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2024: A Pivotal Year for IGF In 2005, the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) was created as a global platform to continue and build upon the important work of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). In 2015, the IGF’s mandate was extended for another ten years, and in 2025 - 20 years on from the second WSIS event in Tunis - a decision will again be taken on the future of the IGF and our collective response to the challenges of digital cooperation. Before we reach that point, however, this year's Summit of the Future will convey the UN’s agenda for at least the rest of this decade and deliver a Pact for the Future that will include a Global Digital Compact of great relevance to the IGF. Truly, we live in interesting times! The key term in all of these efforts is action. Secretary-General Guterres has consistently and persistently reminded us that words are worthless without action. The IGF has always served as a catalyst to action, and over the years, it has evolved its focus on tangible outcomes via a wide-ranging ecosystem of 168 national, regional and youth initiatives (NRIs), 29 Dynamic Coalitions, and annually established Best Practice Forums and Policy Networks. We intend to continue in that spirit as we prepare the 2024 slate of intersessional work, strengthen synergies across the network of NRIs, and plan the annual IGF event, which will take place in Riyadh and online. A key challenge for all of us in the IGF community will be to link our discussions and debates to concrete actions. The IGF Leadership Panel (LP) presented its preliminary ideas on “The Internet We Want” at IGF 2024; we imagine that the next version might be titled, “The Internet We Want, and How to Get There”. Among our objectives for the year is outreach to people and groups not yet represented (or under-represented) in the IGF dialogue. In addition, the Leadership Panel will be looking for significant financial support for the operation of the IGF Secretariat. And we look forward to conveying the observations and conclusions of IGF 2023 and its predecessors to broader audiences - work in which we hope all IGF participants will join us! As 2024 dawns, it is apparent that the Internet and the World Wide Web are, more than ever, part of daily life for billions of users. The reach and quality of Internet access continues to grow, capitalizing on expanded LEO satellite coverage, new subsea fiber optic cable systems, and improved wireless access with 5G, 6G and the new WiFi-7 - all of which reinforces the need for us to continue working to make that Internet access available to all. The digital community will surely focus on digital safety, security, and privacy; legislators are working hard to codify domestic and international policies for the use of the Internet, and proposals for handling cybercrime will likely be agreed soon, most notably on an international basis. We must continue discussing the implications of these developments for the basic and fundamental human rights of people online. Meanwhile, 2023's hot button issues - including the use and regulation of Artificial Intelligence - will persist, meaning that all told, 2024 will be a year of challenge and hard work. As we strive to make progress toward the Internet we all want, the role of an open, inclusive, and active IGF is more important than ever. We look forward to a collaborative year, aligning the efforts of the LP and MAG and reinforcing the value of the IGF into the future. Vint Cerf, Chair, Leadership Panel Carol Roach, Chair, Multistakeholder Advisory Group
IGF 2024 First Open Consultations & MAG Meeting The first IGF open consultations and face-to-face meeting of the Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) in 2024 will take place 27-29 February in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and online. The back-to-back open consultations and MAG meeting officially kick off planning work in the IGF 2024 cycle. They are an opportunity for all stakeholders – anyone, anywhere, whether joining in-person or virtually – to contribute to the IGF’s agenda setting for the year! Open consultations on 27 February are when the MAG hears inputs and updates from across the stakeholder community, including from UN and international organizations on their digital governance-related work. During the MAG meeting days on 28 & 29 February, all are welcome to continue participating as observers. The consultations and MAG meeting are set to discuss lessons learned from last year, the digital themes for IGF work in 2024, and the IGF’s role in ongoing processes such as preparations for the Global Digital Compact (GDC) and the twenty-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20). Mark your calendars to join the conversation! See More on Open Consultations & MAG Meeting
