The following are the outputs of the captioning taken during an IGF intervention. Although it is largely accurate, in some cases it may be incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors. It is posted as an aid, but should not be treated as an authoritative record.
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>> ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, the program will start shortly. Please find your seats.
(Music and singing).
(Applause).
>> ANNOUNCER: Please welcome to the stage Karianne Tung, Minister of Digitization and public governance.
(Applause).
>> KARIANNE TUNG: Excellencies, colleagues, dear delegates and friends, on behalf of the Norwegian Government it’s a pleasure to welcome you to Norway and to this day 0 at Internet Governance Forum 2025.
We are honored to host this important forum, a unique space for global dialogue on how we govern and shape our digital world. Let me begin by congratulating IGF on its anniversary. Since 2006 the forum has served as a vital platform for inclusive and transparent discussions on Internet Governance.
It has brought people together across sectors and across borders to promote a digital future grounded in human rights, sustainability and cooperation.
We are proud to host the 20th gathering in Norway. Hosting the IGF is deeply meaningful to us. We are one of the most digitalized countries in the world, nearly all Norwegians are online and digital tools are central to how we work, how we learn, and how we access public services. But digitization is not just infrastructure or technology. It is about people. We believe the Internet must be open, inclusive, and safe for everyone for the people. That is why values like freedom, participation and trust are at the heart of our digital policy. And that is also why we strongly believe in the multistakeholder cooperation.
And Norway is a long standing supporter of the United Nations and of multilateralism. We see the IGF as a key part of the UN role in promoting responsible human centric digital development.
Now more than ever we need platforms like the IGF where representatives from Governments, Parliaments, private companies, international organisations, researchers, civil society, and youth can come together to discuss how to manage the challenges and opportunities of the digital age.
Over the next few days, you will address key questions and explore vital topics like Artificial Intelligence and cybersecurity to digital inclusion, online freedom and ethics. These are not just technical or political questions. They are questions about our lives and our common future. And to our youth participants, your ideas, your voices and your leadership is essential. The digital future is yours to shape and we need your energy, your creativity and your insights more than ever before.
So dear friends, let us use this IGF to reflect, connect, and collaborate across sectors, across countries, and across generations. Norway is proud to host the IGF 2025. We are ready to contribute and to stand together with you all in building a digital world that works for everyone.
Dear friends, welcome to Norway and IGF! Thank you!
>> ANNOUNCER: Please welcome to the stage the master of ceremony Natalie Becker‑Aakervik.
(Applause).
NATALIE BECKER-AAKERVIK: Ladies and gentlemen, dear guests, esteemed colleagues, first of all, thank you to Minister Tung for the warm introduction. Thank you for the wonderfully warm introductory talk. Good morning and welcome to the Internet Governance Forum 2025 right here in beautiful Norway. My name is Natalie, and I'm honored to serve as master of ceremonies as we begin a week that shape the digital future we are building together. It's a great privilege to welcome all of you as well as our global guests who are joining from online, our Government representatives, civil society, Private Sector, youth and technical experts from around the world to Norway and to Internet Governance Forum 2025. So let's continue the journey together. This year's theme, building disability governance together reflects both our ambition and our responsibility so let us begin this journey with open minds and a shared purpose and to only top this conversation is is my pleasure to invite a long time advocate for multi‑ laterallism and digital cooperation and to broad enour perspective on digital governance in today's political climate I'm pleased to introduce a key voice in diplomacy and cooperation, Mr. Espen Barth Eide, the floor is yours.
>> ESPEN BARTH EIDE: Thank you Natalie. And let me join my dear colleague, minister Karianne Tung in welcoming you, giving you all a warm welcome to Norway and to the Internet Governance Forum 2025. It's the 20th edition of this meeting. It has its roots as you all know back in the World Summit on the Information Society, which decided that we need such a multistakeholder platform to discuss how we jointly manage, govern the Internet, how we make sure that it remains open, inclusive, and safe, and how we see this as a global public good, a global common in many ways. It is an incredible story. I think everyone here knows better than most people here and online because we have very many online followers of this opening event, knows how what began as Arpa net as a military research project in the U.S. in the 80's turned into what we know as Internet then came the Worldwide Web and we have grown into see something never, ever seen by mankind in many ways the most important infrastructure of this planet, the most important machine in quotation marks that mankind has ever created, and today it is a part of everything. Whether you think of it or not, it is a part of everything. It's the backbone. It's the fundamental, almost all of the new technologies we speak about. Much of it is in the Private Sector today, and clearly in the future. The Cloud is not literally in the clouds. The Cloud is data centers, it is fiberoptical cables, its telecommunications companies, it's information management, it is cybersecurity. It is everything. It is such a fundamental platform for our modern lives and as minister Tung said, I cannot imagine what live was before everything was connected. If somebody showed me a Norwegian coin or paper money, I don't think I would recognize it because I haven't seen one for many years. Apparently they still exist. I haven't seen them. Everything is digital in this country and in so many countries. That makes us more efficient. That opens a host of new opportunities, but, of course, it also makes us vulnerable which is also an important element of understanding why we need a solid Internet that works, that delivers, that is open, that is safe, and that is inclusive because it is such an important part of everything else, and it's important in itself and in everything else.
