IGF 2024 Opening Ceremony

Summary

The opening session of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia focused on shaping a multi-stakeholder digital future and addressing global digital challenges. Speakers emphasized the importance of bridging digital divides, including gender gaps and disparities between developed and developing nations. They highlighted the need for affordable digital infrastructure, digital resilience, and inclusive governance mechanisms.

The adoption of the Global Digital Compact was noted as a significant milestone, recognizing the IGF as a primary platform for discussing internet governance issues. Speakers stressed the importance of ethical AI development and governance, calling for transparency, fairness, and accountability in AI systems. The potential of digital technologies to accelerate human progress was acknowledged, alongside the need for guardrails and collaborative governance approaches.

Several initiatives were announced, including Saudi Arabia’s efforts to build AI training infrastructure and UNESCO’s new Internet Universality Indicators and Guidelines for AI use in the judiciary. Speakers called for increased investment in fundamental research on network information theory and AI. The role of the multi-stakeholder model in driving internet governance progress was repeatedly emphasized.

Participants highlighted the need to address challenges such as cybersecurity threats, online hate speech, and the potential misuse of AI. They stressed the importance of protecting human rights in the digital space and ensuring that technology serves humanity. The discussion underscored the critical role of international cooperation and capacity building in achieving an inclusive, secure, and equitable digital future for all.

Keypoints

Major discussion points:

– The importance of inclusive, ethical and responsible development of digital technologies and AI to benefit all of humanity

– The need to address digital divides, including gender gaps and disparities between developed and developing countries

– The role of multi-stakeholder collaboration and governance in shaping the future of the internet and digital technologies

– The potential of digital technologies and AI to drive economic growth, innovation and sustainable development

– The importance of protecting human rights, privacy and security in the digital realm

Overall purpose:

The overall purpose of this discussion was to open the 2024 Internet Governance Forum and set the agenda for addressing key challenges and opportunities in global internet governance and the development of digital technologies. Speakers aimed to highlight the need for collaborative, inclusive approaches to shape a digital future that benefits all.

Overall tone:

The tone was largely optimistic and forward-looking, with speakers emphasizing the transformative potential of digital technologies while also acknowledging challenges that need to be addressed. There was a sense of urgency about the need to act now to shape the future of the internet and AI in positive ways. The tone remained consistent throughout, with different speakers reinforcing similar themes about collaboration, inclusion and responsible development of technology.

Speakers

– Announcer: Event host/moderator

– Li Junhua: Undersecretary General of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

– António Guterres: UN Secretary General

– Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha: Minister of Communications and Information Technology of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

– Doreen Bogdan-Martin: Secretary General at International Telecommunication Union

– Krzysztof Gawkowski: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs of the Republic of Poland

– Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni: Minister of Digital Transition

– Torgeir Micaelsen: State Secretary of the Ministry of Digitalization and Public Governance at the Government of Norway

– Kurtis Lindqvist: CEO of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers

– Tawfik Jelassi: Assistant Director General at United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

– Ke Gong: President of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations

– Palwasha Mohammed Zai Khan: Senator at the Senate of Pakistan

– Ivana Bartoletti: Global Chief Privacy and AI Governance Officer at Wipro

Additional speakers:

– Sarah: Character in the introductory narrative

– Father: Character in the introductory narrative

The opening session of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, convened high-level speakers from various sectors to discuss critical issues in internet governance and digital development, focusing on shaping a multi-stakeholder digital future and addressing global digital challenges.

Digital Inclusion and Bridging Divides

A central theme was the urgent need to address digital divides, including gender gaps and disparities between developed and developing nations. Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology of Saudi Arabia, emphasised closing digital, gender, and AI divides. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary General at the International Telecommunication Union, highlighted that a third of humanity remains offline, calling for targeted interventions and investment in affordable digital infrastructure and services. Ivana Bartoletti, Global Chief Privacy and AI Governance Officer at Wipro, stressed the unacceptability of the digital gender gap.

AI Governance and Ethics

The governance and ethical development of artificial intelligence (AI) emerged as a crucial topic. Alswaha called for an AI governance model addressing compute, data, and algorithmic divides. António Guterres, UN Secretary General, introduced the Global Digital Compact as a blueprint for humanity’s digital future, emphasizing that “Digital technology must serve humanity, not the other way around.” Tawfik Jelassi from UNESCO reported on the development of guidelines for the ethical use of AI in the judiciary. Bartoletti emphasized the importance of AI governance for ensuring fair, transparent, and accountable systems, also mentioning the European AI Act and Wipro’s participation in the European AI Pact.

Multi-stakeholder Approach to Internet Governance

The importance of a multi-stakeholder approach was a recurring theme. Guterres recognised the IGF as the primary multi-stakeholder platform for internet governance issues. Kurtis Lindqvist, CEO of ICANN, affirmed the proven success of the multi-stakeholder model. Torgeir Micaelsen, State Secretary of Norway’s Ministry of Digitalization and Public Governance, viewed the IGF as an opportunity to shape an inclusive digital future and announced Norway as the host for the next IGF.

Digital Transformation and Economic Development

Speakers highlighted the significant role of the digital economy in global development. Alswaha noted that the digital economy represents 15% of the global economy and highlighted Saudi Arabia’s efforts to build AI training infrastructure. Palwasha Mohammed Zai Khan, Senator at the Senate of Pakistan, reported on Pakistan’s strides towards digital transformation. Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni, Minister of Digital Transition, discussed how digital technologies are reshaping governance and service delivery, mentioning the Manhattan Declaration on inclusive global scientific understanding of artificial intelligence.

Cybersecurity and Digital Resilience

The importance of cybersecurity and digital resilience was emphasised by several speakers. Li Junhua, Undersecretary General of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, highlighted the need to address challenges posed by sophisticated cyberattacks. Krzysztof Gawkowski, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs of Poland, prioritised ensuring the relevance of cybersecurity systems. Ke Gong, President of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations, pointed out the responsibility of engineers in designing resilient systems against cyber threats.

Key Initiatives and Future Actions

Several initiatives were announced during the session. UNESCO reported on new Internet Universality Indicators and Guidelines for AI use in the judiciary. Bogdan-Martin mentioned the Partner to Connect Digital Coalition and its targets. Speakers called for increased investment in fundamental research on network information theory and AI. The upcoming WSIS Plus 20 review in 2025 was highlighted as a significant milestone.

The discussion also touched on challenges such as online hate speech, the potential misuse of AI, and the threats posed by deep fakes. Protecting human rights in the digital space was a recurring concern, with speakers stressing the importance of ensuring that technology serves humanity while balancing innovation with privacy concerns.

Conclusion

The opening session of IGF 2024 set a comprehensive agenda for addressing key challenges and opportunities in global internet governance and digital technology development. While there was broad consensus on major issues such as digital inclusion, AI governance, and the multi-stakeholder approach, speakers offered varying perspectives on specific strategies and focus areas. The discussion underscored the critical role of international cooperation and capacity building in achieving an inclusive, secure, and equitable digital future for all. As the forum progresses, the focus will be on translating these high-level discussions into concrete actions and policies to bridge digital divides, ensure ethical AI development, and promote a resilient and inclusive digital ecosystem.