Leadership Panel to Meet in Riyadh The IGF Leadership Panel will hold its first in-person meeting of 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 25-26 February. The two-day agenda will cover areas of strategic, long-term importance for the IGF, including how to maximise the impact of its outcomes and fundraising. The Panel will also take stock of the inputs received into its framework for the “Internet We Want” and plan how to carry forward the key principles outlined in the document. A joint session of the Panel and MAG will be convened on the morning of 27 February during the MAG’s open consultations: a chance for all to participate in a discussion with the Panel. The Leadership Panel was appointed by the UN Secretary-General in 2022. The fifteen-member body is led by the Chair, ‘Father of the Internet’ Vint Cerf, and Vice-Chair, 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Maria Ressa. Read More about LP Members & Outputs
Share Your Thoughts: “Internet We Want” What kind of Internet do you want to see? Tell the IGF Leadership Panel by March 1st! Submit your inputs in the Panel’s public consultation on the “Internet We Want” – a vision for a digital world that is Whole and open; Universal and inclusive; Free-flowing and trustworthy; Safe and secure; and Rights-respecting. One and all are invited to share their thoughts in writing on the commenting platform for the “Internet We Want” framework – until the deadline, 1 March 2024. Comment Here & See the Process Timeline
Intersessional News : DCs, NRIs, Youth & Parliamentary Activities
Dynamic Coalitions (DCs) There are nearly 30 issue-based DCs that work year-round on issues as diverse as Digital Health, Data and Trust, and the Environment. Their community is growing with two new recent coalitions: the Dynamic Teen Coalition and Dynamic Coalition on Gaming for Purpose. All are invited to contribute to their activities and join their events. The Dynamic Coalition Coordination Group (DCCG), made up of representatives of each coalition, held its most recent meeting on 31 January focused on adopting a collaborative workplan for the year. Multistakeholder groups committed to the promotion or research of specific digital policy topics can apply with the Secretariat to form an IGF DC at any time! More Information on the DCs Page National, Regional, Subregional & Youth IGF Initiatives (NRIs) NRIs have agreed on their work plan for 2024, available here. This year, the 168-initiative-strong NRI network will work to achieve several goals, including ways to: contribute to global digital governance processes such as WSIS+20 and the Global Digital Compact (GDC), better interconnect with the IGF intersessional work, organize several sessions for the 19th IGF in Riyadh, enhance overall communication and stakeholder engagement, and more. The MAG Chair met with the network in January and exchanged inputs on strengthening MAG-NRI collaboration. More Information on the NRIs Page IGF Youth Track Youth IGF coordinators and other global youth-focused initiatives met this month and agreed to work towards implementing a dynamic track of activities for 2024: four capacity development workshops at regional IGFs, which will feed into the IGF Global Youth Summit at the 19th Annual Forum in Riyadh. The banner topic will be agreed on the basis of the results of the IGF 2024 Call for Thematic Inputs. More Information on the Youth Track Page IGF Parliamentary Track Huge strides in AI have dominated headlines and conversations around the world. Against this backdrop, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), an international organization of 180 Member Parliaments, has collaborated with the IGF Secretariat and UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on AI capacity-building workshops to discuss the technology’s impact on democracy, human rights and the rule of law, as well as its potential to disrupt elections and more. The workshops will also inform a forthcoming IPU resolution, The impact of artificial intelligence on democracy, human rights and the rule of law, to be proposed for adoption at the 149th IPU Assembly in October 2024. More Information on the Parliamentary Track Page
WSIS+20 Questionnaire – Deadline Extended The joint questionnaire on the twenty-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20) is still open! The UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD), together with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and UN Development Programme (UNDP) welcome your views by the extended deadline, 29 February 2024.
IGF Community Updates IGF intersessional and community groups, including IGF Dynamic Coalitions and NRIs, can share their news on the IGF website’s front page! The latest updates are on funding opportunities from ISOC Foundation for NRIs and Schools on Internet Governance (SIGs), the 2024 YouthLAC IGF’s programme development, and more. Catch them all on the IGF homepage under “IGF Community Updates” – and in our General News, Intersessional News and NRIs News sections. If you are an IGF-affiliated group or entity and have a community update, fill out our form to get this posted. For Your Action! Give Input on the “Internet We Want” Contribute to the WSIS+20 Questionnaire Have a Community Update? Share it Here Key Dates and Deadlines 25-26 & 27 February 2024 | Meeting of the IGF Leadership Panel 27-29 February 2024 | IGF 2024 First Open Consultations & MAG Meeting 29 February 2024 | Deadline for Inputs to WSIS+20 Joint Questionnaire 1 March 2024 | Deadline for Inputs to “Internet We Want” Framework See the Full IGF Calendar Please feel free to share this newsletter with others. Follow us
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