We very much believe that this governance initiative needs exactly what this forum provides, a multistakeholder approach because there are so many actors in the Private Sector, in Governments, in Academia and in research, in civil society, youth, as we particularly highlight, which will live all of their life ‑‑ I, after all, remember life after the Internet. They don't, if you are properly youth, they will live their whole life in an Internet dominated world and we see these endless opportunities which is what Anan spoke about when he was the Secretary‑General of the UN when all of this was shaped 20 years ago, and I think we see the endless opportunities to overcome the digital divide, to clearly bring more people into development modernity to be more efficient, to be smarter, to optimize, to deal with common challenges in ways that we have not even imagined only a few decades ago. We learned about the pitfalls, challenges, problems. We also learned about the risk of manipulation, the risk of particularization to social media, obviously the risk of data test, the threats to our security and as a Foreign Minister, I very much see the Internet and everything digital also part of how we govern the world. As such I see the same competition for resources, the same competition for technology, the same competition for influence, the same shifts of power I can see in the physical world is definitely represented in the digital world. So all of these are themes that we will discuss here.
So my main message that I end this welcoming intervention is that this is incredibly high on the agenda as it should be. We should keep the Internet open, inclusive and safe, and we should make sure that we maintain a solid multistakeholder participation. This is not something that can be dealt with like people like me, like Governments alone. We are way beyond that point. We have to engage with all of the actors that in the real physical world or defining the future of the Internet. I wish you very, very good conversations. I am really happy that they take place here. I should, of course, say that this is the largest UN Conference of its kind in Norway, and the first in this field, and we are incredibly proud to be hosts. I hope you will find us as good hosts and we look forward to learning the outcomes of all of your deliberations. Thank you for the attention.
(Applause).
>> Greetings to all foreign
participants. Today the
multistakeholder model is more
relevant than ever for countries
around the world. Three years
ago, Russia launched its
full‑scale vacation of Ukraine
and we continue to fight and
rappel enemy attacks every day,
thanks to the unity and
cooperation of the government,
civil society, businesses,
international partners, donors,
and organizations. Even under
such extreme conditions, the
multistakeholder model enables
us to keep digitizing the
country, launching new services,
and achieving ambitious goals.
Let me demonstrate the
effectiveness of this model,
using the telecom sector as an
example. An area that has faced
unprecedented challenges during
the war, unlike anything any
other country has experienced.
A quarter of all fixed networks
and thousands of mobile basing
stations were damaged or
destroyed. The enemy's goal and
it remains unchanged is to
disconnect Ukrainians from the
world. We have endured thanks
to cooperation and our partners.
Today we have over 50,000
Starlink terminals. I want to
thank the governments of Poland,
Germany, and all our
international partners.
Starlink provide connectivity
for hospitals, schools, critical
infrastructure, and the
military. And they deliver the
first signal to newly deoccupied
territories. Beyond restoring
destroyed infrastructure, one of
the most difficult challenges
for the telecom sector and the
entire country has been the
blackouts. On November 23rd,
2022, Russia launched a massive
missile strike. For the first
time Ukraine suffered
large‑scale destruction of its
energy grid. 59% of Mobile Bays
stations nationwide went offline
and 64% of fixed line networks
were down. No one was prepared
for damage on this scale. We
regularly met with mobile
operators to identify their
needs, negotiated with
international companies and
governments to secure more
Starlink terminals, generators
and other vital telecom
equipment and coordinated fuel
delivery logistics. Despite the
challenges and scale of
destruction, the telecom sector
is recovering and growing. Over
the past three years of war, the
number of households using Expon
technology has doubled. Today,
half the population of Ukraine
has access to stable Internet
that can operate for more than
72 hours during power outages.
Thanks to Expon's growth,
Ukraine ranks first in the world
for fixed Internet stability for
the second year in a row,
according to the Digital Quality
of Life Index. We are also
working to increase the
resilience of mobile Internet.
Today all Mobile Base stations
can operate for up to eight
hours without power. And all
critical infrastructure is
equipped with generators and
backup power sources. Thanks to
the efforts of mobile operators,
98% of the population now has
access to stable mobile and
fixed Internet.
At the same time, European
integration remains a key
priority. We have already taken
an important step. Starting
January 1st, 2026, Ukraine will
join the Roam Like at Home
Initiative which applies
throughout the EU. This marks
the first time the EU has
facilitated inclusion in a
common mobile area for a country
that is not yet a member state.
Our current focus also includes
restoring networks in deoccupied
and heavily damaged areas and
expanding infrastructure to
remote regions and along key
roads. Several legislative
initiatives, true game changers
for the sector are now underway,
allowing telecom companies to
build infrastructure quickly and
efficiently, without unnecessary
bureaucracy. We are now working
on a large subvention project
that will encourage operators to
bring Internet access to even
the most remote settlements and
we count on the support of our
European partners to make that
happen.
In June, we received
authorization to test direct to
cell satellite technology. This
fall, the service will launch in
Ukraine, alongside the United
States, Australia, Japan, and
New Zealand. It will ensure
that Ukrainians remain connected
even in the mountains and
regions still awaiting
reconstruction after Russian
attacks. Every citizen will
stay connected. This is a
powerful example of how the
multistakeholder model works in
practice. Ukraine now has
unique experience in maintaining
access to digital services
during wartime. And we are
ready to share that experience
with the world.
NATALIE BECKER-AAKERVIKThank you to Mr. Espen Barth Eide and Mr. Mykhailo Fedorov for reminding us what is possible when technology serves people in times of crisis and of the importance of cooperation and preparedness, and to our next topic, dependence on satellite and spatial systems, what happens if they fail? To help us understand the hidden systems that support our digital world and the often the crucial but often invisible role of geodessy in our modern lives, please welcome Nicholas Brown head of office at the United Nations global goio special statistical centre. Nicholas, the stage is yours.
