|
|
|
|
|
Save the Date! 17th IGF The dates of the 17th IGF on Resilient Internet for a Shared Sustainable and Common Future, taking place in a hybrid format in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, have been confirmed as 28 November to 2 December 2022. All are encouraged to start planning their participation! Read Annual Meeting Updates on the IGF Website
IGF 2022 Call for Session Proposals: Focus on the Global Digital Compact The IGF has now launched its Call for Session Proposals ahead of the 2022 annual meeting, with a deadline of 3 June for all sessions. This year’s IGF programme closely reflects the Global Digital Compact envisioned by the UN Secretary-General in his Our Common Agenda report, and as such, stakeholders are asked to make proposals related to the Compact’s focus areas. In line with those, the five themes of the IGF are ‘Connecting All People and Safeguarding Human Rights’; ‘Avoiding Internet Fragmentation’; ‘Governing Data and Protecting Privacy’; ‘Enabling Safety, Security and Accountability’; and ‘Addressing Advanced Technologies, including AI’. Submitting an IGF session proposal is an opportunity for stakeholders to engage with the outlined GDC and ensure their voices are heard on its key components. As in 2021, proposers have a variety of session types from which to choose and can make submissions based on what will best support their discussions. Among the sessions open for application are Workshops, Open Forums, Town Halls, Networking Sessions and Lightning Talks, in addition to community-organized National, Regional and Youth Initiative (NRI) and Dynamic Coalition (DC) sessions. Workshops, which make up the majority of the programme, are evaluated and selected on a competitive basis by the IGF’s Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG), while open forums are sessions reserved for governments and treaty-based international organizations. Evaluation and review of session proposals will strongly take into account organizers’ preparedness to hold their session in a hybrid format. The final selection of workshops will take place at the MAG’s Second Open Consultations and Meeting on 6-8 July in Geneva. All stakeholders are invited to make proposals! See the IGF 2022 Call for Session Proposals
Intersessional Activities: New DCs on Environment and Health Dynamic Coalitions (DCs) Two new DCs have been welcomed into the IGF. The DC on Environment (DCE) examines the intersection of digitalization and environmental sustainability, building on the work of last year’s IGF Policy Network on Environment, while DC-Digital Health is dedicated to the advancement of Internet-based technologies for healthcare. Membership and participation are open to everyone. There are more than 20 other issue-based DCs to explore, on Blockchain, Core Internet Values, and Internet Universality Indicators, to name a few. Learn about their work! DCs collaborate throughout the year, including through coordination meetings, which in 2022, among other issues, are focused on strengthening the involvement of coalitions in IGF programme building, increasing links with other intersessional activities, and raising the profile of DC outputs. More Information on the DCs Page Policy Networks (PNs) & Best Practice Forums (BPFs) IGF Secretariat-supported PNs and BPFs are working toward producing substantive policy recommendations this year: the PN on Internet Fragmentation (PNIF), PN on Meaningful Access (PNMA), BPF on Cybersecurity and BPF on Gender & Digital Rights. PNMA has kicked off its work with an initial call held 26 April to discuss substantive focus and cooperation with other processes. PNIF has successfully assembled a multistakeholder working group of experts, who hail from all regions and diverse disciplines. All are invited to contribute to their work and sign up to their mailing lists. National, Regional and Youth IGF Initiatives (NRIs) The network of more than 150 national, regional and youth IGF initiatives continues to meet regularly and discuss joint activities ahead of the global IGF in Addis Ababa. “Safeguarding and strengthening the core principles of a trusted Internet” will be the topic of a proposed NRIs main session, while collaborative sessions will provide an overview of local specificities on access and connectivity; data protection; child online safety; the development of multistakeholder and multidisciplinary principles in the context of the WSIS+20 review; and the role the Internet plays in democracy, including in times of crisis. More Information on the NRIs Page
Capacity Development There are several IGF capacity development activities on the horizon. The IGF will be hosting two workshops, respectively at the Ethiopian IGF on 4 May, and West African IGF 25-26 May, focused on youth, parliamentary and intersessional engagement. On 20 June, the IGF heads to EuroDIG in Trieste, Italy, where a further workshop will be held related to the IGF within the UN ecosystem, focused on the linkages and policy objectives outlined in Our Common Agenda, including the Global Digital Compact. More Information on the Capacity Development Page
Upcoming: IGF at WSIS The IGF will participate in WSIS Forum 2022 in Geneva, Switzerland, with a dedicated workshop on 3 June. Mark your calendars for this hybrid event, featuring a line-up of experts sharing their thoughts on the road to IGF 2022.
IGF 2022 Second Open Consultations & MAG Meeting The Second Open Consultations and Meeting of the Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) will take place on 6-8 July 2022 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. The hybrid meeting will be open to all, with registration and other details forthcoming here. For Your Action! Submit an IGF Session Proposal by June 3rd Join IGF Intersessional Mailing Lists and Contribute to their Work Watch the IGF Homepage for Upcoming Opportunities, including Public Comment on the Soon-to-be-released EGM Report Key Dates and Deadlines 12 May | 14:00-15:00 UTC | MAG Working Group on Strategy Meeting 26 May | 14:00-15:00 UTC | MAG Working Group on Strategy Meeting 3 June | 9:00-11:00 UTC | IGF Workshop at WSIS 3 June | 11:59 UTC | Submission Deadline for IGF 2022 Session Proposals 20 June | 14:30-16:00 UTC | IGF Workshop at EuroDIG See the Full IGF Calendar Please feel free to share this newsletter with others. Follow us
|
