The following are the outputs of the captioning taken during an IGF intervention. Although it is largely accurate, in some cases it may be incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors. It is posted as an aid, but should not be treated as an authoritative record.
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>> ANNOUNCER: Please welcome to the stage the moderator, Thomas Schneider, Ambassador, Vice Director, Swiss Federal Office of Communications.
>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Good morning, everyone. Can you already hear me? So we have all survived the first few days of the IGF, so there is one more to go. So welcome to the last morning of this year's IGF. And what a surprise, we may talk about WSIS+20.
So let me introduce our distinguished guests. We have Mr. Ekitela Lokaaie, one of the two co‑facilitators for the WSIS+20 with process in New York, Permanent Representative of Kenya to the UN. We have Suela Janina, the second co‑facilitator of the WSIS+20 process, she is the Permanent Representative of Albania to the UN and then we have Mr. Li Junhua, United Nations Under‑Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs. Give them a warm welcome. Thank you very much!
(Applause).
So, yes, as we said before, we had lots of good and inspiring discussions on the WSIS+20 process given that this is the 20th IGF and a lot has happened in the last 20 years, and there are lots of ideas around what should be the outcome of the WSIS+20 process that is happening in New York, and, of course, we are very happy to have the co‑facilitators that have a key role in the process with us.
They had to listen to many people or had the chance, the opportunity to listen to many people, and I guess they heard quite a diversity and a range of expectations and views from all of you, so, and, of course, also Under Secretary‑General Li Junhua has had many discussions, has been listening, and the purpose of the session is to hear from them what they heard, how they see things, what are their takeaways and then how are the next months going to work.
So let me turn to Mr. Li Junhua, United Nations Under‑Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs. As the Secretariat of the WSIS+20 process, of course, you have a key role for the overall review by the UN General Assembly. Can you give us a brief background and update where we are with the process?
>> LI JUNHUA: Well, thank you, Thomas.
Good morning, everyone. First of all, let me express my sincere thanks to the co‑facilitators, Ambassador of Albania and Kenya for amplifying their leadership for this WSIS+20 process.
As you said, the WSIS actually started very early, more than two decades, started from Geneva in 2003 and followed by Tunis in 2005 which actually laid a very solid foundation for WSIS. Namely, first, it's people centred, second, it's a development driven, third, it's an inclusive process, and the WSIS also created a very lasting mechanism that is our IGF. So over the past two decades we all witnessed profound changes have taken place while we made enormous progress.
Having said that, we also need to acknowledge persistent digital divides, rapid rise of AI, and also the growing concern underlying about the safety, Internet safety and security, make a review of the dialogue conversation essential for all of us. So this conversation to me, to the UNDESA, I guess to all of the stakeholders make the WSIS+20 overall review very significant.
This process will end up with a High‑Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in December, and as the Secretariat of this process, my department UNDESA, is very committed to supporting the whole process guided by the co‑facilitators.
I just wanted to hey light a few key milestones so far. First, is the first preparatory meeting and stock taking session was conducted on May 30th at the UN Headquarters.
Second, a series of stakeholder consultations including virtual meetings were held from 9th to 10th of June, and very remarkable and pivotal development took place on 20th of June with the publication of the WSIS+20 elements paper circulated by the co‑facilitators. This document actually invites the written inputs from all stakeholders by the deadline of July 15. So that I understand that the co‑facilitators also concluded very significant consultations during the UNESCO AI and digital Conference.
Then co‑facilitators continued to engage with multistakeholder in coming weeks in Geneva at the WSIS forum hosted by the ITU. So to ensure this process very much genuinely multistakeholder co‑facilitators announced that we are going to launch the informal multistakeholder sounding board. For this board only members from the Leadership Panel, those individuals with no affiliation to governmental or intergovernmental associations are available.
So they will reflect diverse voices from tech communities, from youth, and from the civil societies. So all in all, all of those updates, documents, and opportunities, you can check on the website launched by my department recently. Thank you.
>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Thanks very much. So we see inclusivity taken very service in this process and I thank you personally for being very committed to this principle.
So now turning to our co‑facilitators., what is proposals and reflections that you have heard here in this week in Oslo in the many sessions, many discussions and many bilateral discussions that you have had with Member States and with other stakeholders. Mr. Ambassador.
>> EKITELA LOKAAIE: Thank you, Ambassador.
Let me also join Under Secretary‑General in thanking you and indeed the participants at the IGF. For us it’s been an enormously useful week to be here to interact with different stakeholders. We have tried as much as possible to participate in workshops which have been running. We have had many meetings with a broad range of stakeholders, and we've met representatives of Member States. We've met representatives of UN agencies, other stakeholders, civil society, Academia, technical community as well as the Private Sector.
And in all of those conversations, we have received very, very rich and thoughtful ideas about how we should conduct this process. We've had very, very useful and insightful proposals on the things that we need to take into consideration.
One thing that has not been mistakeable is the passion with which this community approaches these issues. There is not a single conversation that we had where you couldn't see the passion, the commitment and the willingness to make their views known.
So in terms of some of the concrete proposals which are coming up, we are hearing from the stakeholders, for example, the need for us to ground the WSIS+20 outcome review in the original WSIS vision that is the Geneva declaration, Tunis Agenda and commitment.
So I think that's one thing that a broad range of stakeholders agrees upon. The vision of a people‑centred, inclusive and development oriented Internet Society, so that theme ran through most of the consultations that we had.
Second is that there is a clear recognition that even as we ground the review in the original WSIS vision and the Geneva and Tunis Agenda commitments, we should also reflect some of the technological advancements that have happened over the last two decades. For example, the advancements in the area of Artificial Intelligence, digital public infrastructure. There are advancements but also risks and threats to cybersecurity and so on.
So that's the second thing that we are hearing. Then the other big one is the relationship between WSIS and the Global Digital Compact. And on this one I must say that there have been a diversity of views. What's clear to a lot of people is that we should not duplicate what is in WSIS with what is in the GDC or even the other related processes.
But the views are diverse. On the one hand, for example, there are those who feel that WSIS should remain the overarching framework and that all of the other proposals in the GDC be implemented under the WSIS architect.
That's one. Then there are also those who say let the two processes, don't duplicate but follow what is in WSIS and let the processes under GDC run their course.
So I think for my co‑facilitator and I as we continue engaging, that's one area on which we will need to strike a careful balance. Then finally, Ambassador, is how do we treat the WSIS action lines? Again, this is another area on which we have received very diverse but thoughtful proposals.
There is a proposal that we should not interfere with the WSIS action lines because in the view of those who advance this proposal, they are wide enough. They can accommodate this emerging technologies so there is no need to touch them.
There is a school of thought that says let's update the WSIS action lines. So by updating, of necessity, it means you have to touch them somewhat. Then there are those that say expand the WSIS action lines, don't add, but leave them as they are but try to see areas where you can expand to accommodate emerging technologies as well as some of the recent developments.
So as you can see, it's been a very rich menu of ideas and, again, we can't thank the stakeholders enough for the passion with which and a few others, perhaps I will let my colleague also highlight some. Thank you.
>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Thank you very much.
>> SUELA JANINA: Thank you Thomas. Good morning, distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you, Ambassador Ekitela Lokaaie for capturing all of the discussions we have heard during this week. I want to just emphasize the importance of our participation here. In fact, while we have organized a roadmap for our process, it has been one of the most important steps, and it proves to be very worth it because during this week, we have heard very rich discussions and enlightening also for us. It's really a learning process for us to understand the spirit of WSIS and IGF that my colleague mentioned, and it has been also an inspirational week for us to keep the spirit alive, but also to try to be forward looking for the future.
Some of the elements that maybe I can add in terms of complementing what my colleague already mentioned, when we speak about the process is the request that we have heard very often that the process is inclusive, and is our commitment to have this process WSIS review inclusive and forward looking at the same time.
As mentioned by USG, there has been proposals in creating this new form of communication with stakeholder community which we are just practicing or it's in a good way of being created like the informal multistakeholder sounding board.
We have had the request for volunteers coming from the MAG and Leadership Panel, and I will take this opportunity to thank all of them that have been volunteered to be part of the sounding board.
Very soon we will need to make a selection based also on a big number of requests, but also on some criterias that we would like to see on the sounding board, like the regional, geographical presentation, but also gender presentation.
So very soon you will learn who will be the ones that will be your voice in communicating with us. But I just want to make this very clear from the beginning that the sounding board will be a practical way of liaisoning with us, of communicating with us, but it's not closing the doors of communication, because we will be very much committed to hear from every one of you.
So, please, let's use this opportunities like kind of coordination way that in a more practical and efficient way we can hear each other and we can represent your views in the process of, that is going to take place during the next weeks and months to come.
One other important element that we have noticed and have been repeatedly mentioned to us is the fact of as we are the IGF, the future of IGF, what format and what kind of IGF you would like to see for the next 10, 20 years or the more extended future.
And here we are really very much appreciating the fact that there are a lot of ideas coming, of how IGF and WSIS in general will fit in the global digital governance.
And we have heard around the fact of making extensions to the mandate of IGF up to making it permanent. We have also heard views of rebranding the name of IGF. We have also heard views about how to strengthen the IGF in terms of including also new and emerging technologies.
So these are very important and very useful ideas. Of course, we will be in the position to hear this discussion more in detail during the coming weeks, but we have had the clear opinion where the proposals stand and we will be very happy to hear in the future again for you in more detail or in concrete language, really what kind of IGF and what is the future of IGF that will fit for purpose and for the future of digital society we want.
Another additional element that I would like also to emphasize at this point is the fact that we have been also asked to put our attention to capture and to reflect the diverse experiences that are coming from different stakeholders and regions and sectors at the same time.
Because this can encompass different elements starting from connectivity, access, capacity building, and this is also of particular relevance to include or to make possible that Developing Countries have a say in this process. And this say should be meaningful because what we are seeing also if the emerging technology is that we risk to deepen the digital divide that we are seeing nowadays.
So more or less at this stage I would like just to have these points also as future way of having some other additional food for thought from your side and from the wider multistakeholder inputs like starting if from the Governments, but also from Private Sector, technical community, Academia, civil society, youth, all valuable inputs that will come will seriously be taken into account and we are very grateful for the rich and very colorful proposals that we are taking during this week.
>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Thank you very much, so it's also good to see that both of you have felt this vibrant spirit, this passion no matter whom you talk to, no matter from what stakeholder, what stakeholder person is part of the region of the world, everybody is really engaged and passionate, and I think it is also something that we realized during the discussions.
WSIS is not an institution or is less an institution. There is no house or organisation. It's more of a mindset of cooperation that has different, different houses within it around it. The IGF is one of the parts together with the WSIS forum that we will continue the discussion in one week in Geneva.
Some of the key platforms for dialogue, for listening to each other, for having engaged debates so I think it is beautiful to see how you captured the spirit of this and also how you outlined some of the hot issues that many decisions will need to be taking place in the coming months to hopefully come up with something that actually is acceptable to all and meets all expectations.
I would like to maybe also focus a little bit and see what were the elements where you felt clear convergence? What are the, what are the areas of convergence? Where do people agree that this should be done and this should be done, this is important, or is key? What were your takeaways in terms of where does the community agree?
>> SUELA JANINA: Thank you for this question and also for highlighting a little bit earlier the kind of and alliances that we are in together, and when we started this undertaking, what I was capturing like very inspiring is the fact that the community is strong, and I have been presented with WSIS community, but I should also put it like I feel like this is WSIS family. And we are really very glad to be part of it, and sometimes where you are within family, you try to understand the best part of it, but also to speak very honestly with each other.
And sometimes we feel this kind of burden and responsibility because the process we need to admit is challenging. It's not among the most easiest process. Also having in mind that we are also working all together in challenging multilateral now.
But we have been surprised that there are many points in which the community converges, and first of all, when we talk about principle, it is important that everyone is very cautious and awareness is there that we need to preserve the foundation and fundamental vision of WSIS that we just delivered 20 years ago.
And what USG mentioned is the vision of people‑centred, inclusive and development oriented Internet Society while at the same time addressing the new, challenging elements of development of the society.