>> NICHOLAS BROWN: Hi my name is Nick. I work with the United Nations. I work with people from all around the world on a subject called geodesy, it's the most amazing science you have never heard of. We measure the earth. We measure the shape of the earth. It's orientation, it's gravity field, and how it changes with its speed of rotation.
It's important that we continuously measure the earth because the earth isn't as stable as it seems. The earth actually spins like a spinning top, and it wobbles, and as the earth spins it also wobbles. Weather and natural hazards like earthquakes cause care, land ‑‑ air, land, water and ice to move from place to place which makes the earth wobble over time.
Thanks to go odyssey we can measure this wobble. We can measure the wobbles over time and we need to because satellites depend on it. For example, for GPS and Internet satellites, to help us and provide us with accurate and reliable information, we need to know their exact position at all times with respect to the earth. So imagine that, imagine for a moment a world without accurate and reliable satellite information.
I want you to imagine a scenario. It's the year 2029 and there has been no anything investment in geodesy ground stations that are meshing the wobble of the worth. Furthermore, universities and scientific institutions that we have been relying on to perform the critical analysis that guide the satellites over time no longer have the funding or the expertise to perform these functions.
So with that in mind, imagine this, at 7:43, 7:00 in the morning, 7:43 and your alarm didn't wake you at 7:00 when you were meant to wake up. You then turn on your TV and you realize you can't get a signal and you think that's strange and there is no signal on your phone either. The reason for this is because GPS satellites have stopped working. And they were providing timing, synchronization information through telephone connections which were allowing you to get that information. By 9:03 if you had friends that were due to arrive on a flight, but when GPS and telecommunications satellites top working, land, sea, and air travel has stopped. The pilots, drivers and captains already on route has have had to switch to analog devices. Messages are trying to be sent via radio for vessels to return to port, tens of thousands of people in the planes are oblivious to the challenges pilots are having trying to talk to the air traffic control. But passengers soon realize the problems are worse because when they land they are stuck there.
By 10:18 for people driving they notice the traffic light systems are erratic or have stopped. This is because traffic light systems just like mobile phone towers rely on precise timing information from GPS satellites. Accidents start happening everywhere, but the emergency services can't be notified because noble phone towers aren't working. Furthermore the emergency services sector are struggling to reach people because of lack of central traffic management, route planning and block streets from the chaos. By 11:47 all stock changes around the world have stopped operating because the loss of precise timing information from satellites means it's impossible to have trades that are being traded with integrity. By 12: 34 there is panic on the street and a run on the banks as people are trying to withdraw cash, automatic teller machines aren't working and banks don't stock enough cash to meet demand by 2:02, in a bunker in Europe. A pilot has lost contact with drones. The failure of secure satellite systems has left soldiers, ships and aircraft cut off from demanders and vulnerable to attack. Without satellites, world leaderses are struggling to talk to each other to diffuse mounting tensions. By 5:12 when the slights stop, there are back up systems that kick in using ground based clocks and cloth. However, within a few hours, the ground based systems don't have the synchronization so though the timing might work locally it's not going to work globally. This causes problems that start to occur. Cloud Services begin to fail, Internet speeds get slower and slower. Power cuts come next as suppliers are unable to regulate demand. By 11:30 within a day, most countries reliant on satellites for their economies and critical infrastructure announce they are in a state of emergency. And there is no clear way out given the lack of back up options. By 11:58 communications, transport, power and computer systems have all been severely disrupted. Global businesses ground to a halt and Governments are struggling to cope. Politicians have been warned that food supply chains will soon break down and now they fear a break down in public order.
Modern society is powered by satellites, therefore modern society is powered by geodesy but most people haven't heard of it. Politicians don't know what it is, and as a result it's severely under resourced worldwide. Without geodesy, access will degrade and fail. I would like you to take away three things, firstly, geodesy is the most amazing science you have heard of. Secondly, when you return to your countries, find out who is working on geodesy, and thirdly, support these people as best you can. The future of modern society, the Internet, and probable probably your job depends on it. Thank you very much.
NATALIE BECKER-AAKERVIKOkay. I hope you enjoyed the film. It really set the tone, I would say it sets the tone for our next speaker.
As research is a very important part part in developing new innovations, thank you, Mr. Brown, for highlighting a risk we often overlook, and now we move from hidden risks to bold ambitions. To get there, we need research in education and the system around it. So without further ado, please join me in welcoming Minister of Research and Higher Education Ms. Sigrun Aasland to share a vision for how Norway is investing in Artificial Intelligence, responsibly and inclusively. A warm round of applause.
(Applause).
>> SIGRUN AASLAND: Thank you.
Excellencies, colleagues and friends, I am so happy to see you here, very proud to be part of this great event and so glad you could join us in Norway for the IGF. The digital shift is progressing rapidly, providing unforeseen and quite magnificent opportunities, but also new vulnerabilities. And as policymakers, it is our job to embrace these opportunities, but also to make sure that we use our resources to the benefits of people and it should never be technology for the sake of technology, always technology for the sake of making people's lives better.