Intro: Sarah. Father, look at the bright star. That star is Suhail, my dear. It has always guided us to rain and good fortune. I want to touch it, Father. Can I? You won’t reach it alone. I’ll help you. That is the vision of the land with the power of its nation. Was that a vision, Father? No, my child. That is reality. A reality to a connected future where we build bridges with the world. And now I’m handing the light over to you. Welcome to Saudi Arabia.

Announcer: Please welcome to the stage Mr. Lijian Hua, Undersecretary General of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

Li Junhua: His Excellency, Mr. Abdullah Alswaha, Minister of Communication and Information Technology of the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Distinguished Ministers, Excellencies, distinguished participants, I have the honor to invite the UN Secretary General, Mr. António Guterres, to deliver his video message.

António Guterres: Excellencies, I am pleased to greet the Internet Governance Forum and thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting this gathering. I also thank my Internet Governance Leadership Panel for their extraordinary work throughout their mandate. Dear friends, Digital technology has fundamentally reshaped our world and holds enormous potential to accelerate human progress. But unlocking this potential for all people requires guardrails and a collaborative approach to governance. In September, world leaders reached a critical milestone, the adoption of the Global Digital Compact. The Compact is the blueprint for humanity’s digital future. It’s the first comprehensive framework of its kind, based on a simple but important principle. Digital technology must serve humanity, not the other way around. And the Compact breaks new ground in three ways. First, it expands the vision of the World Summit on Information Society to not only bridge the digital divide but recognize technology as a global public good. Second, it aims to address rapidly emerging challenges that have been missing from the global digital debate, from combating hate speech and protecting vulnerable populations online to ensuring that data benefits societies instead of contributing to further concentration of economic power. And third, the Compact includes the first true universal agreement on the international governance of artificial intelligence. It commits governments to establishing an independent international scientific panel on AI and initiating a global dialogue on its governance within the United Nations. It brings all countries to the AI table and it supports efforts to build AI capacity in developing countries. Dear friends, the Global Digital Compact also recognizes the Internet Governance Forum as the primary multi-stakeholder platform for discussing Internet governance issues. As the World implements the Compact, the work and voice of your Forum will be critical. Together, let’s keep building an open, free and safe Internet for all people. And I thank you.

Li Junhua: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Secretary General. Let me echo the Secretary General’s appreciation to the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its warm hospitalities in welcoming all of us and hosting this important event. The world today faces unprecedented challenges. Effective digital governance plays an important role in navigating this complex landscape. Digital technology has proven its power. It impacts us individually and as a society, affecting our economies and reshaping our future. It is critically important to ensure that the digital technologies work for the people not against them. Ladies and gentlemen, this year’s Internet Governance Forum marks the eve of the pivotal moment for global digital governance. In 2025, the United Nations General Assembly will conduct a 20-year review of the outcomes of the World Summit on Information Society. The 20-year review will provide an opportunity to align the WSIS principles and outcomes with the broader dialogue and commitments on digital governance and sustainable development, including the recently adopted Global Digital Compact. The WSIS review will also consider extending the IGF’s mandate. The IGF has now expanded from a single event to encompass 174 national or regional and youth forums. Through the community-driven platforms, the IGF tackles the key issues like cybersecurity, environmental sustainability, AI governance, human rights, gender equality, and digital infrastructure resilience, informing decision-makers worldwide. Since 2006, over 320 prominent individuals have served the IGF through its multi-stakeholder advisory group. This group has been a crucial conduit of community input, translating the will of the people into tangible preparations and outcomes. Likewise, the leadership panel in the last two years has made the IGF a stronger and more inclusive organization. land ever, ensuring our values and missions continue to drive impactful dialogue and solutions at the highest level. I’m truly proud of what we have achieved together. Through the IGF, you stand as a guardian of an accessible, affordable, safe, and resilient Internet. Together, we are working through the challenges of the rapidly changing digital landscape, such as sophisticated cyberattacks and the swift rise of generative AI, while maintaining the Internet as a force for good. As we prepare for WSIS Plus 20 in 2025, I invite all of you to unite like never before through the IGF platform to advance meaningful change. First, you will continue the efforts that are needed to ensure that IGFs bridge the digital divide by serving both developing and developed countries, building capacity across sectors and boundaries, and fostering cooperation between the global North and global South. Second, I encourage all of you to strengthen local Internet governance by supporting national and regional IGFs as multi-stakeholder forums to address local needs and inspired solutions. Finally, it is crucial that the recommendations and actions emerging from this platform support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the RIAD IGF presents an important historical opportunity to build on past outcomes and create a strategic roadmap for a stronger, more inclusive digital governance ecosystem. As we stand at the crossroads of the digital transformation, our action this week will shape the digital landscape for the generations to come. The challenges we face are formidable, so is our collective potential. Let us seize the moment in RIAD this week. Thank you.

Announcer: And now, it is our pleasure to invite His Excellency, Engineer Abdullah Swaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to the stage.

Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha: I would like to devote my speech on, first of all, making sure, on a multilateral perspective, in a multi-stakeholder fashion, we appreciate the importance of governance and how I would argue it is one of the most fundamental levers for us to innovate together for shaping a better tomorrow. The world is talking today about internet governance, digital governance, AI governance, cyber governance. So what is governance? In very simple terms, governance goes back to the first industrial revolution, the steam engine, out of which there was a component called the governor, which basically controls power and creates balance for steam to make sure that we can benefit humanity for the greater good. But that definition is 563 years off, because it’s actually the heart of the Arab and the Muslim world during the Islamic and Arabic golden age, in which we introduced to the world gears in a system called the sapia, which is an irrigation system by al-Jazari, which basically controlled the flow of water for, once again, power and distribution of resources for the greater benefit of humanity. So why is it very critical? We are today talking about digital divide, but before we talk about that, we must zoom out and talk about the global divide and then zoom in on the way forward, talking about AI divide and the need for a new AI governance model. So let’s talk about the global divide. Globally, we have 8.2 billion population. If you look at the north and the south, 1.3 billion up north and 6.9 billion in the south. But if we look at the distribution of wealth, and let’s use global GDP as a proxy, there’s roughly $110 trillion worth of GDP output in the world. How are we doing? $45 trillion for the global north and $65 trillion for the global south. That does not seem too bad. But where’s the disparity and the divide is that when you look for per capita, it translates into $35,000 per capita up in the north and $10,000 in the south. So for every dollar being made in the global south, in the north, somebody makes $3.5. That doesn’t sound right. And it’s not a surprise that as a result of that, it’s going to take us 134 years to close down the digital divide in gender and the global gender divide. And it’s not a surprise that the global gender divide is costing humanity $7 trillion. And talking about another $7 trillion, global trade barriers today are costing us as much and the cost of inaction in climate change is $6 trillion. Mind you, that’s the size of five to six G20 nations. Let’s talk about the digital world. Are we doing any better? In the north, we have 1.1 billion people connected, 91%. Great job. In the south, we have 2.5 billion people left behind with only 4.4 billion connected. And when we’re talking about 15% of the global economy happens to be the digital economy, $15.5 trillion, how does that fare in terms of per capita execution? Once again, in the global south, it’s $1.4 thousand, and in the global north, it’s $5,000. Yet again, for every single dollar in the south, $3.5 in the north. That doesn’t seem right. And it’s not a surprise that the cost of this divide in the digital world means a third of the world being left behind. We still have $5 million shortage when it comes to the talent in cybersecurity. We have the governor of Sadda here. We have a $3 million shortage in data and AI specialists. And we have still a long way to go in terms of the gender digital divide. And this is why, in collaboration with you, the ITU, UNDESA, the Digital Cooperation Organization, and in Saudi Arabia, leading by example, we have launched initiatives like Connecting from the Skies. And I see the commissioner of CST here of how we partnered with ITU to say connecting the world from terrestrial networks is going to cost humanity half a trillion dollars. We could connect it from the skies in partnership with ITU. The Digital Cooperation Organization. representing 10% of the global population, 800 million, and I see here Dima El Yahya doing a fantastic job leaving no one behind by creating a digital future for all, and Saudi leading by example by jumping from 7% women empowerment to tech to 35% beating the Silicon Valley EU average and even the G20 average. And can I have a big round of applause for all the amazing women that we have here. You are such a role model to all of us. So let’s recap. Within the digital world we’re talking about folks being left behind, but we have to talk about the next chapter, the AI age, how we move from the digital age to the intelligence age. Is it any better? Here we spoke about a digital divide, a skills divide, a governance divide. What’s happening within the AI age? It’s projected over the next five years a billion folks will benefit and harness the benefit of the intelligence age, the AI age. But three new divides we must be able to address today, and they are the compute divide, the data divide, and the algorithmic divide. And why are they so critical? And the reason why they’re so critical because of a fundamental law that all AI models right now are adhering to called the scaling law, which in very simple terms means the more compute you have, the less noisy the model. The more data sets and tokens you have, the less noisy the model, and the more parameters and intelligence nodes and knobs, the less noisy. Think of it as painting a picture. If you have too many crayons, too many colors, and the ability to draw it perfectly, it will be less noisy. And that’s why in partnership and collaboration with you, in today’s IGF and for the next 20 years, we must agree on a governance model that is able to tackle these three challenges, the compute divide, the data divide, and the algorithmic divide. Because the cost is even so large and there’s so much at stake. We’re talking about a gap of compute capacity about 63 gigawatts where only a handful of nations can be able to deliver that. We’re talking about a 10 million shortage between data scientists, cybersecurity professionals, and AI professionals to close down the divide. And we’re talking about 7.5 billion people left behind. And we’re no longer talking about the global north or the global south. We’re talking about, if we’re talking about 8 billion people, 8 out of 10 of you will be left behind. And this is why this is relevant to all of us. And if we did not achieve multilateralism and multistakeholder in the past, we must agree on consensus in this IGF. And we need, once again, to tackle the algorithmic divide, the data divide, and the compute divide. We need an algorithm to make sure that we are helpful, honest, and harmless, to make sure that there is no bias that leaves anyone behind, or an AI or a data scientist that is inserting and hard-coding a guardrail to exclude any of us. We need to make sure that the data is accessible, accurate, and accountable, and no synthetic data that is being modeled to exclude one group versus the other. And what are we doing about that? We’re doing a lot of things in collaboration with you. Sadaia, in partnership with the UNESCO, have launched the iCare Center, how we have aligned with all of the members of the UN to make sure that AI research and ethics delivers on the honest, harmful, or harmless, and helpful AI models and algorithms for the world. How we make sure that the Digital Cooperation Organization have launched the Generative AI Center of Excellence, making sure that we leave no one behind in the global south. And we have a very loud voice. And for closing down the digital and AI gap in skill sets, we’re partnering with the ITU and UNDESA with the equals. When it comes to compute, 63 gigawatts worth of power, a handful of nations, we have a fiduciary duty to make sure that this general-purpose technology leaves no one behind. It has to be scalable. It has to be secure and robust, respecting your sovereignty and serving the world. And it has to be sustainable. It cannot add insult to injury to the $6 trillion cost of ineffective action to climate change. And this is why, in partnership with you and with the global leaders, the kingdom is leveraging its land, capital, captive market, and energy in partnership with global players like Google, Grok, and SambaNova to build one of the largest AI training and inference nodes to service humanity. And we have to move from digital public infrastructure to AI public infrastructure. Because if we take the case study for telemedicine, it’s good enough that we cut waiting times by delivering the largest virtual hospital. And I want to congratulate the Minister of Health for this achievement under the guidance and support of His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman, delivering 50 million virtual consultations, not for the kingdom, for the region. But the next evolution is taking the first full robotics heart transplant to be able to close down the shortage of heart surgeons around the world. And this is why it has to be digital public infrastructure with AI public infrastructure. And is Riyadh the right place to achieve it? History is a great predictor of the future. When the world in 2020 was hit with COVID, this was the capital that drove consensus to $5 trillion stimulus that moved up to $11 trillion to save the global economy. We pledged with the G20 nations $21 billion to accelerate vaccines. And we drove for the first time, not agreement, but a commitment to implementation on the OECD principles of trustworthy AI. And if you’re talking about the past couple of years, the work that we have done with UN DISA, with the UNESCO on ethics, with the DCO, with the Gen AI Center of Excellence, and as a proud member of the global community that signed on the pact of the future, the pact for the future for the global digital compact as an input parameter to the WSIS, to IGF. And this is why it gives me great honor and a pleasure to present to you from Saudi Arabia an initiative, an announcement today that we must deliver an AI model and a governance model that is inclusive, that is innovative, and impactful to close down the new divides. And with that, I would love to invite His Excellency Lee, His Excellency Sharaf, and Dima to make this historic announcement. Thank you so much.

Announcer: Please, in the middle, please. Please welcome on stage Ms. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, the Secretary General at International Telecommunication Union, to the stage.

