IGF 2024 Open Forum #36 Challenges & Opportunities for a Multilingual Internet

The Internet cannot become multilingual until software applications treat all Top-Level Domains equally, regardless of the script they are in. To do this, the multistakeholder Internet community must work together to build policy that encourages the universal acceptance of all domain names and email addresses – namely those that are not based on the Latin alphabet character set (or otherwise said, scripts that fall outside of the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) character set).  Local language content, the delivery of which is enabled by Universal Acceptance, is also a key element of the multilingual Internet and requires its own policy interventions.  During this Open Forum, government representatives from Egypt, India, the U.K., and the U.S. will present on their activities to promote the multilingual Internet, including on efforts to promote local content development, universal acceptance, and the uptake of Internationalized Domain Names. Insights shared by presenting governments will inform a discussion on the primary challenges facing the achievement of a multilingual Internet and highlight lessons learned so far. Through a better understanding of the distinct role governments have to play in the pursuit of Internet multilingualism, this Open Forum will seek to build momentum and raise awareness of this critical issue. 

The in-person and remote moderator will meet before the IGF2024 to rehearse their approach to facilitating interaction between speakers and attendees. We will ensure that slides are prepared well in advance. Based upon the assumption of stable connectivity at the IGF venue, as well as from remote participants, both the Open Forum agenda and the moderator will require speaker interventions, as well as attendee interventions, to alternate between “in-person” and “remote,” in order to promote a seamless hybrid environment for all participating. The organizers will ensure that the remote and in-person moderators make maximum use of all features of whichever platform is provided by the IGF2024, to ensure participation and interaction during the session is maximized. We do not anticipate at this stage using multiple tools and platforms, as doing so may actually dilute interaction and participation during the session. However, we are open to suggestions from the MAG or IGF Secretariat.