And we do have some big tasks ahead of us. Demographic change, resource scarcity, climates and energy transition, geopolitical tensions and against this back drop, the accelerating technological shifts. My colleague, Minister of Digitalization and Public Governance, Karianne Tung, spoke earlier about digitalization being about people, and to that end I want to address three lanes of work where we work very hard to ensure that both Artificial Intelligence and the broader digitalization is making people's lives better and we can manage it responsibly. Norwegian researchers have worked with AI for many years as have scientists from the rest of the world. Faced, however, with the extremely rapid developments of this field during the last few years, we saw and recognized that we needed to step up.
And so two weeks ago Prime Minister and I announces one billion kroner of funding for six research centers for AI. These centers are power houses for cutting edge AI technology in Norway, from universities, research centers, public sector and business. They will work on developing and understanding AI as a technology, but also on implementing solutions on commercializing solution and on making them work for the best of society strengthening research, public sector and business, and ensuring that we can build a society of trust, of good decision making and of opportunities for all using Artificial Intelligence.
And to make use of AI across society, in navigation, in defense, in health services and in education, we need to also make sure that the education system incorporates the necessary digital competence and also, more importantly, that when using AI we never forget to use the human intelligence even more.
This means building an education system that uses technology right at the right stages at the right ages in the right ways, and we are currently looking into how to adapt our higher education system to face the new realities of AI. In exams in evaluations to make use of AI while ensuring true learning and accountability and the integrity of our degrees.
We are gearing our education system to embody the future of AI. Our second task is infrastructure. Last week I had the great pleasure of inaugurating Olivia, Norway's newest, greenest and most powerful super computer. She represents a 17‑fold of the Norwegian capacity for computing. She will be used among other things for the development and training of advanced language models for Norwegian Sami and other European languages.
Third, technology needs governance, policy, and international collaboration, and our third, therefore, is regulation and governance which needs to happen through international collaboration as we are embarking on this important week together. International cooperation is an important aspect of every part of the digitalization efforts. All of our national centers for AI like all great research fundamentally internationally orients with talented people all over the world involved and this is why your presence here is so important and highly welcome. I wanted to, I want to wish you great discussions, great collaboration, and look forward to a few days here of mutual learning for the best of our common digital future. Thank you so much for the attention.
(Applause).
NATALIE BECKER-AAKERVIKThank you so much. Thank you Minister Aaslan gd, as we have heard, digital governance must be collaborative, very, very important. Now, it gives me great pleasure to introduce a panel of experts who have traveled here from far and wide to be here today and partake in this very important conversation. For you, our audience and for you our global audience, we are so happy to have you here today as well. Now, I'm going to introduce them, our four experts and they are going to reflect really on the Internet on why the Internet Governance Forum is central to the effort of collaboration when it comes to digital governance.
Now, it's my pleasure to introduce Ms. Carol Roach, Chair of the IGF MAG. Carol brings decades of experience in public service she is the leading global stakeholder engagement Chair or rather she is leading the global stakeholder engagement as Chair of the IGF Multi‑stakeholder Advisory Group, then we have Mr. Hans Petter Holen, CEO of RIPE NCC, long time advocate for open Internet infrastructure, serves as CEO of RIPE NCC key player in managing Europe ease Internet resources. We have. He is Ambassador from Switzerland, one of Europe's leading voices on digital diplomacy, and then we have Ms. Elise Lindeberg, CEO of Sky guard and she is the CEO bringing extensive experience from Internet Governance, also including her active role in ICANN and long standing contribution to digital policy and regulation, all of which we are going to be talking about here today. So police a warm round of applause as they join us on stage.
(Applause).
>> CAROL ROACH: Thank you to our esteemed panel for joining us, it is great to have you here coming from different parts of the world to be part of this conversation, IGF 2025 for our host country, Norway, without further ado, we will get straight into it. The panel today is exploring the role of Internet Governance Forum and we are talking about why it continues to matter. So why is the IGF an important part of global digital governance? I know you have all got 60 seconds to answer so Carol, you first.
>> CAROL ROACH: Great question. Digital technology is ever present and it's inescapable. It influences how we live, work and socially interact with each other. Don't we panic when we cannot find our phones? It's our connection to family, work, banking, Government services, healthcare, and education.
As technology continues to advance and become more intricately entwined the challenges grow under complex. The blurred line of data privacy, protection identity, digital rights and security. The IGF is that open, safe space for dialogue and the development of policies and best practices on global digital governance. It's more than a forum. It is a community and network of stakeholders that have the common interests of a safe, secure, and sustainable digital future. It's why we are still here after 20 years.
NATALIE BECKER-AAKERVIKHans Petter Holen, over to you.
>> HANS PETTER HOLEN: The IGF plays a critical role because it brings all stakeholder groups to the same table. Government, civil society, businesses, Academia, and the technical community.
In a time of fast‑moving technologies and geopolitical shift, we need more dialogue, not less. At RIPE NCC we see IGF as a space where technical expertise and operational insight it inform global discussions on public policy, regulation, digital trust and infrastructure and resilience. The decisions made in this space are not abstract. They affect the architecture of Internet. And when all stakeholders are heard, we can avoid fragmentation and ensure the Internet remains open, secure and interoperable. That's what makes IGF not just relevant, but essential.
NATALIE BECKER-AAKERVIKThank you so much. Thomas Snyder, over to you to answer the question.