So when we talk about this new and emerging technologies, we are listening repeatedly and from everyone that new emerging technologies like AI, data governance can be fitted within the WSIS framework. So this is a good start, let's say, for taking over the next steps and the next discussion.
A second point of convergence is the need for capacity building. We are hearing that very often and this is also linked with what I mentioned before, the fact of digital divide which we see actually in infrastructure, in skills, in governance. So all of these elements need to be very clearly in our focus in order that we commit for concrete actions in order to address the digital divide.
And something that I know is very sensible, but I need, I think we need to make a clarification here because during this week we have this sensibility on the multistakeholder approach, and I would like to reassure everyone that this is very central in our work in our discussions. There is no kind of afterthought or before thought from us as co‑facilitators to walk back from the multistakeholder approach that has characterized WSIS, not only WSIS as a process, but has given the positive examples to other processes within UN.
So multistakeholder approach and engagement will be central in the future negotiations that we are taking for the review of the process and here again, another call, let's be engaged all together to preserve what we have achieved and to be ambitious for the future.
>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Thank you very much. Where did you feel convergence and agreement this week?
>> EKITELA LOKAAIE: Thank you. In addition to everything that my colleague has said, we see a desire on the part of everyone we spoke to that we should try to achieve coherence, coherence between WSIS, coherence with the GDC. We hear over and over people saying please don't duplicate. Try to find synergies between the two processes.
So that has been a constant message that has come through across the board. The second is stakeholders are saying don't reopen debates that we've had from 20 years ago. Don't go back ten years ago. The issues which as a stakeholder community we have discussed, we have agreed, so don't reopen those debates. There are those that we have discussed, but inconclusively, and I have agreed to pack them. So let us come quite strongly, and we have taken that point.
The other is we hear people saying there are issues on which there are parallel processes happening right now. Just to give some examples, the AI, for instance, enhanced cooperation, data governance and cybersecurity. So we hear those examples where people are saying they are processes that are under way.
So let's not duplicate that by bringing those again into the WSIS+20 review.
But like with processes as complex as this, the devil is always in the detail because when we say we want coherence, what exactly are we talking about? When we say don't duplicate what is in other processes like AI, are we saying we should not dumb it or if we do, to what extent? And so on.
And then finally, this is a conversation that's happening everywhere. There is no appetite for new processes. There is no appetite for new institutions. There is no appetite for new structures. So people are saying let's see what we have. If it's working, let's improve it, and allow it to work.
So these are some of the things also on which there seems to be an emerging consensus among stakeholders. Thank you.
>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Thank you, so there is some convergence which, of course, is something that is very good, but there is also some work to be done on the issues that will be probably in the centre of the discussions. Under Secretary Li Junhua, probably people are also keen and you have explained it already on some occasions but it would be good to hear from you once more, what are the next steps in the WSIS+20 process and how can this multistakeholder dialogue most effectively contribute to a strong and inclusive outcome of the WSIS+20 process in New York?
>> LI JUNHUA: Thank you, Thomas, just now as the two Ambassadors outlined, actually now we are entering into the second phase of this review. It is the very moment to redefine what will be the WSIS+20 and the future IGF.
A number of the issues have been flagged out among all of the stakeholder from its mandate updating structure or framework and also coherence, non‑duplication among the various processes. So all in all, I think that in the coming month, definitely, the first thing we need to think about is how we could respond and reply to the elements paper prepared and circulated by the co‑facilitators.
Why is that so important? Because this element paper would serve as a basis to inform the co‑facilitators to draft the zero outcome document, which is the basis for the future negotiations among the Member States in Geneva, in Geneva and also in New York in coming October, November, and December.
So that is why when we have the different perspectives, the different divergent voices from tech communities from civil society, from the youth, from the businesses and also from Parliament, judicial system, all of those elements, all of those perspectives need to be mutually accommodated and reflected in the final product.
So that is why we believe that a second phase would be critically important to lay the foundation for this final outcome. Thank you.
>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Thank you very much. So we do have a little bit of time also here to try to be inclusive, there are two microphones in the room. They are lit now, so whoever wants to react is happily invited. If you have final messages or questions, not final, but things that you would like to highlight, please take the mic and introduce your thank you.
>> AUDIENCE: Hi, good morning. My name is Jacqueline Pigatto, with Data Privacy Brazil, civil society. I would like emphasize that although you assure us that stakeholder approach is in the negotiation process, it is important to maintain and strengthen this mechanism, also in the implementation of the WSIS in the cooperation process is between international organisations and states.
This must involve all stakeholders. There are already multistakeholder agreed guideline NetMundial+10 for this purpose so it is important that they are mentioned in the outcome paper and reflected in the implementation of both WSIS and the GDC regardless of the decisions made regarding this integration, I'm certain that at the next IGF we will be discussing both processes, what needs to be done, what has worked. That's it. Thank you.
>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Thank you very much. Any reactions?
>> SUELA JANINA: Yes. Thank you. It was not very easy to capture everything, but I understood the idea is on emphasizing the multistakeholder approach.
And I mentioned in our opening remarks that this is central, and just let me clarify something regarding the elements paper. For us, element paper has been a starting point for triggering a discussion and for a call for inputs, food for thought you may call it different names, but it's important that it started the process on which we have envisaged the main principles we capture from the consultation from Member States and stakeholders.
Now, the most important process that we have had is to present all of this elements that we are getting from the discussions from here and we are continue the discussion in Geneva a few days after. So everything will be represented in the outcome document. We are presenting as already informed by the Under Secretary‑General in the middle of August we intend to present this first zero draft of the outcome paper.
Everything you are mentioning here will be clearly reflected there as a way, of course, of compromise, but multistakeholder approach is something that I don't think we need to put into doubt anymore, but just we also reflect the calls we have heard to mention all categories of the community that represent the multistakeholder approach.
So this has been taken note and will be reflected.
>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Thank you very much, and I think the WSIS+20 high level event and also the AI for Good that are happening jointly in Geneva in one week's time will show that in the discussions where we stand on the action lines, where we stand on implementing this, you will see lots of stakeholders cooperating. This is the dialogue where you have a multistakeholder dialogue, but if you see what UNESCO is doing what ITU is doing, what all of the other UN agencies are doing, I have been in this for more than 20 years actually, since 2003.
The UN agencies and the UN system has opened up its arms for cooperation quite significantly over this time and I think nobody questions this importance.
So the gentleman over there, please. And try to speak clearly to the mic because it's not that easily hearable. Thank you very much.
>> AUDIENCE: Thank you. Philip Lee, I'm general Secretariat of WACC, it focuses on communication rights. Summit of the Future, digital compact, IGF, WSIS, can we hear a little bit more about how that will all come together in a series of meaningful actions going forward because it seems to some of us that there are disparate parts of it, lots of different elements. It's immensely complicated, but looking ahead how does that come together? Thank you.
>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Thank you. An easy question.
>> EKITELA LOKAAIE: Well, not so easy. I alluded to that in my comments, that indeed there is a position that all of these processes are related the issues that are addressed in the Pact for the Future, Global Digital Compact, the issues we have been discussing, for example, here, all week at the IGF and the WSIS are related issues.
What has come out, like I said, is a desire for us to pull all of these issues together so that they can be addressed if not in a single platform, but at least in a way that they speak to each other, in a way that we know that this issue belongs to all of the platforms, yes, but it's currently being addressed under platform one.
I think that has come out quite strongly. It may not be as easy as we have said because remember many of these are outcomes which were adopted. There is already a consensus, for example, the Pact for the Future was adopted by heads of states in September, GDC the same thing. The process that we are now managing mandated by the General Assembly, so all of these processes have their own mandates that they derive from Resolutions of the General Assembly or discussions by stakeholders like ourselves in this room.
But there are interesting proposals which we are beginning to hear. For example, there is a proposal that we have a joint implementation plan for the GDC and WSIS, for example. So that's an innovative idea which we are willing to put before stakeholders for further discussion and reflection, but indeed I think there is agreement that we have to achieve if not bring them together, but at least some level of coherence.
>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Thank you very much. I think it's a legitimate request to in a world that gets more and more complex, more and more, with more and more interdependencies to somehow try and get an overview and also, of course, not just to focus on dialogue which is what the main purpose of this part of the WSIS infrastructure concept is, but also to focus on action, but also there I think it's unavoidable given that digital has an impact on everything of our social, economic, political lives that you will have a distributed system with thousands of actors in the end involved in actions on global, regional and national levels, and you can't put them all, you can't even put them all in one room because there are so many actors.
But, of course, the system is trying to somehow help each other, all of the elements to understand their space in the whole system, and I think the discussion on the joint implementation plan is definitely something that I think is a very useful one because that could help to somehow help us all to gain some coherent oversight view. Thank you very much.
>> AUDIENCE: I'm Nigel Cassimire, Caribbean Telecommunications Union, an intergovernmental organisation. Can I get some clarity on the multistakeholder sounding board? Is it something that one has or had to apply to join or is it like an online space that is being opened for stakeholder comments or whatever? I'm not quite clear on how it works. Or how it is intended to work. Thank you.
>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Thank you, Nigel.
>> SUELA JANINA: The sounding board has been a proposal coming from some Member States, but also from stakeholders. So we decided to accept this proposal and to make it known to MAG and the Leadership Panel. And we invited four volunteers to come from these two organisations in order to fill in the places that we consider should be a contained number, like we proposed ten members from the sounding board.
Indeed there has been a deadline which has been on Wednesday of this week, but still we are flexible. If there are, if there is interest, but I need to make, to inform you that the number of volunteers has already surpassed the number of places. So at this point we need to make a selection, and the selection will be made fairly on the basis of representation. We would like also to see different regions to be represented on the sounding board and also would like to see women represented on the sounding board.
So I would encourage you if there is interest, please present your request, and then very soon we will make it known who will be the members that will be part of the sounding board. But, again, I would like to emphasize the fact that by creating the sounding board there was not closing the door to any one of you who would like to approach us to make any proposal or contribution.
Indeed, also for the elements paper, there is deadline of 15 of July to present written inputs, but we are really very flexible. Our aim is to get a broad spectrum of inputs and ideas and comments and advice.
So you are very kindly invited to do so in all ways that you pertain more practical and more efficient to you.
>> LI JUNHUA: Just a supplementary remarks to the Ambassador, for this sounding board it's a newly launched mechanism. Of course, it should be balanced to provide professional advisors to the co‑facilitators with the balance to composition, but more importantly as far as I can see all of the stakeholders if you have a very specific proposal, perspectives, even concerns about all of the multi‑ linked sectors, then please come up with your written response to the elements paper. So in that sense it can be more adequately reflected in the zero draft.
>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: It's important to note that this is just one additional informal channel and that has been proposed and requested and thanks for accepting this. It will not replace any of the other channels and as the Under Secretary‑General has said, of course, written responses help and, yes, I think it's just one more way.
So, please go ahead.
>> AUDIENCE: Hi, good morning. My name is Konstantinos Komaitis, and I am senior fellow with the Atlantic Council's Democracy and Tech initiative at the Digital Forensic Research Lab. I would like to express my and our appreciation to both of you Ambassadors for being here and listening in and taking notes. I have the honour of really Chairing and moderating the session and the queues as you have seen were quite long.
I think the big challenge now is how you take on all of these comments and incorporate them into the WSIS process, and I would like really to encourage you as you mentioned in our session to hold a joint session between Governments and non‑government stakeholders so we can exchange the views in a more constructive and direct manner. Thank you so much for being here.
>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Thank you.
>> EKITELA LOKAAIE: Thank you. I think the suggestion to hold a joint consultation session between Member States and stakeholders is one that we welcome. We already indicated our willingness to pursue this. So we are looking at the possibility of end of July to be able to organize that. But this would be done in consultation, of course, we will get that advice from the Secretariat, and it's good that the Under Secretary‑General is here on the possibility of hosting that, but we think it's one of those things that will give true meaning to multistakeholder engagement in this process.
So we will try to pursue it, and hope that it works because it will be a very, very useful statement. Thank you.
>> LI JUNHUA: The second preparatory consultation or meeting is tentatively scheduled in mid-October. So including multistakeholder consultations.
>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Thank you for this information. So note this down in your calendars that it's going to be something in mid-October.
