In some parts of the world, December is a winding down period, during which people prepare for a new year while assessing their achievements of the months before. However, for the Internet governance community, December is part of a busy season, with the celebration of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2024.
Organized under the theme “Building Our Multistakeholder Digital Future,” this year’s IGF will be a unique reminder that all deliberations about the Internet are essentially about people.
We, the Internet Society, believe in the Internet as a force for good and a resource that enriches people’s lives. We’re convinced that people—now and in the years to come—should get access to this powerful tool, but we know that to do so, we need to defend the technical critical properties that allow the Internet to exist and thrive. Otherwise, the Internet we know and love wouldn’t exist.
The IGF is one of the venues where all stakeholders are welcome to participate in shaping the program of its meetings and the activities carried out in between. When all the relevant voices are included in the discussion, the challenges, solutions, and opportunities they identify are resilient, like the Internet. This is the essence of the multistakeholder approach to Internet governance that has enabled a broad range of solutions that benefit people no matter where they are.
We must recognize that this year’s IGF is held at a time when the world faces complex geopolitical challenges and rapid technological transformations. The Internet’s building blocks have served as the foundation for developing technologies—commonly grouped under the “digital transformation” label—that pose new questions and present new challenges. This has triggered the apparent need to think of new mechanisms to tackle them, such as the Global Digital Compact (GDC).
While we agree that the means by which all actors discuss these issues must evolve, we also recognize that the current set of mechanisms—notably the IGF—is well-suited to accommodate these new demands. We advocate for preserving the knowledge and expertise developed by the multistakeholder community since the IGF’s inception, specifically regarding items related to the Internet’s core.
We’re convinced that a clear distinction must be kept between the discussions on how to govern the Internet’s core and the governance of topics related to digital transformation while recognizing that both groups are intertwined. For instance, Internet Impact Assessments are a good vehicle to identify how a law proposal or a business decision can clash with the Internet’s critical properties. Their results can feed multistakeholder processes to identify how to avoid negative impacts on the Internet while achieving any desired outcome.
This is particularly relevant ahead of 2025. Next year, the United Nations will review the implementation of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) outcomes after 20 years of its adoption (WSIS+20). After the challenges faced by non-governmental actors to effectively influence the result of the GDC deliberations, the WSIS+20 review will be a testing moment for the multistakeholder community.
Since the results of these deliberations will shape how the ecosystem debates Internet governance and digital transformation in the near future, all stakeholders must have an opportunity to participate. The NETmundial+10 Outcome Document offers a concise guide on how to leverage this interest.
The Internet is Evolving. And So, Too, Must the Way We Govern It
Let’s get inspired by how the IGF evolved since its initial meeting, where only a few Best Practice Forums and Dynamic Coalitions were part of its activities. In 2024, the IGF doesn’t only provide a collection of annual meetings but a full interannual mechanism that includes a global network of national, regional, and youth IGFs (NRIs) and a wide variety of activities that provide accessible and meaningful spaces for participation.
When a gap is identified, the solution shouldn’t necessarily be a new coordination mechanism. All actors in the ecosystem must identify where and how they can bolster the existing mechanisms to connect two or more governance structures. The Internet Society’s IETF Policymakers and the Youth Ambassador programs are examples of how we bolster connections within the community.
In addition to this, the Internet Society Foundation’s funding program for NRIs proudly supports Internet governance initiatives around the world, where our chapters and members of our community also participate actively.
Reinforcing our connections and building new bridges will maintain Internet governance in evolution without threatening the critical properties that made the Internet successful. We recognize that we may not have all the answers to the challenges ahead, but we want to ask the questions that will boost a plural, inclusive, and meaningful discussion.
We know that’s the best approach because that’s how we work: collaborating with our community. The Internet is for everyone, and everyone should have a voice in the Internet’s future. Join our global community today.
Image © Stijn te Strake on Unsplash