>> TOOMAS HENDRIK ILVES: Good morning. Much has been said. If you want to take decisions on how to use digital tools in a way that they benefit all, then you need to have everyone at the table. You need to discuss together, understand the dependencies of one decision on people you may not necessarily think of, and the more inclusive such a platform is, the better the decisions, the more balanced. This is why it is necessary, again, to have platforms like the IGF to talk to each other although we are unfortunately living in a time where people think they can take top down decisions over the heads of others and don't have to integrate people, not build their decisions on facts, but I think we should not be too impressed by this and stick to our beliefs and values and continue to have a dialogue and hope that times will change and people will listen to each other more in the future. Thank you.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you Ambassador. Elise Lindeberg, what is your answer to this question?
>> ELISE LINDEBERG: Thank you, and good morning. I'm so proud that the IGF is in Norway. Being a participant of IGF for almost 15 years, I have seen how it develops and more people are diving in, more interests and more perspectives are coming to the stage and to the workshops. It's really great.
So IGF is a key part of the global multistakeholder community and discussions. It has grown to become that. It is open, it is inclusive. We work on that all of the time to keep it open and inclusive. That's very important.
And actually, this is about securing the ongoing dialogue on how Internet function and how it can make our lives better. Internet is going to be for the public interest. That's what we are here for. It's going to give us better lives. So Internet is the foundational layer of how we govern the society today. And just growing challenges that we see. Let's unite to make a change for those.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you so much. These panelists are doing fantastically well in the timeframe we have. Next question, how do we ensure then because multistakeholder approach and perspective is so important, how do we ensure a balanced multistakeholder perspective, Carol.
>> CAROL ROACH: Stakeholders are those who have a vested interest or concern in something. They may have the ability or the authority to influence or make decisions. Each stakeholder has a different perspective, that is they have their objectives and earlier we heard about having their own values. So it is important to understand and respect the needs and requirements of each stakeholder, to achieve balance, it is critical to aim for win/win consensus outcome. This means developing and maintaining an environment that respects diversity and oak wit, fosters trust and recognizes as the case of digital governance that moving forward together for the common good is a shared common goal.
>> MODERATOR: Hans Petter Holen, over to you.
>> HANS PETTER HOLEN: So a balanced multistakeholder model didn't happen by accident. It must be cultivated through sustained effort. Will at RIPE NCC we invest in this model daily. From our bottom up policy process to our active support for National and Regional IGFs across our service region. We build communities and press through action. We have signed MOUs and declarations with Governments and ITU to support IPv6 and rooting court to support Internet Governance. Ensuring balance means providing space, support, and shared responsibility, especially for underrepresented voices. It's crucial to have all stakeholder groups at all levels, local, regional and global to achieve a truly balanced perspective.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you for that input.
>> TOOMAS HENDRIK ILVES: As somebody working for Government, I can assure you that the Government per se always takes balance decision because it's more or less Democratically elected to we don't need the multistakeholder approach. That is unfortunately not true. So the more experience, the more facts you have at the table, that's step one, so these facts need to be there. The impacts need to be heard, the visions and the values need to be heard because they made need to be dialogue to get a consensus on the values, and then you need mechanisms to hold decision makers, be it from Government or be it from industry or else where accountable, and this is why it is so important to have an inclusive multistakeholder forum like the IGF.
And last year we were, some of us in Sao Paulo where we agreed on the Sao Paulo multistakeholder guidelines, which give concrete tools how you can measure the accountability and transparency of multistakeholder processes to balance inclusivity and elsewhere.
>> MODERATOR: What is your take on it?
>> ELISE LINDEBERG: It's an effort year after year to keep it open and inclusive and to look at ourselves and see if we get new people in to join the discussion and, of course, you know, it's about regional representation, gender, age, transparency and also transparency of the system. IGF can be difficult to look into and to manage and maneuver.
And hopefully if we are progressive enough to keep and to let new people in, I think we can have a lot of new and interesting discussions because we have new challenges. So we have to keep it open, and to be sure that the workshops that we open up and who can dive in and come with their ideas that we are open for that.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you so much for this great input. These are such great points all of you are making that can lead to further discussion, and we are setting good foundation for the conversations to follow. Now, you have, I would like to have a short call of action from you. Once again, 60 seconds. To Government or the next panel.
>> HANS PETTER HOLEN: Yes, to our Government colleagues, digital governance must be built on strong foundations. The foundation is the Internet itself. You have a unique responsibility, I'm making this personal now, but also a powerful opportunity to lead through collaboration.
Work with the technical community, not only when crisis arises, but continuously. Involve us early, invest in capacity building. And defend the legitimacy of multistakeholder spaces like the IGF. The Internet strengths lives in shared ownership. If we want the digital future that serves all, we new build it together with openness, trust cooperativeness at the core. We shape the Internet.
>> MODERATOR: Over to you Ambassador.
>> Well, as somebody who lives in a country where normally not the Government or the Parliament have the last word but the people because they can vote on anything and say yes or no, my experience is that in most of the cases the results are better if you have a participatory, not just decision shaping like the IGF, but also in the end decision making mechanisms because people are forced to take sides. They are forced to be interested. They know that they will face the consequences whatever they ask for, they may get if and I can only encourage decision makers and Government leaders to use the wisdom of the people locally, nationally, internationally, involve them in the discussion, try and come up with balanced solutions that are more sustainable.
>> MODERATOR: In your 60 seconds. What is your call to action?
>> ELISE LINDEBERG: I think that the multistakeholder dialogue, you know, Government has a very important role for facilitating. But also now through IGF and other multistakeholder dialogue, the Government only, doesn't only have to speak, they can also listen and get advice., Thomas!
