Session
Organizer 1: Muhammad Shabbir, National Defence University, Islamabad
Organizer 2: Gunela Astbrink, ISOC Accessibility Standing Group🔒
Organizer 3: Judith Hellerstein, 🔒DCAD
Speaker 1: Vinton CERF, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Muhammad Shabbir, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 3: Gunela Astbrink, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 4: Cogburn Derrick, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 5: Nirmita Narasimhan, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 75
Format description: A roundtable discussion will foster interactive dialogue, enabling participants to share experiences, identify challenges, and propose solutions in real time. This format encourages active participation from both persons with disabilities and key decision-makers, ensuring a balanced and productive discussion.
1. How do the WSIS principles, the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy and the Global Digital Compact align with ensuring meaningful leadership roles for persons with disabilities rather than token representation? 2. What strategies can IGF and other governance bodies adopt to integrate accessibility and disability inclusion into their decision-making structures? 3. How can setting diversity targets, fellowship / mentorship programs, and inclusive policy frameworks foster a more representative and equitable digital future?
What will participants gain from attending this session? Participants will gain an understanding of how Internet governance structures can become more inclusive of persons with disabilities. They will learn about best practices for meaningful leadership inclusion, advocacy strategies, and policy frameworks that can drive long-term change. The session will also serve as a platform for networking and fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration toward making digital spaces truly accessible for all.
Description:
2025 marks a critical juncture in global digital governance, with the WSIS+20 review, the Global Digital Compact, and evolving AI governance dialogues shaping the future of the Internet. Despite ongoing efforts to promote diversity, effective disability inclusion remains an overlooked aspect of governance structures, limiting the scope and effectiveness of global cooperation. This session, Beyond Tokenism: Ensuring Disability-Inclusive Leadership in Internet Governance, will explore how digital cooperation frameworks can better integrate persons with disabilities into Internet governance processes. The discussion will focus on strengthening cross-stakeholder engagement, ensuring that governance structures, from the IGF’s Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) to national and regional Internet governance initiatives, prioritize accessibility and inclusive decision-making. By leveraging insights from disability leadership programs and real-world examples, this session will highlight strategies to bridge existing gaps, such as setting diversity targets, creating mentorship pathways, and embedding accessibility requirements into digital governance mechanisms. The workshop will feature experts from global policy organizations, IGF leadership, and disability rights advocates, some with the lived experience of disability, to debate different perspectives on how cooperation among governance bodies can be enhanced to serve all stakeholders equitably. Aligning with the Digital Cooperation subtheme, this workshop will contribute to ongoing discussions on making governance structures more representative, particularly in the lead-up to major global initiatives like the WSIS+20 review and the Global Digital Compact. Participants will gain actionable insights on advocating for disability-inclusive digital cooperation, ensuring that persons with disabilities are not only included in governance discussions but are recognized as essential contributors to shaping the future of the Internet. By fostering a truly multistakeholder and inclusive governance model, the IGF can set a precedent for equitable global digital policymaking.
1. Policy recommendations for leadership of IG governance bodies to ensure the inclusion of persons with disabilities. 2. A roadmap for implementing disability-inclusive leadership practices in Internet governance forums and institutions. 3. A coalition of stakeholders committed to advocating for disability inclusion in digital policymaking. 4. A follow-up report outlining key takeaways, case studies, and actionable strategies discussed during the session.
Hybrid Format: The session will include both onsite and virtual speakers, with a dedicated online moderator ensuring that remote participants are fully integrated into discussions. Live Q&A and chat-based interactions will facilitate engagement. By incorporating accessibility arrangements such as real-time captioning and alternative communication platforms, the session will ensure an inclusive experience for all attendees.