>> BERTRAND CHAPELLE: Good morning, I'm the Executive Director of the Internet jurisdiction Policy Network. Cannot support more what Constantinos is saying it is absolutely essential for this process that Governments and the other stakeholders have the capacity to be in the same room and hear each other and if you can make that happen. It would be real progress.
This meeting in Norway, and I have participated in the IGF basically since the first one in 2006 is clearly highlighting an awareness that is growing on what is the role of the IGF in the governance process, which is to do the agenda setting and the issue framing.
I heard the comment yesterday in the session with the Leadership Panel that in a certain way the IGF is a sandbox process for the multilateral environment. It is a way to alleviate some of the constraints regarding the participation of non‑governmental stakeholders. It's a way to experiment, and also to alleviate constraints for putting something on the agenda.
You all know how difficult it is sometimes to put a new topic on the agenda of a multilateral process because you need the agreement of all actors. The IGF is this exploratory space that allows to put Agenda Items early on and save at least three or four years in addressing them.
The second thing is Ambassador Suela Janina was kind enough to list three elements regarding the future of the IGF, the extension of the mandate, the renaming and the strengthening. I would like to suggest that in the strengthening there are two aspects. One is the revision and evolution of the mandate in light of the new topics that have happened and the clarification of the role of the IGF.
And the second element is, and I would pick the expression that was used Maria Fernanda Garza, who is a member of the Leadership Panel which is the organizational evolution of the IGF. How to make sure that from the building blocks that we already have, we build an institution that is functioning even better than it is functioning today because it has an enormous potential.
And the last point is in order to do so those two points will not be addressed before December in depth. And there will be no agreement there.
I strongly believe that we should take inspiration from the Working Group on Internet Governance procedure that was adopted during the WSIS that led to the creation of the IGF, and that in some shape or form we would have in 2026 a truly multistakeholder group that would address those two issues and make proposals for the next stage of the IGF, sort of constitutional involvement, if you want. Thank you.
>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: We have four people. Should we take maybe another intervention and then, yes, please, Marcos.
>> MARKUS KUMMER: I am a Veteran, I Chaired various negotiating groups in 2003 in the final phase of the Summit and then at the request of Member States I had to send out non‑governmental stakeholders from the room. We have come a long way since and I would like to thank the co‑facilitators for their commitment to a multistakeholder approach.
(Applause).
Hang on. The point I was going to make was, and I had the pleasure of making it when we had the bilateral with the Dynamic Coalitions and both co‑facilitators, express my hope that zero draft will affect the fact that the IGF is more than just an Annual Meeting. It's a process with many intersessional activities and the importance of the NRIs could not be overemphasized, also the Dynamic Coalitions make a tangible contributions to the IGF. Thank you.
>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Thank you to both of you, also for highlighting that it's not just one off event. The Policy Networks, the Dynamic Coalitions, and so on, so forth, that have been not asked for in the UN Resolution. They just have emerged because people wanted to continue the discussion and they wanted to turn the discussion into action so people have started to organize themselves and what Bertrand said was also very important.
>> SUELA JANINA: Indeed, these are not points of questions or discussions. These are really points that we need to take note, and to reflect because I think in most of them we all agree. So if I turn to the point that Bertrand already mentioned like the role of IGF, it's already there. Everyone accepts this. IGF has proven itself to be very valuable and sustainable instrument on the digital governance.
When it comes to models who are advising like the Working Group of Internet, we will look on this practice, and when it comes to the importance of all of these messages you are giving because this comes from your own practice, and I like this words of IGF WSIS better and so we need to be based on what we have achieved up until now, and the know‑how and experience you have is valuable on that. The role of national institutions, that's all that what we are taking note of that are really invaluable inputs that for us there is no need to discuss, I think, Thomas on that. Just we take note, and you will see them reflected in the future documents that we are going to produce.
>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Thank you very much. Let's take the final three requests. Anna, please.
>> AUDIENCE: Ana Neves from Portugal, and I would like to emphasize four points. My first one is to, is about the national and regional initiatives. They are very important. We have 167, I think, national and regional initiatives, but the Government normally are not part of these national and regional initiatives, and so I really hope that all of these processes will give more strengths and will maybe institutionalize these NRIs.
Second, there is a statement which is the multistakeholder Sao Paulo guidelines. The Sao Paulo multistakeholder guidelines are very interesting because they propose steps to make the multilateral process more interesting if you use the Sao Paulo guidelines. So they are steps, they are clearly demonstrating how to make the multilateral process more multistakeholder.
So I think that to raise the flag about the importance of this document. My number three is about a clear mandate on who is doing what. So nowadays, we have in the UN family a lot of duplications. So I hope that from all of these exercise that will end in December we will have a clear picture on who is doing what.
And finally, I would like to be very ambitious and to ask for the future of the IGF to get the relevance and impact of the World Economic Forum, for instance. So this should be, I think, our ambition, and to make a really forum where the heads of state, Ministers, and all of the other key stakeholders will be engaged. Thank you.
>> AUDIENCE: Thank you so much. U.K. Government, thanks for being here, we really appreciate your time. We wanted to highlight that the U.K. Government is actively engaging in lots of regional and national IGFs. For example, our team attended the Africa IGF this year as well as EuroDIG which was hosted at the Council of Europe this year and similarly to what our colleague, Anna, mentioned, we think that the role that regional and local IGFs play in the system of Internet Governance and WSIS needs to really be discussed because it is really important.
There are actually 176 IGFs at the moment. They are national, they are regional, there is youth IGFs, and the value we see in them is that they bring together stakeholders at the national, at the local, at regional levels.
And this is a platform that is very unique because it provides the voices to be heard.
So we really would like to see stronger links between local and Regional IGFs, and as well as the annual IGF where we are today, and we hope that we can use this WSIS review to really strengthen the role. Thank you.
>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Thank you very much.
>> CHRISTINE ARIDA: Good morning, I am with the Egyptian Government and would like to thank the co‑facilitators for being here through the week and listening to the IGF community. I cannot reemphasize more how it's important to be sitting in a multistakeholder format, and listening. I think we have come this long way like Markus was saying. I'm presuming the sounding board consists of stakeholders that are not Government.
I think the importance is to have a platform and a way when we are going to discuss the different versions in a multistakeholder format, not only Governments alone and the sounding board alone.
Having said that, I would appreciate if we can see the consultations that will happen through the coming months take place in days of the week that are not weekends in parts of the world. Most consultations in the past have been on Fridays. Fridays are weekend in the place where I come from, so it would be good to have them at a time where actual stakeholders can participate. Thank you so much for listening.
>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Thank you very much. Our time is almost up, but, of course, I want to give you the floor. I think we have heard so much, there has been so much talk. What is the key in one sentence or two sentences, what is your key takeaways after this session?
>> EKITELA LOKAAIE: Thank you. Thank you, Thomas. And first, let me say how grateful we are to this community here for sharing with us freely your thoughts about how we should conduct the WSIS+20 review.
I think it was important that we came here and spent the amount of time that we have spent because then it makes the documents that we are going to produce even richer than they are going to be had we not come.
So we are grateful for that. Second is to give you our commitment that we committed to run an open, transparent, inclusive review process. We will endeavor as we have tried to do up to this point to provide avenues for all of you to give your inputs into this process. As all of us know for a complex process of this nature, of course, not everything that we would like to be reflected will be reflected because there are going to be as many opinions as there are stakeholders, but our job will be to reflect as many of those as possible, those that are shared by stakeholders.
Finally, we leave our channels open. We have given out our cards. We ran out of them, I think, by day two, but you know how to reach us through the Secretariat, Ambassador Suela Janina and I are available whenever you have any idea, please let us know, invite us to your platforms. If we are able to come, we will make a point of coming. If not, we will participate remotely. So let's get this conversation going. I thank you.
>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Thank you very much.
>> SUELA JANINA: Thank you, Thomas. And just to join my colleague in expressing the gratitude for the richness and all of the elements that you have put forward for our consideration, we are seriously and very much committed to analyze everything, and to be very open and transparent in this process. What will take from this week here at the IGF is the commitment to preserve the WSIS spirit, and to be ambitious, to adapt it to the new digital world we are living.
So my last call would be let's be actively all engaged because WSIS belongs to everyone. No one can consider ownership over the process. So by being collectively engaged and in a collegial spirit, we believe that we can conduct successful negotiations and have an outcome process and document that will be fit for the future and the digital world that we would like to together build not only for the generation, but for the next one as well.
>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Absolutely. Thank you very much.
>> LI JUNHUA: Thank you, Thomas. I think we have the very meaningful and rich discussion over the past several days. We actually shared a very common aspirations to have a better deliberate WSIS+20 review. So I think the inclusivity actually generated more complementarity through this open and transparent process. So as the Secretariat we are very committed to provide all that we can do to support this process. Thank you.
>> THOMAS SCHNEIDER: Thank you very much. With this, that's the end of the first half of the session. I'm going to hand over to my copilot, Jorge, thank you very much for the attention. Thank you for the interaction. A big thanks to our important guests, and I wish you good luck for the heart, but great work that you will be doing in the coming weeks and months. Thank you.
>> ANNOUNCER: Please welcome to the stage, the moderator, Jorge Cancio, Co-Director International Relations, Swiss Federal Office of Communications.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Hello. Hello, everybody. So, please get seated. We are starting very shortly to this second part of this session, the Path Forward, WSIS+20. We will have an excellent panel discussing and following up on the discussion we had before with the co-facilitators and with the Under-Secretary-General from UNDESA.
We have the privilege of having with us Ms. Karianne Tung, Minister of Digitalization and Public Governance of Norway.
Secondly, Ms. Baroness Maggie Jones, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the state for the Future Digital Economy and Online Safety, Minister of Legislation from the UK.
Mr. Kurtis Lindqvist, CEO from ICANN.
Mr. Jimson Olufuye, Principal Consultant, Kontemporary Konsulting from Nigeria.
And next, Fabrizia Benini, head of Unit Next Generation Internet from the European Commission.
Let's give them a warm welcome.
(Applause)
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you for coming, thank you for being here this morning. We had already had a very interesting discussion with the co-facilitators from Kenya and Albania on the path forward on WSIS+20, also with the Under-Secretary-General from UNDESA. And now we want to dig a little bit deeper on some of the issues we are discussing during the whole week. So, maybe you can also share your impressions, your takeaways from informal, formal corridor discussions with the many stakeholders that are assembled here.
We have a set of questions, and I would go along the order we have agreed. First with the question, what key milestones has the World Summit on the Information Society, WSIS, which is an acronym we will use a lot, achieved over the past two decades?
And we would start with you, Minister Tung.
>> KARIANNE TUNG: Thank you, Moderator, and thank you for bringing this topic up for discussion. I believe that the WSIS has had enormous contributions for the population of the world during the last 20 years, and for the access to Internet as well, it has contributed to developing digital skills, the competence, but we can't relax. We are not finished. We have to close the digital divide, because there is still a lot of the citizens of the world who don't access the Internet as well.
And I really also believe that the framework for the WSIS has contributed to establish a set of trust, to build trust between the different stakeholders that wouldn't have this floor to meet and to discuss and to be together.
So, the framework of the WSIS has really contributed to that. And I think the organization of WSIS based on the multistakeholder model also has strengthened the legitimacy and the relevance for the processes that has been done during the last 20 years of IGF and WSIS as well, because it means that the people that are affected by the discussions going on at IGF, they are really a part of the discussions themselves. And that is really important.
And then I believe it's important also for the years to come that we are able to make the results from the discussion that has been going on at IGF available and more useful for policymaking and so forth also.
But I really believe that the WSIS and the IGF has been an important, call it, prototype on how we can implement the multistakeholder model together with the UN processes as well. So, it has been significant the last couple of years. And I am proud to be part of it.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Minister Tung. I think prototype is a very good description. It's been a pilot now 20 years, it's a tested pilot, and may be time to update it and make it even more permanent.
>> KARIANNE TUNG: The longest living pilot.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much.
Baroness Jones, the floor is yours.