And it's a space where policies can be tested, challenged, improved and IGF can be used bringing national experiences from each country and for Governments out, you know, in the world, and to share as we are supposed to do and we do today also.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you so much. I would like to say a huge thank you to our expert panel, thank you all, we are going to ask you to stay on stage, but a warm round of applause for our esteemed panel. Thank you for your contributions and for setting the tone and the foundation. Thank you.
>> We are now moving to the second panel where Ministers from around the world will reflect on the continued relevance of the multistakeholder model. So now I would like to just frame this in a growing geopolitical or growing geopolitical tensions we see in the world around us, accelerating technological change, we are going to invite Government representatives up on stage to engage in the dialogue on the continued relevance of the multistakeholder model in global Internet Governance. So I'm going to introduce them, and I will ask you to give them a warm, Rousing applause this morning. And we welcome back on stage our Minister for digitalisation. Karianne Tung. We have Nthati Moorosi, we have the deputies Minister of Communications from Malaysia, Ms. Ching, and Mr. Takuo Imagawa, the Vice Minister for policy coordination, ministry for internal affairs and communication from Japan. Please welcome on stage and a warm round of applause.
And, of course, Carol Roach.
Welcome. Thank you. The Ministers. Ministers, thank you so much for joining us. We are going to be discussing why the multistakeholder model remains relevant. This is the topic of this panel, and also more crucial than ever, amidst the digital and geopolitical shifts we have mentioned. The discussion will start with questions, and we are going to ask for your responses starting with you, Minister Tung. I would like to ask how can Governments really ensure that civil society and the technical community are meaningfully included and not merely present?
>> KARIANNE TUNG: Thank you, and thank you for the question. Norway believes in the multistakeholder model because it is important to include every part of society, civil society, the Governments, the business sectors. And the meaning of open and free Internet where every part of society are represented. It's also important to make sure that the actors are gathered together to be able to discuss and meet up in a more and more complex world, and a more and more complex Internet as well.
And then we believe it's not enough with the multilateral processes. We need the multistakeholder model and platforms to meet as well. So it's important for us that we have the civil society and the business sector here as well.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you so much. Then I would like to really look at the question, what is at stake in the IGF as a platform loses political traction and legitimacy among states, and Nthati Moorosi, Minister of Scene technology and innovation, over to you.
>> NTHATI MOOROSI: Thank you very much moderator. I am honored to be speaking here on behang of Lesotho. Just as Honorable Minister from Norway says, Lesotho is committed to the multistakeholder modelment for us it is not just a matter of principle. For us it's a matter of necessity. Inclusive governance ensures that the digital future is not shaped only by the powerful, but through dialogue that reflects realities and the needs of all of us. If the IGF loses political traction, the consequences for small states like Lesotho will be significant.
The IGF is one of the few truly inclusive platforms where we can engage global actors on our terms, raising issues such as rural connectivity, digital literacy, cybersecurity, and digital trust. Without it the risk, we run a risk of being sidelined by models that prioritizes commercial or geopolitical power over equity and development. So we have really seen that multistakeholder dialogue is important. I would like to give an example of the time when we are going through the elections. It was hard to regulate global social media platforms at the time because the policies often do not reflect national laws. In Lesotho we face challenges of enforcing fair play during elections el specially during campaign blackouts when content on these platforms continues unchecked. Some states have resorted to closing them out, which is something that we don't really favor. Instead, we look for forums like IGF to foster respect and solutions.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you so much, and then thank you also for our esteemed panel for staying within our three minute timeframe. We appreciate that. These are big questions that we are answering. So we really appreciate your meaningful contributions here in this space that we have. And then I would like to go over to Teo Nie Ching.
Deputy Minister of Communications in Malaysia, could you also share with us and reflect on the country's approach to the multistakeholder model, your country's approach, what is at stake if we lose political support for the IGF in your three minutes.
>> TEO NIE CHING: Thank you for your questions, for Malaysia, a multi‑ cultural and country committed to building vibrant digital economy. The multistakeholder model is not just a theoretical concept. It is a practical, operational necessity that guides our active actions every day. We believe that this approach is more crucial than ever to navigate the complexity of digital governance and ensure the progress is inclusive, equitable and sustainable. This directly addresses the question of what is at stake if platforms like IGF lost their legitimacy. From the perspective of nations in the Global South, the greatest risk we face is a slide toward a new form of digital colonization where a handful of powerful states and corporations detect the rules, standards and norms for the rest of the world.
If inclusive platforms like this lost their standing, we lost a great equalizer, the one that will hear the voices of smaller nations can engage on level playing field with global powers like what we are having here today. So the success of Malaysia national digital, my digital, depends on global environment governed by principle we all had a hand in shaping. And the consequences of a system would be severe local digital economies would struggle to compete and digital sovereignty would be fundamentally undermined as well. Therefore the legitimacy of IGF is not just about its own survival. It's our collective insurance policy against a fragmented Internet. It is also our commitment to ensuring that all nations can move from being mere consumers of technology to becoming core creator of our shared digital future.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you so much. Dr. Takuo Imagawa, Vice Minister for policy coordination, may I ask you in your three minutes what is your reflection on this? What is at stake if we lose political support for the IGF from your country's perspective.