Doreen Bogdan-Martin: Honorable Ministers, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, Salaam Alaikum. It’s great to be here today in Riyadh. I want to take this opportunity to thank Saudi Arabia for being such incredible hosts. And of course, I want to thank His Excellency, Minister Aswaha, and your team for making us all feel at home. Let me also congratulate Saudi Arabia on their successful bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2034. So, ladies and gentlemen, let me start with the question, where were you in 2005? 2005. Well, Jeneline Marber was farming vanilla beans in Papua New Guinea. She had never sent an email. She had never made a video call, and she’d never used the internet. A couple of years ago, Jeneline received digital skills training from the ITU and from FAO, and today she has a thriving e-commerce business selling her vanilla beans all over the globe. Jeneline’s story is the story of millions of people. It’s the story of digital opportunities, and it’s the vision that we had 20 years ago at the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis. I was there in 2005, and I know many of you in this room were also there. Back then, 1 billion people were connected, and here in Saudi Arabia, it was about 13 percent of the population. Of course, those numbers have changed dramatically over the past 20 years, but, ladies and gentlemen, we have to ask ourselves, how are we measuring progress? Can we accept today that 84 percent of people in high-income countries have access to 5G connectivity, while in low-income countries, it’s just 4 percent? How can we accept that the digital gender gap is actually getting bigger in least-developed countries, and how can we accept that a third of humanity is offline today? Well, for me, I can’t accept that. Here at the IGF in Riyadh, I think we have an incredible opportunity, an unmissable opportunity to strengthen the incredible collective endeavor that we started just two decades ago, and to do this, I think we have to focus on three key areas, and the first is affordability. We have to bring those costs down. Mobile Internet is 14 times more expensive in Africa than it is in Europe. The average, on average, a smartphone can cost up to 40 percent, 40 percent of a monthly income in some countries. We need investment. We really need investment in affordable digital infrastructure and services, and we need that now. That’s what the Partner to Connect Digital Coalition is all about. We have a target to get to 100 billion by 2026. We’re halfway there, and we need you to help us achieve that goal. The second focus area is digital resilience, resilience in infrastructure, resilience in governance mechanisms. This is actually something that was highlighted in the WSIS process in Action Line C2 on secure and reliable infrastructure. Digital infrastructure, including fiber optic and wireless networks, subsea cables, satellite Internet, is fundamental in helping people connect. Even so, challenges continue to escalate. Cyberattacks increase 80 percent year on year. In 2023, over 200 subsea cables were reported as damaged worldwide. And in the face of worsening climate crises, nature and natural disasters are increasingly impacting physical infrastructure. And that’s why we need to address this issue of resilience, and we have to do it through the lens of connectivity, of redundancy, security. And when I say security, I mean physical and cyber, and of course, robustness and quality. With the Global Digital Compact as a key milestone on the journey to the WSIS Plus 20 review next year, I think we have an incredible opportunity to strengthen that foundation to build a more resilient and digital future. And then the third piece, which His Excellency so eloquently described, is digital inclusion. Digital inclusion in all its dimensions, including skilling. We must move from conversation to concrete action. ITU data shows that 68 percent of the world is online, and that means, as I mentioned, a third of humanity is offline. A third of humanity is digitally excluded. Eighty-nine million more men than women are using the Internet in 2024. And in least developed countries, only 35 percent of the population has access to the Internet. Digital inclusion, again, as His Excellency so well described, is an economic imperative. It’s one that requires closing not just one divide, but several digital divides between urban and rural, older and younger populations, with people that have different abilities, gender, economic means, and also educational levels. Beijing Plus 30 review starts next year, and it’s the perfect opportunity to address that digital gender gap and to target interventions to close that gap. Because, ladies and gentlemen, when we work together, we can make real progress. Stories like Gentleman’s remind us of what’s possible. It reminds us of what is at stake. It reminds us of what’s at stake if we fail to preserve that multi-stakeholder foundation on which the Internet we want must be built. Ladies and gentlemen, look around you in this room. Look at the expertise. Look at the experience, and look at the dedication in this room where we have gathered governments, the private sector, academia, civil society, and, of course, the technical community. Think about the theme that the IGF 2024 is addressing. Building this multi-stakeholder governance is how we turn digital dreams like Gentleman’s into a reality. Our shared digital future hangs on the balance, ladies and gentlemen. So, let’s make this IGF count. Thank you very much. Shukran. Jazeera. Thank you.

Announcer: Please welcome on stage, His Excellency, Mr. Krzysztof Gawkowski, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

Krzysztof Gawkowski: Your Royal Highnesses, Your Excellencies, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I feel extremely honoured to participate in the opening of IGF 2024. The IGF 2024 programme focuses on four key areas, each of which is essential to the ensure of the digital space evolves in an inclusive, responsible and sensible way. The Internet has become the bloodstream of the modern economic system, driving growth, levelling the playing field and connecting people around the world. It is a space that enables access to knowledge, communication, innovation, trade and cooperation and helps to solve global changes. On the one hand, the Internet opens the door to new opportunities, giving access to the resources of information that were previously inaccessible to many. On the other hand, it is also a place where previously security and equality changes arise. It is up as how we use the powerful resources. Join a first must focus on ensuring that the Internet reflects the values that are fundamental to us – openness, fairness, respect to human rights and equality. We need to ensure that the digital space is a place where freedom of expression, access to information and privacy are protected and where marginalised groups are not excluded from access to the opportunities offered by the development of technology. The Internet as a tool has great potential, but at the same time means responsible governments that ensure a balance between progress and the protection of fundamental rights. As the digital world develops, we must remember that it is up to us what values will be promoted and what the consensus of our actions in the space will be. We must work together to create an Internet that promotes equal opportunities for development and social justice. It is not just about technology, but also about our shared vision that can shape the digital future in line with the values of the global community. Poland holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union from January to June 2025, we will have a key role in shaping the digital future of Europe and the world. This will be a great responsibility for us, but also a unique opportunity to promote values that the foundation of the European Union – freedom, human rights, democracy and security. We will focus on key areas – cyber security, development of the artificial intelligence, the effective implementation of the digital regulation and the reduction of bureaucracy to support the digital transformation. We want the rights of the Internet users to be protected at all times and their data to be safe. We will strive to effectively implement the digital regulation by supporting initiatives to promote digital education. It is up to us what the future AI will be and how it will serve the society. We have the power to shape how AI will be developed. It is up to us to choose if it is a tool that benefits humanity or an area without rules of the ethical principles. We must ensure that the development of AI takes place with respect to human rights and for the common good. It is important to support initiatives to promote transparency of algorithms and ensure that AI is used in a fair, ethical and friendly way for every person. Cyber security is the foundation of effective digital policy. In the face of growing threats in cyberspace, ensuring their relevance, our system becomes a priority. Cyber security is not just one aspect of digital policy, but its foundation. Without cyber security, it is impossible to safely develop innovation, to run business activities or to provide access to public services online. For this reason, we need strong international cooperation. I am sure that we can achieve these goals only by working together. Next year, we will be extremely important from the point of view of Internet and Entry Digital Space Governance. Together, we will review the 20 years of the World Summit of Information Society and we will develop recommendations and action plans for the coming years. The renewal of the IGF mandate will also be dedicated next year. Finally, I would like to thank you for your attention and congratulate the host country for organizing this important event. I wish all participants a fruitful and rich discussion full of inspiring exchanges of view. I believe today’s meetings will always ask the most difficult questions, to which we will find wise answers. This confirms the importance of dialogue within the IGF, a dialogue that allows us to shape together a digital future based on values that unite us all. Thank you very much.