>> MAGGIE JONES: Thank you, and I agree that we have a great deal to be proud of over the last 20 years, and a lot of very practical steps that we have taken over that time. So, we have the WSIS Action Lines and the WSIS Forum, which has driven progress on sustainable development, the ITU WSIS stock take database which is very good examples of some of the steps that we have already taken, great WSIS projects.
The WSIS process, as has been said, very important as a framework for multistakeholder action in a wide range of areas, and particularly the work that we are doing on connecting the unconnected.
Over 17% of people had access to the Internet in 2005 and now I'm very pleased to say that that's 67%. I'm not saying that's all as a result of WSIS activities, but we have certainly played our part in increasing that spread of access.
And it's notable that over the last 20 years, we have been able to adapt to the new developments because things like the Action Lines are technology neutral so it enables us to give us basis for going ahead in the future.
So, for us, our priorities have been and increasing are capacity building, cultural diversity, and providing an enduring framework to make sure that we reach out to those who are unable to play their part at the current time.
So, we need to be flexible to address those new priorities and ensure that WSIS is able to face the future challenges. But I would say that we are in a very good position to do that. The landscape has become increasingly complex. But the very fact that we have a unique diverse involvement I think gives us a huge basis to go forward.
Research by the DNS research federation in Oxford demonstrated the impact of IGF, for example, driving growth on the Internet exchange points in Africa, nurturing the next generation of Global South leaders and beginning to address online harms.
So, a huge number of activities, we want to make the case today and we will be making that case for a more permanent mandate for the IGF, and I hope that we will in the coming months be able to win that argument.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Baroness Jones for highlighting some of the very tangible impact of this forum.
Now we go to Kurtis Lindqvist.
>> KURTIS LINDQVIST: Thank you. This week's conversations that has been across sessions on resilience, multilingual access, digital fragmentation and many, many other topics have really underscored one thing and that is that the WSIS framework remains foundational to global digital cooperation. And this framework really created a shared vision for how digital governance should evolve through practical stakeholder-driven cooperation. And this vision is also what gave rise to the IGF and reinforced the value of the multistakeholder model, something that we at ICANN had been applying in practice since our reformation which predates the IGF.
We saw this echoed through the national regional IGFs something we should mention a bit more often. Continue to connect the global and local governance into its charter and that's an important model as well.
This has provided a phenomenal value growth, value creation that stemmed from the bottom-up innovation the model has enabled, but also stimulated by the discussions inside WSIS and IGF.
As suggested here today, more than 5 billion people have come online and most of this since in the last 20 years. But this did happen through the technical coordination, distributed stewardship and global engagement which we have seen and I can see the results every day. The services that we provide must function for the Internet to globally trust -- generate trust and scale. And for us to be able to do our job of this work, we need to have exactly what WSIS stands for, the open dialogue, the operational coordination, and cooperation, and a commitment to a single interoperational Internet.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Kurtis, also for recalling that every day, as we speak, everybody is probably looking into his emails, WhatsApp or Signal or whatever. It's the underlying infrastructure that is working and which is based on trust and on voluntary cooperation. Thank you so much.
Jimson, the floor is yours.
>> JIMSON OLUFUYE: Thank you very much, Jorge. My name is Jimson Olufuye. My day job is Kontemporary Konsulting in Nigeria. As a volunteer, I have a privilege of getting the private sector view from Africa through the Africa ICT alliance, an alliance formed in 2012 with six countries in Africa and now we are in 43 countries in Africa pushing the message of ICT connectivity, bridging the digital divide.
Well, as we all know, the WSIS is aimed at achieving a people-centered, inclusive and even a highly productive Information Society where nobody is left behind. And we saw this and indeed that was I didn't AfICTA was formed. So, we can say AfICTA is one of the outcomes of WSIS, and its vision is to fulfill the promise of the digit age for everyone in Africa.
So, the WSIS has provided a solid foundation for multistakeholder engagement where our own voices could be heard, the private sector and learning from developing countries.
We also see that a true WSIS, as my colleagues have mentioned, we have both IGF where all of us can on equal footing make our views known and we can have constructive dialogue on moving our society forward, to achieving that Information Society of our collective expectation.
Another outcome, of course, is the WSIS Forum. The WSIS Forum has always provided a solid opportunity for us to review the Action Lines. The Action Lines are very, very relevant, even today, and I see them relevant tomorrow. And through the action alliance, we are able to have further discussion even at the African level, we have UNECA leading the charge. Maybe we need to discuss this at a national level, just as we have the IGF been discussed, 170 countries now during their own IGF. So, we also need WSIS Action Line reviewed as part of our expectation.
Coming from WSIS is the youngest, where you have about 20 United Nations organizations coming together and exchanging best practices and review things and shaping policy with regard to data technology. And there's something that most people don't mention, but was mentioned briefly and that's enhanced cooperation. We see the successful IANA transition. We see that all of us, the global community were responsible for what President mentioned, we are all responsible for making sure that our Internet is trustworthy and as a major outcome of WSIS really and for us in the developing countries.
And last month I was at CSTD and I was really pleased to see the enhanced cooperation at work where government do their things, come in with policy, in the present of even all of us, the stakeholders, the private sector, the civil society, and we are giving privilege to raise voices and have free discussion. And as I also see the government could vote based on issues which is enhanced cooperation, basically.
So, WSIS has really become that real omnibus foundation for the Digital Society. Thank you very much.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Jimson. And especially for underscoring how WSIS has brought also this idea of dialogue and togetherness to the national and the regional level.
And now to finalize this question, we have Fabrizia Benini.
>> FABRIZIA BENINI: Thank you. Good morning, everyone. So, the European Commission and its member states is extremely attached to the WSIS process. To do that, we, to contribute to the negotiations that will take place, we adopted a common position that was well-discussed and endorsed by our Council.
And in preparing that, we looked at the contribution of WSIS up to today, the subject of your question. And it is undoubtedly that it has given the possibility to have a conversation, a global conversation amongst everyone about the tenets of the problems, the challenges and the opportunities of digitalization. And it is a conversation in the multistakeholder format that involves, as you know, academia, private sector, governments, and the tech community. And because those voices are different, it is a challenging conversation. It is not an easy process. But it is a process that is precious to uphold and precious to go forward.
Now, it can be improved and we hope it will, especially to make it more inclusive and very engaging to the young people, we own that. We own that to them. And because we are discussing what will impact their future.
But this conversation is also had results. We have seen a contribution, a notable contribution to reducing the digital divide. Again, it still exists. But connectivity is better skills or better people are more empowered.
Looking forward, we must make sure that the new technologies, we continue to have the conversation about the potency of the new technologies, the impact it will have it has already had. I had the privilege of being with the Minister in a panel about the impact on children, as regards to the use of social media. All of these things merit attention, merit attention and action.
And perhaps the one important issue is the IGF. We are here today. We have a place. The conversation has got a home. And this home needs to be permanent. It needs to be reinforced. It needs to be efficient. Because this conversation needs to continue having human rights at its centre, having the human as its centre to see that digitization benefits us all.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you. Thank you so much, Fabrizia, and this is the perfect segue to the second question, because we are already addressing some of the challenges and that sometimes it's not an easy conversation, of course.
So, the second question is, what emerging digital trends present the most pressing opportunities but also challenges in updating the WSIS framework for the next decade or decades.
And we will start with you, Baroness Jones.
>> MAGGIE JONES: Thank you. And I think we can all agree that the digital landscape is becoming increasingly complex, and it's increasingly difficult for public policymakers and other stakeholders to navigate that new world, which is why I think WSIS is playing I think or will play an increasingly important role in the future, providing a joined-up framework to allow some of the discussions we have already been having to continue in an effective way.
I would say that we need to avoid duplication and genuinely ensure that stakeholders from every part of the globe are part of that ongoing discussion in the future.
The UK wants to see WSIS+20, the WSIS+20 review being future focused, recognizing the future challenges.
In connecting the unconnected, we need to use that as an opportunity to bring forward new investment, which can help some of our developing nations have the full opportunities that many of us have.
And that means looking at affordability. It means looking at innovative solutions, such as community networks, and encouraging digital content in local languages.
The gender divide remains a huge challenge for us. Globally, there were 244 million more men than women using the Internet in 2023. So, we would like to see a strengthen role for UNWomen and for us to work with them to address those issues in the future.
We want to see a more formal role for the UN OHCHR in the WSIS process raising the whole issue of human rights, and the Information Society which is becoming increasingly prominent. And a greater role for UNESCO's work of protecting journalists and tackling the damaging effects of Internet shutdowns.
For example, the UN is proud to have led the Freedom Online Coalition efforts to tackle Internet shutdowns, and I'd like to highlight the FOC's statement on Internet shutdowns during conflict which has been launched today.
Another issue we need to address is the environmental impact of the Information and Communication Technologies and all of the greenhouse, greenhouse gas emissions that that challenge raises. We need global solutions to address that.
So, strengthening partnership through WSIS, we believe will give us an effective platform to tackle those challenges and make sure that everybody benefits. But I think the key message here is we can't be complacent. We have a lot to be proud of, but also we need to challenge ourselves and look genuinely at the new challenges and how WSIS can really, really step up and play an increasing leadership role to make sure that everybody shares in the potential that we have for the future.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Here, here. Thank you so much for that. And I think you mentioned community networks. It's important to highlight the important work that was done in this community on that matter in the Best Forum on Connectivity. So, there's a lot more to do. But we are eager to hear your voice, Minister Tung.
>> KARIANNE TUNG: Thank you, and thank you, Baroness, for the points that you made out. At IGF, the governance of Internet is at its core, but I think we have seen during the last couple of days that there has been several different topics regarding Internet and digitalizations from subsea cables to protecting children and so forth. So I think it's really important that we continue to have this broad perspective, even though the governance of Internet is and should be at the core of the both the WSIS process, but also the IGF.
And I want to point out something about the Action Lines as well, because they are broad. They are tech neutral. I believe that is important, because we don't know what kind of technology that hits us tomorrow. We are now discussing a lot about artificial intelligence. But also quantum, for instance, or other things will come in the future.
So, I think it's important that we have the Action Line actually lined out in a way that we are able to take this continuously new discussions on the inside for one thing.
But I think there are some areas that we could implement also in the perspectives of the Action Line and number one is already one I mentioned, artificial intelligence. It will impact our societies. Very broadly, it is a tool for solving some of the huge societal challenges that we are facing right now. I really believe it is a tool for dividing the digital gap, it is a tool for doing a lot of things.
However, it comes with huge ethical aspects as well. And being able to have this international discussion. A discussion about the ethical implication of the technology, I believe that is one area that we could look further into when it comes to the Action Lines as well.
Another thing, data governance, because data is feeding the artificial intelligence as well, and it is a fundament for artificial intelligence to be a real tool to use in the years to come. So I think we should have a look at data governance more thoroughly when it comes to open data, personal privacy, data sharing and so forth, because also this is a critical discussion. It affects humans.
And last but not least, I also want to raise a personal issue for me, but an issue I know many people, parents, kids are concerned about and that is the Internet-based platforms. They have many positive effects for connecting people, closing the digital divide. But as we discussed also yesterday, the tech companies or the platform, they are powerful. Harmful algorithms, our kids are screaming for help because they are having trouble with sleep, with health issues, body issues and so forth because of these algorithms. So, we have to work together, both the governments, the civil society, but also the tech companies to tackle these challenges that hits our kids. So, that is kind of three examples where I could see we could have discussions in the future also for IGF and the WSIS process.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Minister Tung. And as a parent, I completely relate to that. And if we think about it, social media, algorithms, algorithms are the basis for platforms. Platforms only work with data. And data is only made available through artificial intelligence. And you cannot have that without connectivity. That's why we discuss all these topics here at the IGF and why it's so important to continue this conversation.
Jimson.
>> JIMSON OLUFUYE: Thank you, Jorge. The WSIS Action Lines, they are really still very, very relevant to address any major issues. For that matter, emerging issues like artificial intelligence, data governance, information integrity, digital public infrastructure, digital public goods, et cetera, et cetera. Even many more still emerge. But from a very close and constructive examination, the 11 WSIS Action line cover anything that could come up, at least from my perspective.
If you look at data, which is the king right now, which is foundation, data is addressed under access to information and knowledge, action learners C2. AI itself, which is an application, to be frank, is an application, is addressed on the Action Line C7.
