IGF 2025 Open Forum #46 Developing a Secure, Rights Respecting Digital Future

In today’s interconnected world, digital technologies continue to pose a range of enduring and novel challenges across the cyber and technological domains. From cybersecurity threats to data privacy concerns to the digital divide and ethical implications of emerging technologies, developing solutions to these complex and interconnected issues demands a collaborative, inclusive and accountable approach. This session invites dialogue on cyber resilience and digital cooperation, to support objectives on development, human rights and security. The internet and digital technologies are fundamental to realising the Sustainable Development Goals. This session asks the multistakeholder community of experts how to ensure future policy making supports equitable access and tackling of the digital divide while promoting cyber security and and upholding key principles for rights respecting tech governance, such as in the development of emerging tech and digital public infrastructure. Ensuring equality in cybersecurity policymaking (16.7) should remove barriers to participation and access (10.2) and thereby promote an inclusive fourth industrial revolution (9.2) Key Questions for Discussion: - How can we ensure that all relevant stakeholders, including marginalized groups, have a voice in the decision-making process? - What best practices from successful multistakeholder initiatives can be applied to enhance cooperation? - How can we balance the interests of different stakeholders to achieve fair and effective governance outcomes? The 2025 IGF, taking place at a critical time alongside discussions on implementing the GDC and the WSIS+20 review, presents a valuable opportunity to convene an array of perspectives from different geographies, organisations and backgrounds to discuss how they can continue bringing their expertise to bear on a range of existing and new challenges.

It is key that this networking session is run as a hybrid event to be as inclusive as possible. Online participants will split into breakout rooms and will use collaborative tools to record discussions. All participants will be able to sign up to a voluntary contacts list which will be shared with participants to ensure lasting connections and collaboration. We plan to have key speakers online to ensure hybrid engagement, including through short slides and presentations, and online polling tools to check questions, and interests at beginning and end of event such as Mentimetre.