Announcer: We now invite Her Excellency Ms. Amal El Fallah, the Minister of Digital Transition for her remarks as well.

Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni: Excellency Mr. Abdullah Israd Institute of Communications, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Mr. Liu Junhua, Under-Secretary General of the United Nations. Esteemed participants, ladies and gentlemen, As-salamu alaykum. I feel really honored to participate to the opening of this AGF session. Allow me first to congratulate the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for this amazing hosting of the 19th edition of the Internet Governance Forum, an annual event organized by the United Nations bringing together global experts to discuss and shape international policies and trends in Internet Governance in a collaborative manner involving government, the private sectors, and non-profit organizations. And I seize this occasion to congratulate, once again, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, leadership, and people for hosting the FIFA World Cup 2034. This achievement is a significant addition to the Kingdom’s growing record of milestones achieved in various fields in line with the objective of Vision 2030. Today’s high level session topic is a crucial one as it tackles transparency and explainability in AI, a subject which concerns each one of us and all together. It is to mention that the Kingdom of Morocco is one of the first countries to announce the official implementation of UNESCO’s recommendation on the ethics of artificial intelligence, an implementation which confirms the Kingdom commitment to implementing the provision of this recommendation which aims to benefit from technology and reduce the risks associated with it. Ladies and gentlemen, Morocco is positioning itself today as a leader on the African continent in the field of artificial intelligence. Thanks to the enlightened vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, who called on the importance to be optimally leveraged the enormous development opportunity digital transition provides. Please allow me to recall some important involvement towards AI development at the global level from Moroccan point of view. Last June, for example, we organized a high level forum at the African level that provided the African consensus of Rabat as a call to action for trustworthy AI. Morocco hosts also a category two center under the auspices of UNESCO, the first of its kind in the African continent, and this center is called AI movement that I had the honor to be the president, the executive president, and now I am the honorary president of this center of category two of UNESCO. The same category two of UNESCO, I care, was accredited to Saudi Arabia in parallel and we are collaborating together in AI and ethics since that time. I would also like to recall the report issued by UNESCO last May in Rabat on the extent of Morocco’s readiness to benefit from the opportunities offered by AI. The report recalled that the Kingdom of Morocco has developed its digital ecosystem, particularly regarding communications, access to data, safe use of the Internet, and protection of personal data, which are key elements for addressing the issue of AI. And as we are addressing today AI from an ethical perspective, I must mention that Morocco has been a key player in AI international ecosystem. I recall the Manhattan Declaration on inclusive global scientific understanding of artificial intelligence, which I had the honor to be one of its signatories last September, along with 21 top AI scientists and researchers. A declaration that took place on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. Also Morocco has mentioned about two months ago the national digital strategy called Digital Morocco 2013-30, a strategy which has received the gracious endorsement of His Majesty the King Mohammed VI, may God assist him. This strategy encourages stakeholders to develop high value-added services and offer and based on AI, as it supports companies and startups in the field of AI operating in high value-added sectors. I’m quite sure that this panel will be a fruitful one and I hope that the discussion and exchanges will enable us to foster concrete international collaboration in a way to create a unified approach to AI ethics and regulation. Thank you very much.

Announcer: Please welcome on stage Mr. Torgeir Micaelsen, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Digitalization and Public Governance at the Government of Norway.

Torgeir Micaelsen: Excellencies, members of Parliament, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. First of all, I would like to thank the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting this year’s Internet Governance Forum in this grand venue. When I see how this is accommodated, I’m convinced that IGF 2024 will turn out to be successful. The overarching theme for our deliberations here in Riyadh is building our multi-stakeholder digital future. This is indeed an appropriate and fundamental guiding principle when we together consider how to develop digital solutions and the Internet to the benefit for the global community and for the next generations. The IGF has been a stalwart advocate for an open, accessible and inclusive Internet since the first forum in 2006. The Norwegian government firmly believes that all interest parties shall be involved in the process of governing the Internet, preserving its openness and shaping its future. A close international cooperation and inclusive digital governance is key in order to connect the unconnected and release the full potential of the Internet for everyone. Because the Internet’s impact has never been more significant, it shapes the everyday life of people and businesses all over the world. It stands at the heart of our digital future. Hence, we need to work together to develop and deliver a trustworthy and safe Internet for mankind. Technology development is not without risk, including for our democracies. The current discussions on AI, the too-often practice of Internet shutdowns, as well as domestic and transnational disinformation campaigns are cases in that point. We need to establish frameworks which ensure responsible technological innovations and development, respecting human rights and privacy. Human rights are not only valid in the physical world, they must also be protected in cyberspace. After all, the Internet should be the place where all individuals can exercise their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. Norway remains dedicated to preserving and promoting these rights in the digital realm. Looking ahead, I furthermore emphasize that we all need to take into account sustainability and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals when we transform societies through digitalization. The IGF can facilitate dialogue on the role of digital technologies in addressing broader sustainability challenges. We must make sure that the impact of the Internet and digital technology overall contributes positively to these important goals. Sustainability also remains one of Norway’s main priorities. We will seek innovative solutions to reduce the digital infrastructure’s environmental impact and utilize the same infrastructure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in various sectors of society. Let us all commit to reducing the environmental footprint of our digital endeavors, working towards a greener, more sustainable digital future. The United Nations Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact have been presented by the UN Secretary General and successfully adopted. I notice with satisfaction that the Global Digital Compact recognizes the IGF as a primary multi-stakeholder platform for discussion of Internet government issues. Next year, the VICEs Plus 20 review will be conducted by the UN. This is an opportunity to reflect on the digital era’s achievements, challenges, and evolving needs. It is a moment to re-evaluate and to set new goals for a more inclusive, right-based, and equitable digital future. Beyond VICEs Plus 20, the IGF should remain the primary global arena for the multi-stakeholder dialogue and open, inclusive, and informed discussions on Internet governance challenges and opportunities. The IGF should continue to develop policies and practices that ensure that the Internet remains a force for positive change innovation, and global connectivity. Norway wishes to contribute to further develop the IGF as a vital and inclusive arena for all stakeholders. Next year, the IGF will be convened in Norway. On behalf of the Norwegian government, I wish you all welcome to the IGF that also marks the occasion of the Forum’s 20th anniversary, which is a pivotal moment for shaping and enhancing the multi-stakeholder dialogue for the years to come. Together here in the vibrant city of Riyadh, as well as in my home country next year, we shall strengthen diversity and collaboration through inclusive digital governance, which is crucial for a vibrant and sustainable digital ecosystem. So, let’s shape the future together. Shukran. Thank you for your attention.

Announcer: We now invite Mr. Kurtis Lindqvist, the CEO of the Internet Corporation, for a sign names and numbers.