>> TAKUO IMAGAWA: Thank you Chair. It's a great honour for me to express my sincere appreciation to the Government of Norway, the UN IGF Secretariat and all stakeholders for organising this remarkable event. I represent Japan in international collaboration and negotiations within the digital domain. Our work centers around four key priorities, number one, Internet Governance, including the global AI governance initiatives such as advancing the Hiroshima as process, digital infrastructure encompassing subsea ables, data centers. Number three, cybersecurity with strong focus on building capacity building programmes in developing countries, four, integrity, addressing challenges such as miss and disinformation, and the protection of children online. Needless to say, Japan places great importance on the multistakeholder approach to Internet Governance. The IGF stands as a powerful symbol of this approach in action demonstrating how inclusive dialogue can shape meaningful outcomes, the Global Digital Compact recognizes the IGF as the foremost multistakeholder platform for discussions in Internet Governance. Japan had the honour of hosting the IGF 2023 in Kyoto, which welcomed over 11,000 registered participants from 178 countries and regions. These, more than 6,000 attended in person, a significant milestone in the IGF history. I also had the privilege of participating in the IGF 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where I attended several sessions alongside distinguished guests from the Government, industry, Academia, civil society, and tech community.
These experience has made profound value and effectiveness of the multistakeholder approach to Internet Governance. This year is particularly important as we engage in discussions on extending the IGF mandate in context of the WSIS+20 review. The current trend of fragmented Internet offers serious challenge to the principles of openness and global connectivity.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you for your contribution. A apologize for jumping in there, but we will come back to you with the next question as well.
So I would just like to say to Minister Tung, that I jumped ahead with the question on how Governments can ensure civil society and technical community are meaningfully included. That's the question we are going to go to next. Is there anything you want to adjust briefly what is at stake if the IGF loses political support?
>> KARIANNE TUNG: I think it was said in the previous panel that the multistakeholder model does not happen by accident. We have to work hard to keep it as a multistakeholder model, and we can see that the model is under pressure, and we can see fragmentation, safety issues, but also weak coordination between different global processes that risks weakening the IGF role. So it's important for Norway to work keeping the multistakeholder model in the years to come, and I believe that this model builds trust with different actors that don't have many other platforms to meet up and to discuss together. So we want the multistakeholder model to continue, and hosting the IGF here in Norway and in Oslo in 2025, we want to give our contributions to make sure that this continues.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you so much, Minister, thank you for your answer. On the question continuing how can Government ensure that civil society, technical community are meaningfully included and not just merely present? I'm going to go to you Teo Nie Ching.
>> TEO NIE CHING: I think the complex challenges of this digital age from governing AI to ensure life safety are too much for a single group to solve alone. Governments can't do it alone. The Private Sector can't do it alone, and, of course, the civil society can't do it alone as well. So for Malaysia to ensure meaningful inclusions we go beyond inviting stakeholders to the meeting. It's about building a whole of society ecosystem where there are partners and we do this through several approaches. For example, we want to empower general public and civil societies. We set up a portal, so Benonia is in national language in English it means actually. So it's actually where my people can go there is a fact checking portal. Since 2017 we have roughly now 2.2 million. At the same time we launch Ifar, that is our AI fact check assistant available online and Whatsapp. So in just five months we have responded to over 113,000 user queries. So other than that, at the same time we also heavily engage with the civil society where we do our law reviews and come up with content, regulations and guidelines. We of the bills we past this year is Malaysia media Council, and I had proudly say here more than 90% or at least 85% of content comes from civil society itself. We believe this is what we mean by meaningful inclusion.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you so much, and then back to you Dr. Takuo Imagawa. Can we ask you to the same question in terms of how can Governments ensure that civil society and the technical community are meaningfully included and not merely present?
>> TAKUO IMAGAWA: Thank you, Chair. Effective Internet Governance cannot be achieved through a top down approach alone. It requires robust multistakeholder cooperation bringing together Government, industry, Academia, civil society, and the tech community. The multistakeholder platform must continue to evolve in response to the changing demands of our time and to foster greater inclusiveness. A notable example is the introduction of youth track in last year's IGF, a valuable initiative that strengthens civil society engagement with a special focus on empowering younger participants. I recognize it as an effective framework for promoting the inclusion of civil society across generations.
In the field of Internet technology, ICANN and IGF have played a role in establishing a free and open Internet. A wide range of stakeholders have actively participated. Moreover nose stakeholders are often invited to contribute to the policy making process within our ministry such as through Study Groups or expert panels by enhancing these interactions we hope that civil society and the tech community will continue to play a crucial role in shaping the future of Internet Governance. Thank you.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you so much Mr. Takuo Imagawa. Now, I would like to pose this question to members of the panel. What do you believe are the risks for smaller actors if we lose inclusive arenas for dialogue. Over to you, Nthati Moorosi, Minister of Information, communication, science and technology.
>> NTHATI MOOROSI: Thank you again. First of all, we need to acknowledge that IGF remains one of the few platforms where we collaborate with the most powerful countries with the biggest players in the industry, and we believe that for smaller and less powerful actors, the loss of inclusive platforms like the IGF is more than symbolic.
For us, it is strategic. When decision making it confined to closed doors, whether in state dominated or commercially driven spaces, countries like Lesotho will feel left out without influence or visibility. So inclusive arenas allow us not only to speak, but to be heard. They allow us to learn, to build coalitions and ensure that rules reflect context on digital inclusion, cybersecurity and platform accountability. They are not abstract concerns. They affect everything from resilience of our education system to the integrity of our elections. If we lose this space, we risk a future way governance structured are built without our input, potentially misaligned with our laws, our cultures and aspirations. We also risk growing digital divides that are tending into geopolitical rifts. This is why consensus building must remain core to digital governance. Without it, there is no trust. There is no legitimacy, there is no stability and for nations like ours, there would be no place to stand. Thank you.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Minister. Now, Carol, coming to you, what do you believe are the risks for smaller and less powerful actors if we lose inclusive arenas for dialogue and consensus building?