It's also addressed on the ethics C8 and sustained in terms of local content, diversity, linguistic diversity, and so on, so forth.
So, basically, we do really need to make significant changes at all. We just need to contextualize anything that will come up. Cybersecurity is already there in terms of security and trust. And we also need to deepen the discussion, connecting it to the NRIs and ensure that we cover the broad Action Line topics, as I mentioned earlier. In those evolving NRIs. First from the information I got, some people actually talking about, even subnational NRIs, because at the subnational level, there are issues. So, we are encouraging them, okay, discuss all this at a local level because what we are looking at is truly Information Society.
So, we don't really need any new structural changes. Let's sustain what we have. The IGF is brilliant. Let's bring in the Zhao Paoli multistakeholder guidelines. And as such we can tackle any emerging challenges appropriately.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you, Jimson. This is a thought we have heard many times over this year, that WSIS, and especially the action lines have this technological neutrality. Somebody said they are technologically agnostic, and that means that they are open to many of these new developments. But, of course, we need to contextualize them, and what a difficult word, to the new realities, and to adapt the work we do here, but also the UN agencies do.
And this brings me also to a question about the how, the question how the UN agencies and all the stakeholders work together. And the third question, which is what strategic updates must the WSIS+20 review consider within the WSIS architecture, the different component parts of WSIS, including the IGF, of course, to better address these pressing, emerging governance challenges.
And I will start with you, Kurtis.
>> KURTIS LINDQVIST: Thank you. So, WSIS+20 is really a test of whether we still value global coordination over institutional control. And the IGF strength lies in what it enables, the open engagement across stakeholder groups without the pressure to negotiate or formalize the outcomes, as binding declarations.
And that flexibility is really a strength, it's not a weakness. It's precisely what makes the IGF an effective incubator for ideas and a catalyst for cooperation. It provides a space, a real physical protected space for governments, civil society, businesses, and the technical community to confront the shared problems without needing to reach a forced consensus but to engage and share ideas.
And there is growing fragmentation and this IGF's open architecture really remains one of the few global platforms that are capable of holding cooperation together in that dialogue and through that discussion.
But providing the space alone isn't enough. We also, from ICANN, we help create a paper called the IGF We Want that outlines some of the steps what we think that the future IGF could look like. And it must be properly resourced and in the WSIS frameworks and to be strengthened to continue to play this important role as the neutral collaborative forum and supporting this open multistakeholder format.
And as part of that, we also believe that we should strengthen the output, Minister Tung said it this morning. We can have strengthened outputs, we can also potentially use the IGF mandatory report to General Assembly, but it should be more output coming out of the IGF.
As a summary of all the phenomenal, fantastic work that's been going on for over 20 years. And all the successes we have achieved over 20 years and we at ISOC produced a paper called the footprints of 20 years of the IGF, that actually highlights a lot of these successes that has happened as we heard, the IXPs that are growing phenomenally in Africa and a lot of other work that has been discussed here at the IGF.
Strengthening and having the IGF's the multistakeholder model reinforced and properly resource San Diego really the same model that we have been supporting globally including our long standing engagement with the network of the national regional IGFs that I mentioned before, something again I want to reiterate that we shouldn't forget in this. And this is really the model that the IGF reflects, the stakeholder-led coordination built on trust and practical outcomes.
And if we replace this model with something that's more rigid or politicalized, we risk losing one of these few global spaces where we can have this meaningful digital cooperation and it can still happen.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Kurtis. And dialogue is not a back, but a feature of this space, and it should permeate the rest of the WSIS framework, I understand.
But let's go to Fabrizia.
>> FABRIZIA BENINI: When we think about strategic updates, I think we need to think about the changing environment in the last 20 years. What we have seen is that the Internet and the digital services have permeated just about each and every of our actions. Now, there's not an even use of that throughout the world. But the extent to which digital interactions can touch each most intimate part of our lives makes it absolutely important that we safeguard what we already have. We have a multistakeholder model that is difficult. And it is absolutely key not to be complacent, to reinforce it, to revitalize it, to make it really participatory, to shy away very strongly against any temptation of Internet shutdowns, any temptation of fragmentation, and to keep the Internet really as a global open space that is accessible to all.
Now, through the good work of ICANN, we know the architecture is robust. But we must ask ourselves the question, will it be robust facing -- in face of the new technologies. Will the governance model hold? And this is what we did in Brussels. We held a conference on the governance of Web.4, the future, what is not yet here. But what is it that we need to be aware, keeping our foundation multistakeholder model, keeping our governance, but adapting it, protecting it to make sure that it continues to really to serve all.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Fabrizia, for referring to this need to update and to adapt to new challenges, like the Metaverse, this very important conference you organized a couple of months ago, right? So, that is something that definitely has to feed in also at the global level here in the IGF.
And we are getting closer to the end of the panel section. But we still have one question, which is our fourth question. What are the concrete ways WSIS and, indeed, the IGF, can enter integrate the implementation of the Global Digital Compact, and also align with the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda to achieve the governance coherence and, in the end, not leaving anyone behind in making Information Society for all.
And here we will have all of you again taking the floor, starting with you, Minister Tung.
>> KARIANNE TUNG: Thank you. I think it is important that we are building on the fundaments from WSIS because we have seen there is tendency to do parallel processes and we should avoid this also, because it is an issue of capacity to be a part of different processes going on at the same time about the same thing.
I believe that the WSIS should be the lead process for digital cooperation where the GDC can be connected more towards and implemented together with the WSIS process and that means that the things that we already do, the activities that already is being done, like the IGF, the Best Practice Forums, the dynamic coalition, we can continue to do this, be better implemented so that we don't have these parallel processes.
And at the same time doing WSIS and IGF, talking about the governance of Internet, we also have been talking about digital cooperation and the agenda on the IGF meetings and WSIS Forum, they have always covered different topics within the governance of Internet and digital services or from infrastructure to applications and so forth.
So, I think we already hear, see that there are some overlap between the GDC and WSIS, and it's necessary that we are better able to coordinate and integrate these processes that are going on.
I mentioned earlier also that I think it's important that we are able to communicate better the results and the messages that come out from IGF so that we can use, better use it for policymaking and so forth, but also that we use the IGF meetings, the experts, and the expertise, the knowledge and experiences that we got from the IGF common meetings but also the networks from IGF that we can canalize these results better into the UN systems so that we are actually better coordinated as well.
And to do this, I think it's important that we strengthen the IGF. For Norway, it is important that we are able to give IGF a permanent mandate. That is a key priority so that it's more predicable and more complementary on the existing structures that we already have. So permanent mandate is one thing.
The other thing that a permanent or a straight mandate also demands more predictable funding, which has been an issue for several years really. But funding is really important so that we are able to keep up this good work, these good meetings, these good processes for the good of the world for the good of the citizens, that is human based, that is based on human rights that are open, that are free, that are democratic.
So better cooperation, strengthen and permanent mandates is my key takeaways.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much. And better coordination, integration and communication amongst all the pieces of the WSIS architecture. I take that away from your intervention as well.
Now, we have Jimson.
>> JIMSON OLUFUYE: Yeah. Thank you. Actually mentioned earlier that the WSIS is like the parent structure. We must commend our head of states in 2003, 2005 for that agreement and all the people that worked because was really all encompassing. And talking about the link between WSIS, GDC and, of course, IGF and SDG2030, I will underscore again that GDC is an offshoot of WSIS, because we had the working group 2016 and in January we concluded. Although there was no 100% consensus but we had majority agreement and because we did not have 100% consensus, the Secretary General launched the high-level panel on digital cooperation with Belinda is Alibaba as co-chair. And then there are a lot of processes that led to the Summit of the Future.
So, and then Global Digital Compact. Indeed they are interwoven. By the way, as I mentioned cooperation, already operational in CSTD working pretty well.
So the outcome of GDC can easily be intertwined with WSIS because they have the same kind of objectives, so enhance the Sustainable Development Goals. How do we implement this? IGF is a beautiful forum wherein we can always analyze those themes, especially the themes from GDC, we can look at it, map it. There's also some form of mapping. We can still go ahead and map to KPI in terms of what we need to achieve by the 2030. So, we already have the platform. We have the structure, IGF, everybody can come in and bring in what they are doing.
But I will emphasize, as I mentioned earlier, we need to encourage countries to deepen this dialogue with the Sustainable Development Goal offices because we cannot be discussing at the top level and at the grassroots nothing much is happening. So, we encourage our countries to take this dialogue seriously, the WSIS Action line discussion, the GDC objectives, 1 to 5, and, of course, the SDG mapping them and measuring progress.
By so doing, we can really easily see where we are, measure where we are as we approach the year 2030. Thank you.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Jimson, for reminding us that the GDC is part of the WSIS family, and as a good, well-functioning family, we should all communicate with each other.
Now, Baroness Jones.
>> MAGGIE JONES: Thank you. It's understandable, I think, that increasing parts of the UN are beginning to address the challenges of digital technology because it says we have been discussing affecting so many parts of our lives now. But whilst it does that and is quite understandable it does, I think we need to make sure that that doesn't result in fragmentation and duplication. And that's the real challenge that we are dealing with here.
The fact is that WSIS multistakeholder engagement is a very unique in this experience, and I think that's one of our great strengths and we need to make sure that that is the basis on which the work goes forward so that that wonderful partnership that we have been developing can endure.
And we also think that there's a role for the UN interagency coordination through the UN group on the Information Society. Having said that, the Global Digital Compact agreed last year at the UN was a great achievement. And it does give us a good basis to go forward with the WSIS review.
So, we want to now use the review to ensure that the GDC is, perhaps, integrated more into the WSIS processes going forward so that we don't have that duplication that is a concern. And we can promote alignment a lot more easily through the UN System.
We were pleased that in April the UN Commission for Science and Technology for Development supported this approach. And the Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies can play its part in supporting coordination amongst UN partners, making sure that there is that coherence that we can all identify as necessary.
We also think that the review of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda will be a critical milestone in ensuring that the full potential of that Information and Communication Technologies reaches out to all and is part of our sustainable community development.
We believe in all of that, the IGF can play an important role. And giving it a permanent mandate, which is one of our themes this morning, I think is absolutely critical for that.
And we also see going forward that there is a greater role for national and regional IGFs play to make sure that we build on the model that we can prove work. So promoting more community voices, making sure they feed into the ultimate UN process I think is really important.
Those are the sorts of ways we think we can move forward but the key message for us is streamline as much as we can, use the model that we have here, that we think works, but understand that the UN will want to take big global strategic decisions on these issues.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Baroness Jones. No fragmentation, no duplication, but integration.
Kurtis, do you agree?
>> KURTIS LINDQVIST: Yes, absolutely. I think that looking at the GDCs and SDGs, I think the implementation of this begins really with infrastructure layer and the infrastructure begins with the coordination alt ICANN our mission is very technical but our impact is be foundational. It's what enables everything else. We managed unique identifiers that allow the Internet to function as one unified network, that enables everything from e-commerce, to emergency alerts, to digital government services and at scale.
And at ICANN we work very much on contributing to inter-resiliency by coordinating these technical identifiers to ensure that we have a globally interoperational Internet. Beyond that, we work for the Coalition for Digital Africa, something that we initiated, and through this, we are supporting deployment of additional infrastructure in underserved regions, for example, to the root servers. We work on capacity-building efforts to make the Internet more secure and robust. And beyond that, we work a lot of what's called universal acceptance to academia. And we are not just advocating for universal acceptance. Universal acceptance is the availability of the Internet in scripts and languages that are non-Latin based, which is a very important part of making the Internet accessible. And we are working actively on technical readiness work but also building local capacity development and global partnerships refer to this work. And through the coalition of digital Africa we have worked through the association of African universities to advance multilingual access in academia institutions on that continent and help them develop courses and curriculums to further develop this and enhance the awareness and development of universal acceptance initiatives. And this is really important, we believe.
And these are some examples of what meaningful access looks like, so strengthening infrastructure, making it available in local languages and scripts, and here the IGF really has a role to play as the connectivity tissue between these efforts and the global development goals, practical implementations, sorry, the Sustainable Development Goals and practical implementation, and also WSIS Action Lines.