Kurtis Lindqvist: Honorable Ministers, Excellencies, distinguished participants, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. First of all, I’d like to thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting this year’s IGF, and congratulate our hosts on this very successful Forum. It’s a privilege to join you here in Riyadh at the 2024 Internet Governance Forum. The IGF remains a cornerstone of global dialogue on Internet governance, a platform where governments, civil society, business and the technical community collaborate on an equal footing. Over nearly two decades, this Forum has exemplified the strength of the multi-stakeholder model, helping to shape a resilient and inclusive Internet that benefits billions around the world. I can remain steadfast in its commitment and support to the IGF. As we approach the World Summit of Information Society, the WSIS Plus 20 Review, I’m reminded of my time as a national delegate at the 2005 WSIS in Tunis, a pivotal moment in shaping the Internet we know today. The significance of this moment cannot be overstated. Likewise, the WSIS Plus 20 Review in 2025 has the potential to influence the future of Internet governance and determine the trajectory of the multi-stakeholder model. Now more than ever, we must come together to ensure this model remains central to our efforts. We have already seen in the text of the Global Digital Compact that Member States recognize and express support for the importance of the IGF. The role of the technical community and the multi-stakeholder model. This is a good foundation for next year’s negotiations. The multi-stakeholder model has a proven track record with ample success that many in this room can attest to. During the COVID pandemic, the Internet was a lifeline for billions of people, providing access to education, healthcare, business, connection and so much more. It withstood unprecedented demand without faltering, a testament to decades of collaboration, technical resilience and shared governance. This includes the critical contribution of organizations like the Internet Engineering Task Force, whose work on technical standards has been fundamental to ensuring the Internet’s stability and growth. Beyond the pandemic, the multi-stakeholder model has driven progress across multiple dimensions of Internet governance. Take for example the strides we have made in fostering a multilingual Internet. Through efforts like internationalized domain names and universal acceptance, we have enabled people to access the Internet in their native languages and scripts, furthering inclusivity and broadening access. Looking forward, we must build on our achievements to create a future that is inclusive, equitable and accessible for all. Today, 5.6 billion are connected to the Internet, yet billions remain unconnected. Many who are online still face barriers such as affordability, accessibility and digital literacy. Innovative approaches, collaborative effort and a renewed commitment to inclusivity are required to overcome these obstacles. For the Internet to remain globally connected, secure and resilient, it is essential to include the technical community, including the organizations that safeguard and manage its critical resources components in these conversations. The IGF provides a unique opportunity to address these challenges collectively. It is a space where diverse perspectives come together to shape the Internet’s future. We can use this moment to reaffirm our commitment to the principles that have guided the Internet’s success while evolving to meet the needs of a rapidly changing digital landscape. The Internet’s success is rooted in its global accessibility, seamless interoperability and robust resilience, which is only made possible through open, collaborative governance and a single, globally coordinated system. These principles must be upheld to ensure innovation, security for all users and the continued growth and inclusivity of the Internet. The Internet is one of civilization’s greatest achievements. It connects people, drives innovation and fosters economic growth and social progress. However, its future depends on our collective actions. Let us work together to protect what makes the Internet work, its openness, global interoperability and inclusivity, and ensure that it remains a global public good and a force for innovation, economic growth and social progress. Thank you and I look forward to the important discussions this week.

Announcer: Please welcome on stage Mr. Tawfiq Jilasi, the Assistant Director General at United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO. Mr. Jilasi, the Assistant Director General at United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO.

Tawfik Jelassi: Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, peace be upon you. I would like to start by expressing his mercy. Distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen, it’s a great privilege to address you here this morning at the 2024 edition of the Internet Governance Forum on behalf of the UNESCO Director General, Madame Audrey Azoulay. This event continues to serve as a unique multi-stakeholder platform to foster global dialogue, collaboration in order to shape the digital future that we all want to have. Let me begin by expressing our heartfelt gratitude to the host country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for graciously hosting this event and for the warm welcome. I would like also to acknowledge the tireless efforts of the IGF Secretariat for organizing this important gathering. To answer the call of the day, I would like to invite you to join me in a moment of silence. question of the ITU Secretary General, Doreen Bogdan-Martin. She asked us this morning, where were you in 2005? I can answer her question. Like many in this room, I, too, was in Tunis at the WSIS Summit as a guest speaker coming from academia at the time I was a university professor. Clearly, this year marks a very important moment for global digital governance. The Honorable Minister al-Swaha has very eloquently shared with us the many challenges that the world faces, including the digital divide. But he also talked quite convincingly about the emerging AI divide. Our gathering today, right after the adoption last September in New York of the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact, our event today offers a major milestone for a bold vision for the years to come, a vision shared in the principles that we all share, human rights, openness, accessibility, and inclusivity. We believe that IGF 2024 will facilitate a collaborative implementation of the transformative agenda of the Global Digital Compact. In his opening remarks, the United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, reminded us this morning that technology should serve humanity, not the other way around. UNESCO is honored to contribute to this collective effort with two initiatives that we should launch in this event. The first initiative is the New Generation Internet Universality Indicators of UNESCO. Based on the Romex framework, ROM are standing for a human rights-based approach, O standing for an open internet to all, including through multilingualism online, and also catering to minority groups, including indigenous communities, A referring to accessibility, and M to the multi-stakeholder approach. The Internet Universality Indicators of UNESCO have already been adopted by 40 countries worldwide, and they continue to guide evidence-based policymaking and national digital assessments. The second initiative that we will unveil at this IGF meeting are the UNESCO Guidelines for the Use of AI by the Judiciary. This is grounded in the landmark 2021 recommendation on the ethics of artificial intelligence, a recommendation that is currently being implemented by 60 countries worldwide. To complement these efforts, UNESCO is working closely with a couple of its associated research centers. Minister Al-Falah Segrouchny this morning mentioned the AI Movement Center in Morocco, which is focusing on AI in Africa. The second center is the International Research Center on AI, based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Irkai. And we are working together to develop a repository of ethical AI tools. This initiative is based on the use of open-source capabilities for the public sector, the media, and for judiciary operators, enabling stakeholders to navigate the opportunities and challenges that AI offers in the judiciary system based on the rule of law. It was clearly stated this morning, especially by the minister, that despite collective efforts, many challenges persist, including the one third of the global population that remains today offline. Women and girls, in particular, especially in underserved communities, face unique barriers with only 65% of women connected to the internet. These disparities underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions to bridge the digital divide, which is also a knowledge divide and an education divide. The statistics are equally striking. Although 93% of judicial operators are familiar with AI tools, only 9% of them report having organizational capabilities and guidelines to be trained for the ethical use of AI. To address this gap, UNESCO has been training so far over 8,000 judges, prosecutors, and judicial operators in 140 countries, empowering them to adopt AI in a responsible, ethical way in order to safeguard human rights. Ladies and gentlemen, the digital future we envision, one that is inclusive, sustainable, and human-centered, will not build itself by itself. The IGF stands as a great multi-stakeholder platform to foster collaboration and drive meaningful change. Let’s continue leveraging this unique forum to build an internet of trust, an internet that empowers us all, that bridges divides, and that advances a truly human-centered digital future. Thank you very much, and I wish you all success and success in this important global conference. Thank you.

