research, critically discuss her policy recommendations, and to contextualise what this research means for ongoing policymaking and upcoming events.
The main research question is: “how can we assess the design of the IGF’s approach to engaging stakeholders in its processes” by looking at two subquestions:
In the first subquestion, Nadia researched how stakeholders at the IGF identify themselves and their affiliations by analysing the IGF participants’ database. In this subquestion she reflects on the purpose of participation of participants, the concept of self-identification, multiple affiliations (“double hats”) and stakeholder mobility.
In the second subquestion, Nadia picked the youth stakeholder group as a case study to reflect on how youth as a cross siloed and horizontal stakeholder navigate the IGF, where she identified the different understanding, perceptions and ideas of the youth stakeholder group, activities of participation of youth, and analysed how youth create their own activities and processes when they feel that existing mechanisms are inadequate to support their goals.
Published and forthcoming journal articles are available:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308596121000458
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308596122001124
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308596124000557
https://www.giga-net.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IGF-2023_-YOUthDIG-…
This launch session seeks to encourage constructive criticism of developments and recommendation on multistakeholderism at the IGF and wants to reach out to all participants to share their insights and experiences. After the presentation there will be a Q&A but also space for sharing thoughts and experiences with the support of the on site and online moderators.