And this work really support both the WSIS Action Lines, the multiple SDGs and they are overlapping, we have the matrix that shows how this ties together. For example, on resilient infrastructure, quality education to multilingual access, reducing inequalities, those are all supported through this work.
And WSIS and the IGF can much better work on integrating this, as we just mentioned, a completely agree with this. By surfacing and scaling these efforts and implementation to raise awarenesses.
And this really means that where he need to elevate the IGF as I said before, we shouldn't bypass it, we should invest in, we should really not try to duplicate and replicate it as the Baroness just said, I completely agree with that. So really protect this work that's ongoing and protecting the single interoperational core from fragmentation, both at a technical level but also on the institutional level as you just talked about.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you, Kurtis. And thank you for highlighting all that very practical work on the ground and relating it to the IGF. And I like that metaphor very much as a connecting tissue, because that also, I think, is a challenge for us to imagine the new ways of cooperation and coordination of collaboration and communication we need to really make it even more efficient, working more effectively to achieve the goals.
Fabrizia, what is your take?
>> FABRIZIA BENINI: So, like other speakers before me, one of our tenets in the strong support that we have for the WSIS process, is that we need to avoid duplication. We need to increase synergies that need to be mutually reinforcing. So, these are very good words but how is it that we go about that?
Well, our approach is to propose a roadmap, roadmap system. We have seen that work has already been done in the past years to map the GDC -- the SDGs and the WSIS Action Lines. We have seen recently the STD busy on that in incorporating the GDC commitments. We think there is room for the Action Line facilitators, together with the relevant bodies in the UN that can contribute meaningfully to set out actionable roadmaps that will track the implementation and the progress starting from the WSIS Action Lines, the SDG goals, and the GDC commitments so that we are able to have a clear understanding of where we are, a clear understanding of what needs to be done, and, therefore, take the action in the appropriate fora to make sure those gaps are filled.
But unless there is clarity as to where we are, we can't coordinate well. So, that would be our proposal.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much for that refreshing intervention, bringing us from principles, which are very, very important, to very actionable proposals and a proposal that resonates a lot with what has been discussed this week in the session we had before with the co-facilitator Ambassador Ekitela from Kenya already mentioned this idea of joint implementation roadmap, of roadmaps based on the Action Lines and integrating the work is something they will definitely consider and put to the discussion of stakeholders and member states. So, that's a really good outcome of this week, for instance, of discussions.
But before we congratulate ourselves, I think now it's the time to enter into interaction with our public. And we can change to the next segment of this session, and we will have two minutes in addition for that.
There are two microphones. Now they are getting highlighted. This is great for somebody so short sighted like myself. Please get on the row if you have any question, any message you want to share with this panel, with the rest of the audience. Please keep it short and sweet, a maximum of two minutes per intervention. And please introduce yourself. And from time to time, I don't know if she might be highlighted as well, our online moderator will look whether we have interventions from the online world.
So, I start with the left, please introduce yourself.
>> PARTICIPANT: Thank you. I will be speaking Spanish.
This has been very things that have been said.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Connect your devices. That would be helpful. I understand Spanish, so I don't have to. And maybe I can help in the translation if somebody doesn't get it. I think we are ready.
>> PARTICIPANT: How nice to be able to speak in my own language, because we are a linguistic diversity with cultural diversity, and in different countries we have talked about this content and the use of technologies. It's not the same, just legislate on technology as about the construction of technology. What we are using is technology which is produced elsewhere under rules. In the past 20 years, lots of discussion have been about how do we regulate something that we do not control because it's not part of our legislation. Taxes, for example, content control. We have tried to focus on that in different ways. Controlling content to avoid abuse, trying to connect everyone and everyone needs to have the last say in these systems. We see that in our countries as well. Technology, particularly after the pandemic, have become increasingly relevant.
How can we preach to those who are already converts? We have to bring them to the table for years. We have said that we are part of the technological community. But they have general science to put it that way. We have to take all of this out of the IGF to other places. When we enter into discussions in parliaments under legislation, for example, on bullying of women, then the focus is completely different than the digital topics. And it's very difficult to regulate the platforms. This is a very relevant discussion and it should be taken to the next level.
So, first thing we have to do is to bring to the table the players who are not us, preach to the converts. It's not relevant. We know this. We can work together. But if we don't bring the others in, advocacy in our own countries, we can't get anywhere. We have to negotiate not among ourselves, but with others so that we can have a common resource.
The international is very important. It's quite clear the development of regulations and policies have to be integrated in that can be used by everyone but it's not used by everyone. We have different political and cultural realities. What we can do at the IGF, hear all the voices, not only our own voices.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you, Eric, for your intervention. (No English translation)
I will switch again to English. Thank you, Eric, for that intervention, which was a bit longer than expected. But we will take some and then hear if the panel has any reactions. I go to my right. Please introduce yourself and please keep it to two minutes.
>> WILLIAM LEE: Thank you very much. William Lee, Australian Government. Obviously, want to thank Norway for its excellent hosting of the IGF and its excellent panel.
You have talked about some really important issues and these are really tough challenges to solve. And I think as governments we are all scratching around looking for the best way to solve them. And I think WSIS is a critical tool towards achieving global action on many of those difficult problems.
I think the value of WSIS+20 will be the opportunity to have an ideas conversation hearing all voices, including those from least developed countries and Small Island Developing States and to translate that to global norms in an action orientated agenda taking forth what works and seeing new partnerships form to close those digital divides.
I know we are starting to see some really positive ideas emerge from Switzerland, from the EU, from ICANN, from ISOC, from Australia and from others. But I wondered if you had any reflections on how we continue to promote a positive ideas conversation and avoid the temptation to simply revert to a conversation over language, which won't deliver us the actions and outcomes that as a global community we need. Thank you.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Will. And thank you for highlighting also the Australian nonpaper which is worthwhile, has a lots of ideas in it, good basis for contributing to the conversation.
Do we have anything online? Please, Eleonora.
>> ELEONORA MAZZUCCHI: Yes, we do. Thank you, Jorge. We have a few questions online. I can start with the first. Musa Maigari from Nigeria: "What strategies can be implemented to enhance the participation of youth and women in the IGF processes?"
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you very much, Eleonora. And I think we can have a first round of reactions from what was said. Anyone of you on the panel? Fabrizia.
>> FABRIZIA BENINI: I would like to answer the first, Eric, the first question, because my Executive Vice President was here at the opening ceremony at the digital public goods and she did address some of those issues.
The union has just adopted an international strategy for digital where we set out a vision of enhanced and increased digital partnerships with various countries of the world. We are very aware that it's not just a question of explaining what we do and saying, oh, would you like to do the same? No, it's not that at all.
We are setting out what we call the EU offer, a set of tools that will allow through very much the use of open source, those partner countries to take them and adapt them to their own internal uses. This is the case on connectivity, on cybersecurity and it will be the case on all the layers of the Internet stack going from identity to decentralized social media. Our objective over the years is to deepen those partnerships and to make sure that we all become in fact, actors, not only consumers and that is an action on which the union is very much focused and, of course, we are happy to share whatever tangible outcomes we will be able to reach at the next IGF.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Fabrizia. Anyone else in the panel? Please keep it short and sweet.
>> MAGGIE JONES: Yeah, I wanted to pick up the issue about women. And one of the points made was about how the Internet increasingly is bullying women and certainly that's been our experience as well in the UK, and we have taken action with the Online Safety Act in the UK and we were very proud of that. But it's only the first step that we are taking. And one of the issues, the public debate in the UK has very much been what are our neighbors doing, what are the other countries doing? It's a much broader debate than perhaps we might think in the confines here. We genuinely want to reach out to develop new global norms about the standards that we can expect in terms of the technology companies. So, it's a much wider and deeper debate, I think, than we might think.
And the other thing is I think we are absolutely right, I think the last point of the talking about empowering women. You know, and that is such a huge challenge for WSIS. We are doing our bit, the UN women's commits are doing their bit. We have got a huge, big challenge to really address these issues, particularly in the Global South. And so I really do genuinely hope that going forward that will be a key priority for WSIS.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much.
Jimson, very shortly.
>> JIMSON OLUFUYE: Yes. Am I audible? Yes. Looking at how to deepen this discussion at the local level and also engage the youths, there's a saying that money answers all things and that is to say they need support. The IGF FA has been doing marvelous work and if you are not yet a member, please be a member. It's an instrument to support the NRI at the local level. We need more support, more input to strengthen the ability to provide some resources to those local activities for capacity building for the next generation, building the next leadership. So, please join us so that we can together meet this expectation. Thank you.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much.
And we will get back to our audience, the lady in green, please.
>> PARTICIPANT: Sylvia, Chief Development Officer of the Worldwide Web Consortium. We work on accessibility, internationalization, privacy, security, and more recently sustainability of the web that has allowed so much growth and development over the last decade.
We would like to raise your interest and attention to the importance of maintenance of the core infrastructure that allows all of this growth to happen. There is a lot of emphasis on innovation and looking into the future. But a lot of those things don't happen that easy if we don't have really good succession planning for all of these technical pioneers that are retiring to play golf and do other things that they like and the connections with the next generation. So, if the next generation comes in, it's important from the technical perspective that they maintain the systems that have allowed all of this growth and they understand what is the innovation that they are bringing in so that they don't break anything that took so long to reach the scale that we have today. And that's important for interoperability.
And then Minister Tung mentioned the importance of investment in funding, and I think it's very important to consider also what are the incentives to shape the landscape, not to only be adopters of technology. So, what incentives Norwegian companies, for example, can have to participate in the development of global open standards for the web and how that brings also diversity and inclusion into this landscape. And that applies to every country. We have a very small number of organizations participating in these processes and it's very important that the engineers around the world do engage. Thank you very much.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you, Sylvia.
Now, Minister Tung, do you want to react for Norway?
>> KARIANNE TUNG: Yes, please. The reason I am into digitalization and technology is because I am into the development of society. I want society to be a place where everyone can succeed, whether you are from the north of Norway, the south of Norway, whether you are rich or poor, whether you are a kid or you are an adult. And I really believe that the technology has to reflect the values that we want to build our society on. So, to be able to think about gender equivalence, social rights, women in tech, we have to bring this perspective and these values into the infrastructure, whether we are talking about education as an infrastructure, whether we are talking about the Internet as an infrastructure.
For me, that is the value that I bring to the table when I want to be the most digitalized country in the world, because I really believe it is about how we develop our society and what kind of fundaments we build this society on. Human rights, openness, transparency, democracy, everything has to be a part of the infrastructure. And the youth has a really important voice in that matter as well and that's why I specifically addressed the youth when I opened day 0 here at this hall on Monday, because we have to involve every perspective in the technology.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Karianne.
Any other quick reaction? Otherwise, thank you for your patience, the gentleman to my right, please introduce yourself.
>> QUSAI AL SHATTI: Qusai Al Shatti from Kuwait. First, I want to congratulate Norway on a successful IGF and for this wonderful, engaging, positive past days we spent here so all the thanks of the Government of Norway for hosting us.
We were part of the WSIS and the IGF since its inceptions more than 20 years ago, and we enjoyed wonderful successful years that we have achieved a lot, whether on the WSIS Action lines or on the IGF. And it is normal to see things evolve and to address the future issues and challenges. We saw this reflected in the GDC and we look forward that the WSIS+20 foresee the future for us.
Yet, I do believe that one of the most successful outcomes or the most successful outcome of the WSIS is the IGF. And this nonbinding, nonoutcome oriented platform should continue. And while we are voicing the support of its continuation, we still believe that within the WSIS+20 process, it's still a gray area if the IGF will continue as a platform or not.
While we successfully addressed issues like diversity, bridging digital divide, diversity and the multistakeholder processes, and we were successful on that and as a culture and as a conduct, whether a global, regional, and national.
Yet the IGF, which allows us as stakeholders to speak and talk and engage in policy dialogue and equal footing on all issues, and it serves us well. We believe that it is still a gray area but for its continuation or not. And we are concerned if this platform did not continue.