Announcer: We now invite Mr. Ke Gong, the president of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations. Thank you.

Ke Gong: Global leaders, distinguished colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. It is my profound honor as an engineer and a researcher from China to address this esteemed gathering at the opening session of IGM 2024. The overarched scene of IGM 2024 is building our stakeholders’ digital future, resonates deeply with the mission of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations, in short, WFEO. As the largest engineering organizations globally, encompassing hundreds of national and international professional organizations, WFEO, with its millions of engineers all over the world, is at the forefront of shaping the internet’s future. At WFEO, we recognize that the internet is more than a technological marvel. It is a transformative force for social, economic, and environmental progress. Its potential to bridge the divides connecting people and foster innovation is unparalleled. However, this potential can only be fully realized if the internet remains accessible, secure, and inclusive. As engineers, we bear the responsibility to ensure that the technology we create serves the best interest of the society. This responsibility includes designing resilient systems that safeguard against cyber threats, uphold user privacy, promote digital literacy, and equitably distribute the digital benefits to all people, especially the marginalized communities. In the days ahead, we aim to contribute unique perspective and voices of engineers to policymaking and standard setting processes. particularly on the discussions about digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, and the pivotal role of engineering in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Taking this opportunity, as an academic researcher, I wish to highlight the fundamental importance of basic research in network information theory and intelligence theory. Just as Maxwell’s electromagnetic theory laid the groundwork for electrification, we must acknowledge that many challenges we face today stem deeply from the lack of solid, comprehensive theoretical foundation to explain the ever-evolving Internet and the sophisticated models of artificial intelligence. Therefore, it is imperative to invest more attention, more resources, and more efforts into fundamental research in this domain. All of us know, only with collective efforts, we could better develop and govern the Internet as a global resource that benefits all people and the globe. I would like to leave you with an inspired African proverb. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. Thank you.

Announcer: Please welcome to the stage, Ms. Palwasha Mohammed Zai Khan, Senator at the Senate of Pakistan.

Li Junhua: Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. Honorable parliamentarians, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, assalamu alaikum. I’m deeply honored to express my profound gratitude to the United Nations Internet Governance Forum, IGF, the Interparliamentary Union, and the Shura Council of Saudi Arabia for convening this significant parliamentary track. It seeks to strengthen digital cooperation in our interconnected world. Today, digital transformation is fundamentally reshaping governance, resource allocation, service delivery, and public engagement. This evolution demands effective governance of digital technologies to ensure outcomes that are inclusive, safe, and equitable while acting as a catalyst for human resource mobilization, most importantly in developing countries, and socioeconomic development. Ladies and gentlemen, digitalization also presents profound challenges to the democratic principles and human rights, particularly within governance processes such as elections, public debate, and trust in institutions. It is imperative that we as parliamentarians and leaders move beyond merely sharing these challenges. We must make tangible commitments to address these socioeconomic issues through laws and policies that prioritize inclusivity, accountability, and people-centered outcomes, especially in the face of transnational complexities and governance gaps. Parliamentarians must strengthen the present multilateral mechanisms for governance of digital technologies and similarly extend support to countries that are lacking governance capacity. A whole-of-society approach is essential, one that collaborates with local leaders, companies, and digital innovators to develop vibrant and inclusive digital ecosystems rooted in sustainability, accountability, and rights. Ladies and gentlemen, Pakistan is making significant strides

Palwasha Mohammed Zai Khan: towards embracing the digital era through strategic initiatives and policies under its vision of Digital Pakistan. Our strategic initiatives include the Digital Pakistan Policy 2018, Cyber Security Policy of 2021, the Draft Artificial Intelligence Policy, and the Personal Data Protection Bill. These efforts are complemented by investments in infrastructure, innovation, and frameworks like the Computer Emergency Response Teams to enhance cyber resilience and foster trust in a digital landscape. Through these endeavors, Pakistan is building the foundation of an inclusive, accountable, and sustainable digital future, demonstrating how nations can position themselves as global digital leaders. Ladies and gentlemen, as parliamentarians, our collective commitment must be to collaboration, capacity building, and adherence to international standards. Together, we can bridge global governance gaps and enable an inclusive digital transformation that benefits all of humanity. In the end, allow me to say that there could not have been a more iconic setting for hosting this very important forum, such as the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where the fast march to information technology and development unite with deep traditionalism and the heart of religion. And this creates a beautiful fusion. I also would like to thank the Shura Council especially and the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for allowing us a chance to visit the two holy mosques where I will head after this because of this invitation. Thank you and good luck.

Announcer: We now invite Ms. Ivana Bartoletti, the Global Chief Privacy and AI Governance Officer at Wipro. Global Chief Privacy and AI Governance Officer at Wipro

Ivana Bartoletti: Excellencies, colleagues, honourable members of parliament, ladies and gentlemen, it’s a real honour for me to be here with you today. I think we’ve said it and we’ve heard it many times this morning. We are at a watershed moment in the relationship between humanity and technology. It’s a fantastic moment for us to be in. Over the last few years, we have seen some amazing things that technology has done for us. Incredible. I have the privilege to work for a large company and I have seen how much technology does for us. Think about precision medicine. Think about tools that can help reach people with education, with medicine, with health, in places where they could have not been reached before. And think about tools that can support with personalised education, including those who have learning disabilities. And think about the potential in medicine, as was said earlier, with robotic making operations and supporting our health systems. So the potential is fantastic and we know it. And the fact that we talk about the challenges… ahead is not because we don’t love these technologies, it’s the opposite. It’s because we want them, we care, and we care about them so much that we want them to work for everybody. And this is the most important thing that we are here to deliver. How digital technologies, artificial intelligence, can work and benefit the entire of our humanity. And sometimes over the last few years we’ve also seen some pretty bad things. We’ve seen the Internet, the space that was created for us to be closer, sometimes to have too much fake news, hate speech. I was addressing the European Parliament just a couple of days ago on deep faith, and the danger they could be used for, especially in silencing women and the most vulnerable in our societies. So there are a few things, just three messages that I want to leave you with today. The first one is the digital gender gap. Look, the digital gender gap is not acceptable. Think about artificial intelligence and how that digital gender gap is related to one of the challenges that we are facing in AI, which is fair AI that does not lock people out of essential services, of loans, and of opportunities. Think about bias in artificial intelligence systems that can softwarize and perpetuate and crystallize the society as it is today, whilst we work together to work towards a more brighter future. Bias in AI is very much related to the lack of diversity and gender diversity that we have, and it’s really important that we tackle this, because if we perpetuate the existing world into decision-making around tomorrow, we’re gonna fail. So gender divide is a priority. The second one, privacy. Look, there is no contraposition, no dichotomy between privacy and innovation. I’d like a strong message to come from us here today and say that pitching privacy against innovation is a mistake, and it’s something that we must not do. Companies like mine and the private sector, we can work together in ensuring that privacy-enhancing technology can be leveraged to ensure that we safeguard the dignity of people whilst providing innovation for all. So privacy and innovation can go hand in hand, and we must consider privacy as a fundamental public good that allows anyone to feel safer, happier, and more respected in our digital space. And the third one is the governance of artificial intelligence. Look, we’ve been talking about this for a very long time now. We have the European AI Act in Europe, and Wepro is one of the 150 companies that are part of the European AI Pact. We have regulation, we have guidance, and we’ve seen massive strides, including here what was announced today, which is really, really important. Governance of AI is not nice to have. Fair, transparent AI, accountable, the possibility for people, for individuals to access meaningful information about how their data, their information is processed and used through artificial intelligence. The possibility for people to know that if they’ve been prescribed a medicine, if they had an operation with AI, they need to know where the liability is. All these are fundamentally important things to build that trust in artificial intelligence that we need if we want to innovate and transform for the public good. Transparent, fair, and accountable. The digital compact is a fantastic step because it translates what human rights means in the age of artificial intelligence. But I want to encourage us to go a little bit further and be able to work together, private sector, government, to see how we are going to bring together privacy, security, and AI, to invest in research so we can do that better, to create tools so that even smaller companies can leverage the best when it comes, for example, to privacy-enhancing technologies in AI. This is a fundamental opportunity that we have right now and I do believe, and I do believe, that the time to shape the relationship between humanity and technology is exactly now. I am delighted to be here. I look forward to this week because I think that we all have an opportunity to shape our digital ecosystem so that it brings benefits to everybody and helps towards creating a better world. Thank you.

