Session
Subtheme
Organizer 1: Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group
Organizer 2: Technical Community, Intergovernmental Organization
Organizer 3: Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 4: Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 5: Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 6: Civil Society, African Group
Organizer 7: Technical Community, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Organizer 2: Technical Community, Intergovernmental Organization
Organizer 3: Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 4: Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 5: Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 6: Civil Society, African Group
Organizer 7: Technical Community, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 1: Bruce Tonkin, Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 2: Jia Rong Low, Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 3: Sally Wentworth, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 4: MAJO ERNESTO, Technical Community, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 2: Jia Rong Low, Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 3: Sally Wentworth, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 4: MAJO ERNESTO, Technical Community, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Format
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: The roundtable layout and duration are best suited for a conversational style and allows participants to interact freely with the speakers and moderators. Time is built in for participants to ask the speakers questions and also to respond to the guiding questions by the moderators.
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: The roundtable layout and duration are best suited for a conversational style and allows participants to interact freely with the speakers and moderators. Time is built in for participants to ask the speakers questions and also to respond to the guiding questions by the moderators.
Policy Question(s)
- What does it mean to be a custodian of the Internet in today’s governance landscape?
- How have technical organizations adapted to evolving regulatory and geopolitical challenges?
- What are the biggest threats to a free, open, and secure Internet, and how can Internet organizations address them?
What will participants gain from attending this session? Participants will gain:
- A deeper appreciation of how governance discussions intersect with the technical realities of running the Internet.
- Insights from industry leaders through direct perspectives from the new heads of auDA, APNIC, ICANN, ISOC, and LACNIC on the current state of Internet governance.
- Understanding of key challenges due to emerging regulatory, geopolitical, and security threats facing the Internet.
- Networking opportunities to engage with key decision-makers and stakeholders in the Internet governance ecosystem.
- Concrete takeaways on how to ensure technical expertise is effectively represented in global policy discussions, especially in WSIS+20.
SDGs
Description:
More than 50 years since its invention the Internet remains resilient thanks to its distributed governance model; a complex multistakeholder model where the Internet technical community, governments, civil society, and private sector actors collaborate to ensure its stability, security, and interoperability As we approach the negotiations of the WSIS+20 review process, it is more important than ever to clarify the role of technical organizations in shaping the future of Internet governance and to reinforce the principles that have guided the Internet’s development over the past decades. This session brings together the new heads of key Internet organizations— .au Domain Administration (auDA), Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC), Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), Internet Society (ISOC), and Latin America and Caribbean Network Information Centre (LACNIC) - to discuss the evolving Internet governance landscape and what it means to be a "custodian" of the Internet today. These leaders will reflect on the challenges of maintaining an open, interoperable, and secure Internet, their priorities for the coming years, and the role of technical communities in global governance discussions, particularly in the WSIS+20 review process. They will also discuss what governance means in a decentralized, multistakeholder model and how it differs from centralized regulatory control. In addition, how Internet organizations maintain accountability while ensuring independence from undue influence.
More than 50 years since its invention the Internet remains resilient thanks to its distributed governance model; a complex multistakeholder model where the Internet technical community, governments, civil society, and private sector actors collaborate to ensure its stability, security, and interoperability As we approach the negotiations of the WSIS+20 review process, it is more important than ever to clarify the role of technical organizations in shaping the future of Internet governance and to reinforce the principles that have guided the Internet’s development over the past decades. This session brings together the new heads of key Internet organizations— .au Domain Administration (auDA), Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC), Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), Internet Society (ISOC), and Latin America and Caribbean Network Information Centre (LACNIC) - to discuss the evolving Internet governance landscape and what it means to be a "custodian" of the Internet today. These leaders will reflect on the challenges of maintaining an open, interoperable, and secure Internet, their priorities for the coming years, and the role of technical communities in global governance discussions, particularly in the WSIS+20 review process. They will also discuss what governance means in a decentralized, multistakeholder model and how it differs from centralized regulatory control. In addition, how Internet organizations maintain accountability while ensuring independence from undue influence.
Expected Outcomes
- A clearer understanding of the role of Internet organizations in governance.
- Identification of key governance challenges and opportunities for collaboration.
- Concrete recommendations on ensuring technical expertise in the WSIS+20 review process and beyond.
Hybrid Format: There will be onsite and online moderators dedicated to ensuring all voices are heard and represented in this session. We will use interactive guiding questions to open the floor to comments for the audience to ask questions and interact with the speakers and moderators.