Therefore, we want to believe or we want to have kind of assurances that such platform will continue or what to do from here until a decision has been taken to support it. Thank you.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much. And I think many of us agree on those points and there's opportunity to engage with the co-facilitators with the process. Please do so. The more, the better.
I will turn to Eleonora, and please speak a bit loudly to the microphone so that everybody can hear you.
>> ELEONORA MAZZUCCHI: Sure, okay. I will trial to project. We have another question from Segun Omolosho. As we approach WSIS+20 how can we assure that multistakeholder inputs at IGF and other platforms are effectively integrated into WSIS follow-up mechanisms, especially at the national level?
>> JORGE CANCIO: Maybe that's the million-dollar question or the billion-dollar question which many of us have been thinking about. But I don't know if any of you has another very concrete and specific proposal.
>> JIMSON OLUFUYE: This is Jimson speaking. That's a very good question, how to ensure that multistakeholder model take effectively at the national level. I think, just to appeal to leadership, basically, because we need champions. You can imagine the private sector that I led in 2012 to kind of cover the gap in Africa. So, we need our leadership, regulators, stakeholders to take up the banner and engage with the São Paulo multistakeholder guidelines so you can ensure all relevant stakeholders are brought in for engagement. This is to our own good, to arrive at the Information Society we want, with the prosperity of everybody so that nobody is left behind.
So, I will really make this appeal to all our leadership, governments, parliamentarians here, please make a case to ensure that all relevant stakeholders are brought in so we can have useful dialogue for the benefit of our society.
>> JORGE CANCIO: That's quite clear. Kurtis and then Baroness Jones.
>> KURTIS LINDQVIST: I think it is a phenomenal question. Summarized this, that this is the billion-dollar question, right. And I think one thing that worries me is that we thought here about how successful this model has been and what worries me is to be so successful we start taking it for granted and I think that is the greatest worry. We can't take this for granted. This is something, the multistakeholder model we have to defend and highlight the benefits, the value, the phenomenal inclusivity it brings every single day. I mean, at a national level we all need to engage with governments, I've got two on the panel so you are engaged. But there's many other countries. And we need to do this every single day. This engagement need to go on to show the value we create to this model because only that way we will protect it. And that's I think is a very, very good question and I'm very glad it was asked because I think this was something we can't afford to start taking the current permissionless, innovationless model of the Internet that has enabled all these other topics we are discussing here, the Internet principles are what's enabled all these discussions and sometimes I think we forget that.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you, Kurtis.
Baroness.
>> MAGGIE JONES: Firstly, I would say I'm very pleased that so many UK representatives are here, and we have played a part in -- a number of my colleagues have played a part in the panels contributing to the debate. So, I think the very fact that we are here, we are contributing our views, but also listening and such a process of engagement and we take that back into our own organizations.
So, I think that that development and the wisdom that we have learnt here and will help us develop our own policies in the future. So, that's a very important point for us, that we don't have a static view, it's very much one that's learning as we go along.
The second thing is that we have a very successful IGF conference in the UK, and I think the more we can do events like that local and the regional level, we will always enhance the debate that we need to have. So, it's not a perfect system. But we are trying our best to make sure that we don't just have these debates in isolation, but we take them back to our own organization.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much.
And then shall we go to the gentleman -- I think it was your turn. Well, let's go to the right. I think Raul is pointing to the right, so, let's take the gentleman there. Please introduce yourself and keep it to below two minutes.
>> PARTICIPANT: Thank you, Jorge. My name is Heandwatci, the Association for Internet Providers. Thank you to the panel for a wonderful discussion. In the last few days we had many relevant and high-level debates and we have seen global corporations on this stage and on the other many stages, and we should hear from them as they are usually part of the problems we face, but are not always an active part of the solutions.
On the other side, we still see an undersized role for small and medium enterprises and open-source solutions, so on the topic of updating governance, I would like to hear from the panel about how we can strengthen the voice and participation of small and medium enterprises, as well as open-source solutions in IGF and WSIS, especially from the Global South.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much.
Any immediate reaction to that? Shall we take another one for starters? Kurtis.
>> KURTIS LINDQVIST: I think it's I want to come back to this, it's a very important thing that we just highlighted again because the current Internet and, again, we just discussed here, every day we have hundreds of thousands if not millions of SMEs who exist fully or partly because of the current Internet, the current model and that enabled them to create and innovate and become businesses. And you are absolutely right, we need to make that heard. We need to bring them into these discussions.
It is a bit of a pull and push. We need to get them to engage and understand that I think we have come back to this, that we have started taking this for granted and therefore it's not a threat. It's nothing to care about. But should care about this. It's their livelihood, their business models depends on the outcomes here and these discussions. We need to bring that message out and we need to bring them into this discussion, not necessarily physically, but through the local, regional IGFs to the remote online participation today. There's many ways to engage in these forums and make your voices heard but you are absolutely right, we need to bring those voices in here.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Jimson, you want to intervene?
>> JIMSON OLUFUYE: Yes, very good question. I run an SME, Kontemporary Konsulting, and everything is on the Internet. We are really involved in digitalization, cybersecurity integration, so there's a lot of benefit being involved. And I encourage other SMEs that could be following to be part of the conversation, because there's a tendency for some to say, oh, Jimson is there or these guys are there and be doing it. We need you to be part of us because the Internet is a great resource for productivity, for creating new opportunity, for employment and bringing in new innovation. So it is in our interest to support it.
And another way is through association and that's why we formed the Africa City Alliance, encouraging the associations across Africa to be part of it, bringing your views, companies bringing your views so we can collate and present it together.
For example, in Nigeria, talking about startup law, there is a startup law encouraging new business. There's funding for AI project. So, all these are true conversations we normally have. So, bring in your ideas so we can enrich the ecosystem, the opportunity is there for us.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much. Minister.
>> KARIANNE TUNG: Thank you. Just a short comment from me, because I think it's really important that we do have the different stakeholders here while we are debating topics that regards them. It's crucial for the legitimacy of IGF as well, and I think it's also a responsibility that I, we have as government to make sure that we are able to include the different stakeholders from our countries to be part of IGF, either physically or digitally.
It was from Norway's side, it was prioritized to work with our different embassies around the world to be able to mobilize participants from different countries to come to IGF in Norway this year and especially it was participation from Global South and I think Global South are highly participating in this year's IGF but it could have been better. I think we have to agree on that as well.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Minister Tung.
It's always a challenge to reach those participants, be it civil society, but also business with less resources or technical community, of course, or academia.
Let's turn to the gentleman there.
>> RAUL ECHEBERRIA: Good morning. Thank you very much for the opportunity. My name is Raul Echeberria. I'm the Executive Director of Latin American Internet Association and also MAG member this year.
I have heard all the comments and I think that I share almost everything that has been said here with regard to the role of WSIS and IGF and the implementation of GDC, the need for improvement and the need for renewal of IGF, which improvements. So, it seems that we agree on almost everything here.
But the perception is that really it is not so easy and there will be more complications in the negotiations.
So, my first question is, what are the main challenges you foresee in the negotiations from here to December?
Second question is also linked to what Minister Tung has mentioned right now, is that I have the impression that it is just a few governments that are really involved in the discussion from the capitals. I am sure that the missions are many missions involved in the conversations in New York. But when we talk to the governments from the capital, that's most of them are not aware of what is happening and what the negotiation that is going on.
So, what you think, how can we involve other governments in the discussion to have really a decision that reflect the interests of all the world. Thank you.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Raul. And while our panel thinks about a possible reply, I would invite you to really take the opportunity to roll at the microphones, we still have some time for interventions. Please use it. Don't be shy. You see, this is a safe environment. You can intervene. There are answers. It's very interactive, please. Do use that opportunity.
But now, going back to those questions from Raul, which are really straightforward. And I see Minister Tung.
>> KARIANNE TUNG: Yeah. Thank you. I want to give a short reply on the first question, which was about the biggest challenges, because we sound very agree, but we know the times until December will be challenging, and it demands a lot of work from the co-facilitators, from every stakeholder that we get over the finish line in a good way and I hope is we are able to do so in a way of consensus, but the biggest challenge or the worst thing that can happen is more fragmentation, in my opinion. And that is what I fear the most. Thank you.
>> JORGE CANCIO: That's really important.
Kurtis.
>> KURTIS LINDQVIST: It's a long way to December, as the Minister just said, a lot of things can happen between now and then. I think there are some very, very careful optimism from these days. I think there is a lot to build on. That doesn't mean there is unanimous consensus, and I think that will be a challenge going forward, to build on what we have and work through that and make sure that all the voices are heard. And I think it's a very promising session this morning with the co-facilitators, they were very open for the dialogue with all the stakeholders and take that input into account. Obviously, at the end of the day in December this will be a nation states negotiation. But I hope that we as technical community and the other multistakeholder groups can actually provide input into this help to form a constructive consensus before them to showcase why that is important and not just have the necessarily multilateral voices and concerns led, but much wider consensus and that will hopefully at the end bring us to what we just talked about this morning.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Kurtis.
I see Jimson.
>> JIMSON OLUFUYE: The major challenge I see, even though the co-facilitators, they have demonstrated their resolve to involve all stakeholders. But really main challenge I see and which I try to battle every time is to get our national government to be involved, to involve all of us, all the stakeholders in the conversation. It is very important that national government bring in other stakeholders what is your view as a form to negotiate. Because we are not in the room to negotiate. That is a serious challenge that at least really in my alert, look, I responsive, in terms of everyone being involved. So that answers the question. The second question is really challenge, how to get all the government at the national level to be involved at this.
So, we need to encourage them, we need to use this platform to say, okay, let the multistakeholder approach, let it be practicalized at the national level, scope the views of your citizens and let them be part of the delegation, let them be part of the delegation, you know. Private sector, we confront ourselves by and large, and I believe others can get their funding. But voices need to be heard because we are all working together for the progress and prosperity of our nation, using the digital technologies.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you, thank you so much, Jimson.
Baroness.
>> MAGGIE JONES: I would just say that we have spent the last 20 years trying to prove ourselves here, and I think we have got to the point where we have done that. And I think if we can get to the point where we become permanent part of the UN family, if you like, and we don't have to keep proving ourselves, then our voices will more broadly be heard. And I do also think we have a communications challenge because there's so much good things going on here and perhaps we all take responsibility for this, not so good at taking it back to our own governments and our own stakeholders and talking up the sorts of activities that happened here.
But I think if we can get the permanent stages sorted, then we will be a more recognized part of the international framework. And I think that would be really important.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Baroness Jones. And I think, if I may abuse my role as moderator, sometimes the biggest challenge is to imagine that a positive outcome which is more than a zero sum game is possible and to see what are the needed parts that allow all stakeholders worldwide to agree on such an outcome. And I am hopeful that the discussions we had here will be a contribution to imagining that possibility.
But I wonder whether Eleonora, you have any input from online.
>> ELEONORA MAZZUCCHI: Yes, there is one question from Musa from Nigeria. How can the IGF address the challenges posed by artificial intelligence and other disruptive technologies?
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Eleonora. And I will do a last call for, please going to the microphone. This is your last opportunity. Later on, we will be shifting the segment. So please think about it while I see whether our panel has any reaction. Well, actually, the IGF has been discussing AI at least for eight years. I remember in 2017 in Geneva, which we happened to organize, the Swiss government, together with the Swiss IGF, that it was already very prominent and also the effects of the algorithmic systems to the public sphere and to the democratic system. But the floor is yours. Kurtis, you wanted to say something?
>> KURTIS LINDQVIST: Thank you. I think the IGF doesn't -- as you just pointed out, I mean, AI has been allowed to come into the IGF agenda and I think large emerging challenges has been picked up in the past by the IGF. So, I think we already have the forum for this as part of the MAG and the work of the scheduling and the working groups, the open forums, I think that's part of the agenda that's being set already. I think we do pick up a lot of emerging technologies and I think one thing we don't talk, all the open structured scheduling but all the hallway discussions, the phenomenal discussion of ecosystem that goes on around the formal schedule that allows for a dialogue around some of these discussions and topics and really the incubator of ideas and I think the IGF has been very successful at that over the years.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you, Kurtis.
Any other reaction on this question? I see Jimson.
>> MAGGIE JONES: Go ahead.