>> CAROL ROACH: I think the Honorable Minister wrapped it up so I'm going to give you a very short answer to that. If we lose inclusive arenas such as IGF we fail to meaningfully engage all stakeholders equitably, we run a high risk of failure. Why? When we combine those who we label as small or less powerful, we speaking of 85% of the world population and nearly 39% of the global GDP. So let's do the Math. So we affect the outcomes of the SDG's, the GDC and the digital future won't be for all.
>> MODERATOR: That's a powerful statement. Very powerful statement. Thank you so much for your message. We have been exceptionally good with time and what I'm going to do is just ask the panel to give a final word if there is a reflection for you to share that you haven't shared, that you feel you want to say and just add to your message, we are going to give you a minute and a couple of seconds to say that just to round off.
>> KARIANNE TUNG: I believe that digitization is the tool we need to solve huge societal challenges, but also to take part in new possibilities, and the Internet is a crucial part of that. And that is why there is no difference, really, between the digital world and the physical world.
So what we want for the physical world we would also want it for the digital world to be inclusive, to make sure that everyone can attend, that it's for everyone, that it's not fragmented, that it's safe and secure. That is really the development that we need in the years to come, to make sure digitization is a good thing and not a bad thing.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you so much. Will go to you.
>> NTHATI MOOROSI: Thank you very much. My last reflection is that really I feel like we've talked enough. I feel like we've had too many dialogues. I think it's about time we act. We have been to several platforms where we express our aspirations, our needs with the powerful nations, with the powerful players in the industry. It is time to act. The digital divide is still existing in a big way in our countries and if we are talking about closing the gap, we have to be very intentional about it, so my plea is that we should go beyond conversation. Thank you.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you so much.
>> TEO NIE CHING: In Malaysia, we definitely do not see the conflict between Government leadership and stakeholder participations. We see it as two sides of the coin, and our experience shows that while the multistakeholders process can be very challenging, can be very, very time‑consuming, however, it is definitely more resilient, inclusive, and ultimately delivered more sustainable outcomes. So I think it's very, very important that our collective commitment must be to strengthen this inclusive platform like IGF ensuring that they remain the premier space for this vital conversation to take place. Let us continue to work together to ensure the Internet's future is shaped by the many and for the benefit of all for the Malaysia perspective as representative of the Global South, I think if we clues exclusivity in the IGF.
>> MODERATOR: Mr. Takuo Imagawa.
>> TAKUO IMAGAWA: Thank you, Chair. I would like to express again that the multistakeholder approach is essential enabling the collective wisdom of diverse participants to address complex issues. Therefore I strongly believe that we must not only pursue the extension of this IGF mandate, but also our work while securing long term continuity. Thank you.
>> MODERATOR: Thank you so much, Carol Roach.
>> CAROL ROACH: So it's a complexity that has many layers. I think it's a whole bag of onions to tell you the truth. So no group or state has the complete or exclusive answer. So it's very important that it's a call to action by all.
>> MODERATOR: A call to action by all. Wonderful parting words, a powerful message to the Governments, the panels, the next speakers, those who follow this session and to our audience and those watching online. We thank you so much to our panel for your wonderful contributions. Thank you, Ministers. We thank you, and a warm round of applause for our panel, thank you so much.
(Applause).
>> thank you for setting the foundation. We appreciate the insights and powerful messages. Before we go we will hear from the mayor when you are in the company of Ministers, it's the M and, you know, the Minister who knows. But the mayor for now of Lillestrøm, the city that is proud to host this event. He is standing outside, the second place in the world that was connected to Internet in Norway, the research area. So this is a bit of a full circle moment. Without further ado. Let's take a look at the film.
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>> NATALIE BECKER-AAKERVIK: Thank you to the mayor of Lillestrøm and thank you to the wonderful panelists who participated in this Opening Plenary session hosted by or presented by the host country Norway for IGF 2025. And with that, our official welcome truly comes to a close. Thank you for joining us our audience here and online, the foundation as we said has been laid for good conversations throughout the week. We hope you will be participating. But the day and the week has only just begun, ladies and gentlemen, we invite you to explore this rich and diverse program of sessions, not only today, but for the rest of the week. Come back to this Plenary Hall. We would love to see you here. We are going to cover from AI to sustainability, to digital inclusion and antifraud efforts. Don't forget to visit also the open village which is just outside the hall where inspiring inspirations and initiatives and innovations are on display to take inspiration from. Make sure you drop by the open stage as well where conversations are continuing throughout the day. If you haven't done so already, remember to download the app and use the IGF app. It will show you around and show you what's happening. And coming up next in this Plenary Hall, join us at 11:30. We will dive into securing subsea cables. In the Conference hall you can explore a session on digital sustainability. For everything else, which is panels, networking opportunities, please check the IGF 2025 app for latest updates. On behalf of the organising team and the host country here, Norway, we wish you a rewarding and inspiring and a thought provoking week of dialogue, insight, and collaboration. Thank you. Let's continue to build digital governance together! Thank you so much!
(Applause).