>> JIMSON OLUFUYE: Thank you. As a matter of fact, the topic of artificial intelligence has been on for quite a long time. It was one of my courses in the '80s in the university. So, but the ramification of it now is very serious and IGF is a beautiful platform wherein we have all these do-gooders, we can also examine the ramifications of artificial intelligence.
One thing that we are taking away here is that a lot the best practices, approaches, the government take in to tackle the negative part, the abuse part and the positive part, encourage it, we get it here and go back to our national and encourage maybe the enactment of a law to ensure that the AI used for good, AI used for the benefits of the society. So, there has to be some form of regulation and that's something coming out of this place.
AI can serve us well, can help us to realize the Sustainable Development Goals faster, but at the same time, it can be used for harm, and that is why it has to be properly regulated and has to be some laws to guide those that are developing all the applications.
So, coming from IGF, we get the policy framework, we get to know about best practices, we take it to our countries, and localize these discussions. So, that is why the IGF platform remains a credible platform to discuss these issues and other emerging issues that we see.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Jimson.
I saw Baroness, then Minister and Fabrizia. Everybody has something to say on this topic.
>> MAGGIE JONES: I was just going to say very briefly that I absolutely agree with the potential of AI and we need to harness it as AI For Good for all nations, but it is a specific challenge for us in terms of safety and security as well. So, we have a very particular role here in just sharing our expertise and sharing good practice because this is a global challenge for us.
But at the end of the day, the approach that was just taken which is that we are tech neutral in the sense, that address all of the tech challenges, I think is the right one, and it will be addressed, I think, as we go on increasingly in our forums just as a matter of course. So I think we have got the right structures to do it. But it is a very specific and unique challenge and a concern for us, for all nations.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you. Minister.
>> KARIANNE TUNG: Thank you. I think it's important that each and every country has good discussion on how they want to use artificial intelligence as a technology, what are the challenges and what are the possibilities in each and every country because it may differ. For instance, Norway is an energy nation so for us to use artificial intelligence in the field of energy is an obvious thing. But together, I think we need to have international guidelines and international discussion about the ethical implication of the technology as well. And the discussion that are going on on artificial intelligence, when it comes to best practices and so forth, I think it's really valuable for every country, whether you want to use it within the healthcare sector or the energy system or within public administration and so forth.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much.
Fabrizia.
>> FABRIZIA BENINI: I think the added value of the IGF, it's its components, who is it made of, what are the voices that you can hear here? And when you have discussions about the artificial intelligence, the technical community will have one take, governments another, the business community another and so forth. And this conversation is extremely useful, but it needs to be passed on to those other institutions, both in the UN family and in national governments that are already working on AI. Because what we want to avoid is duplication. But what we want to increase is synergically approach that is mutually reinforcing. So get the voices, get the problems out, have the opportunity to have that discussion with each and everyone. But make sure that then it becomes actionable in those fora where work is already taking place.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Absolutely. And that brings us back to this idea of the connecting tissue we need to invent, we need to imagine, and then need to implement if we are able to agree on how to do it by December.
I see, is there a gentleman taking the last opportunity to take the mic? Please go ahead.
>> PARTICIPANT: Yes, please. My name is Bastian Mingle, and I work for the Department of Justice Internet lens. This week we have highlighted the advantages of an open and free Internet. We have underlined that we should stick to the working of the Internet based on trust and multistakeholderism.
Working in law enforcement, I am also exposed to the dark sides of the Internet, online hate speech flourishing, materials widely available. Are youth getting addicted to the mobile phones and to the social media platforms? I am glad we are also addressing these issues at the IGF. But what can we do and how can we address these issues to also give our citizens the same protection online as they have in the physical world?
>> JORGE CANCIO: Another very important question. We will take the very last one from Eleonora from online and then we will wrap up this part.
>> ELEONORA MAZZUCCHI: Thank you very much, Jorge. I actually wanted to share a contribution from the online chat and then I will move into the question so you may remember early, Segun asked about how do we ensure multistakeholder inputs are truly integrated into the WSIS follow-up, especially at the national level, and we had a nice discussion with Mark Carvell, formerly of the UK government, longtime friend of the IGF who made the point that the IGF is more than 176 NRIs are going to be vital for bringing those inputs in. So, I just wanted to share that.
And move on to a final question from our remote hub in Benin. It was asked in French but I will translate into English speaking of technological evolution, some regions in Africa are excluded from both the challenges and the benefits. What measures is the IGF taking to promote full inclusion, particularly of countries in the Global South?
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Eleonora. And let's do a final round of reactions to these two last questions. Is there anyone from you? Minister.
>> KARIANNE TUNG: I can start with the first question from the gentleman from the Netherlands, and yesterday I really believe it was a good panel on this stage about protecting children from harmful algorithms. And we also see reports from the Norwegian security police that very young children are being captured by right wing radicals on the different social media platforms and then further on to other platforms.
So, I think we need to do more. We need the governments to do more and better regulation. And I really believe that European Union has done a great deal here when it comes to the Digital Service Act, for instance, which is good. So, regulation is one of the answers.
We need the tech companies to do more. They are not doing enough. So, we need them to do more. And in the end, I think we need more international cooperation on these issues because if we -- I really believe in an open and free Internet. But to be able to have the open and free Internet, we have to have trust in the Internet. And we have to deal with the challenges that also Internet brings to the floor.
So, I believe along these three pillars, government regulation, international cooperation, and that we have the tech companies have to do more themselves to tackle these challenges.
So, I am happy that you raised that question. Thank you.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Minister.
Baroness.
>> MAGGIE JONES: I think we can all identify with the dark side that you talked about and it's a huge challenge for all of us. We are all trying in our own way to deal with this. I mentioned earlier that we have our own piece of legislation, the Online Safety Act, which is attempting to set some standards for how children in particular should be protected online. And I have to say that we have got very good dialogue going with the tech companies to ensure that's being implemented properly.
But for us, we would like to share our experience and also to learn from other nations, so we do begin to set some sort of global norms about what is acceptable to a parent on the Internet so that we don't necessarily all just do it country by country, but form a bit more of an alliance on all of this.
So, that is the way that we would like to approach it. But it's a very good challenge, and as has been said, we absolutely need to address it because otherwise we won't maintain the trust and people won't feel enabled to use the wonderful technology that we have got to its best advantage because they simply won't trust it. So, it's a huge and important challenge for us.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much. Any other inputs to these two last questions? Jimson?
>> JIMSON OLUFUYE: Yeah. Very quickly, there was a report by UNECA underscoring the need for more investment in Internet penetration and 10% increase in Internet penetration will give us about 8.2% increase in GDP per capita and it also shows 10% increase in cybersecurity maturity will enable up to 5.4% increase in GDP per capital. This will underscore the fact that our countries need to prioritize infrastructure connectivity access for more prosperity and for more people to be reached down to the underserved areas.
And then secondly, just to underscore the fact that there has to be cybersecurity maturity for developing countries, the UNECA has come up with a mobile security law that we can adapt even to customize our own local laws and we heard from EU and from UK the efforts they also made online safety so they need to adapt this thing and make it near perfect, the law to guide the serious online activities.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you very much, Jimson. I think it's time to wrap up this session. We will have a last segment of, let's say, interim final messages, because this is an ongoing conversation about the path forward with WSIS+20, with the IGF, and with how we work together. And I would like to start with Fabrizia, if that is okay for you. And then come gently over until Minister Tung to have the last word.
>> FABRIZIA BENINI: Thank you. Well, my first last word and thought is to thank the Norwegian Government for the organization of the IGF.
(Applause)
>> FABRIZIA BENINI: You had very little time to put it together. And the result has been magnificent. The venues are fantastic. And really, the organization has been completely flawless. Thank you.
On the WSIS process, I have already had the opportunity to reiterate our very strong commitment to it, strong commitment to the multistakeholder that needs to be effective, inclusive and actionable. Participation. The IGF itself that needs robust foundations. And a coherence between the different actions that we take in the WSIS with the SDGs that are coming up for review in 2030 and with the GDC. We can work together this path. It might not be completely straightforward sometimes but that's the beauty of having different voices. And I think there is a real benefit in world terms for us to engage in this pioneer, continue this pioneer experiment. Thank you.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Fabrizia.
Jimson.
>> JIMSON OLUFUYE: Yeah. I will also say plus one to the expression of our appreciation to our host for a very splendid IGF 2025. Thank you very much.
While the WSIS has come to stay and we are doing a review and we are expecting that the IGF will be renewed or made permanent and we are also hoping that all the stakeholders, too, will perform their own roles and responsibility. But most importantly, with regard to developing countries, underdeveloped countries, we need to also take it more seriously and deepen the conversation within our nationals, even up to subnational because there's a need for us to catch up, to leapfrog. 90%, 30%, the world about 60%. There's a lot to be done. We need to take all the stakeholders who become the process, adoption, awareness and even utilization of these tools.
And finally, I want to really thank in advance our countries because countries have never failed to host IGF. Thanking all the governments taking it up. And appreciating the leadership roles they are playing in ensuring that IGF is sustained. So, thanking them in advance.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Jimson.
Kurtis.
>> KURTIS LINDQVIST: I also like to thank the host for this successful and fantastic week we have here in Norway. And after this week of contributing, listening and engaging here at the IGF, I think one thing is very clear, and that is we are not simply talking about the future. We are actually shaping the foundation of the future. And the Internet’s greatest strength is its ability to coordinate at this phenomenal global scale without the centralized control, is something that's very rare, it's essential and it's worth protecting.
We at ICANN, we are not regulators but we are stewards. We look after the unique identifiers and the technical components that makes the Internet keep working. The practical stakeholder-driven collaboration that we model is how governance must evolve. And the IGF is really what is governance and coordination happens in practice today. And it must remain open, a global representative space that we have for this digital governance.
We heard some questions and discussions earlier. Let's not underestimate what it takes to make this possible. But we really must give it the support it needs and keep doing what only the IGF can do.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you, Kurtis.
Baroness Jones.
>> MAGGIE JONES: So, I would like to echo all the points that have been made. Thank you so much to our host. It's been a fantastic event. Beautifully organized, as we would expect from the Norwegians, and, yes, I think it's been a very, very successful event. And I would just say that it's really, really important that a very wide group of stakeholders contribute to the WSIS review because we want to demonstrate what we really represent here. And it is a very unique group of people. So, everybody from governments, businesses, civil societies, technical experts and academics, in order for this to continue to play the important role that it does, I think that everybody, the widest group of people need to participate in the review. So, I urge everybody to contribute.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Baroness.
And Minister Tung, you have the final word.
>> KARIANNE TUNG: Thank you. And thank you, everyone, for really kind words about Norway hosting the IGF. I believe it has been a success. But it wouldn't have been without you, all the participants, all the stakeholders. That is really why this is an amazing event where we can sit down and talk to each other instead of about each other. And I really appreciate that.
I think during the last -- or the past 20 years we have shown that you can trust the IGF and multistakeholder model. That's why it's important for Norway and it is Norway's point of view that the IGF should have a strengthened mandate, that it should be permanent, and that we are able to integrate more the different processes that are going on.
So, I really look forward to meet you all at the next IGF, and Norway will be happy to share our experience also with hosting the IGF for whatever country is up next for hosting the IGF. So, thank you very much, everyone, for being here.
>> JORGE CANCIO: Thank you so much, Minister Tung.
And it's really wonderful, and when the expectations are so high, and the expectations were very high for you, for the Norwegians, it's really wonderful that everything is so perfect. But thank you so much.
I don't have too much to recap. I look forward to the summaries that are being prepared by the IGF Secretariat together with the foundation. I think it's also worthwhile looking into the transcript of both this morning's session, which was very rich and engaging with the co-facilitators and with the Under-Secretary-General, and, of course, all the inputs you gave during this very engaging discussion, and the ones we received from the audience, both here and online, I think, are worth looking them over, seeing where are more solutions, more common ground fields, what we have to really address, where we have to still really force our imagination to come to good solutions.
But with this, I would like to thank our panel, give them a warm round of applause.
(Applause)
>> JORGE CANCIO: And also thank our audience.
(Applause)
>> JORGE CANCIO: I think with this, this session is adjourned. Thank you so much.