Agreement Points

Importance of digital inclusion and bridging divides

Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha

Doreen Bogdan-Martin

Ivana Bartoletti

Palwasha Mohammed Zai Khan

Ke Gong

Closing digital, gender, and AI divides is crucial

A third of humanity remains offline, requiring targeted interventions

Digital gender gap is unacceptable and must be addressed

Digitalization presents challenges to democratic principles and human rights

Internet should remain accessible, secure and inclusive

Multiple speakers emphasized the critical need to address various digital divides, including access, gender, and AI capabilities, to ensure equitable development and protect democratic principles.

Need for robust AI governance

Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha

Ivana Bartoletti

António Guterres

Tawfik Jelassi

Need for AI governance model addressing compute, data and algorithmic divides

Governance of AI is essential for fair, transparent and accountable systems

Global Digital Compact provides blueprint for humanity’s digital future

UNESCO developing guidelines for ethical use of AI in judiciary

Speakers agreed on the importance of developing comprehensive AI governance frameworks to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability in AI systems.

Multi-stakeholder approach to internet governance

António Guterres

Kurtis Lindqvist

Torgeir Micaelsen

Tawfik Jelassi

IGF is primary multi-stakeholder platform for internet governance issues

Multi-stakeholder model has proven track record of success

IGF provides opportunity to shape inclusive digital future

Need for collaborative implementation of Global Digital Compact

Speakers emphasized the importance of the multi-stakeholder model in internet governance, highlighting the IGF’s role and the need for collaborative efforts.

Similar Viewpoints

Both speakers highlighted the significant role of the digital economy and the need for resilient digital infrastructure to support its growth and security.

Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha

Doreen Bogdan-Martin

Digital economy represents 15% of global economy

Digital resilience in infrastructure and governance mechanisms is crucial

Both speakers emphasized the responsibility of specific groups (parliamentarians and engineers) in strengthening digital governance and security measures.

Palwasha Mohammed Zai khan

Ke Gong

Parliamentarians must strengthen multilateral mechanisms for digital governance

Engineers responsible for designing resilient systems against cyber threats

Unexpected Consensus

Importance of fundamental research in network and intelligence theory

Ke Gong

Importance of investing in fundamental research on network and intelligence theory

While most speakers focused on policy and governance issues, Ke Gong uniquely emphasized the need for investment in basic research, which could have significant implications for addressing current challenges in internet and AI development.

Overall Assessment

Summary

The main areas of agreement among speakers included the importance of digital inclusion, the need for robust AI governance, and the value of a multi-stakeholder approach to internet governance.

Consensus level

There was a high level of consensus on these key issues, suggesting a shared understanding of the critical challenges and potential solutions in global digital governance. This consensus implies a strong foundation for collaborative efforts in addressing digital divides, developing AI governance frameworks, and strengthening multi-stakeholder processes in internet governance.

Different Viewpoints

Approach to addressing digital divides

Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha

Doreen Bogdan-Martin

Closing digital, gender, and AI divides is crucial

A third of humanity remains offline, requiring targeted interventions

While both speakers emphasize the importance of addressing digital divides, Alswaha focuses on a broader range of divides including AI, while Bogdan-Martin emphasizes the need for targeted interventions to connect the unconnected.

Unexpected Differences

Overall Assessment

summary

The main areas of disagreement revolve around the specific approaches to addressing digital divides and the focus of AI governance.

difference_level

The level of disagreement among the speakers is relatively low. Most speakers agree on the importance of addressing digital divides, ensuring inclusive digital development, and establishing proper AI governance. The differences lie mainly in the specific aspects each speaker chooses to emphasize, rather than fundamental disagreements on the issues at hand. This suggests a generally aligned vision for the future of internet governance and digital development, which could facilitate more effective collaboration and policy-making in these areas.

Partial Agreements

Both speakers agree on the need for AI governance, but Alswaha focuses on addressing specific divides in compute, data, and algorithms, while Bartoletti emphasizes fairness, transparency, and accountability in AI systems.

Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha

Ivana Bartoletti

Need for AI governance model addressing compute, data and algorithmic divides

Governance of AI is essential for fair, transparent and accountable systems

Similar Viewpoints

Both speakers highlighted the significant role of the digital economy and the need for resilient digital infrastructure to support its growth and security.

Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha

Doreen Bogdan-Martin

Digital economy represents 15% of global economy

Digital resilience in infrastructure and governance mechanisms is crucial

Both speakers emphasized the responsibility of specific groups (parliamentarians and engineers) in strengthening digital governance and security measures.

Palwasha Mohammed Zai Khan

Ke Gong

Parliamentarians must strengthen multilateral mechanisms for digital governance

Engineers responsible for designing resilient systems against cyber threats

Key Takeaways

Digital inclusion and bridging divides (digital, gender, AI) is crucial for equitable development

AI governance and ethics are essential to ensure fair, transparent and accountable systems

A multi-stakeholder approach is vital for effective internet governance

Digital transformation has significant potential for economic and social progress

Cybersecurity and digital resilience are critical priorities

Resolutions and Action Items

Implement the Global Digital Compact as a blueprint for humanity’s digital future

Establish an independent international scientific panel on AI

Initiate a global dialogue on AI governance within the United Nations

Renew the IGF mandate in 2025

Conduct the 20-year review of World Summit on Information Society outcomes in 2025

Implement UNESCO’s recommendation on the ethics of artificial intelligence

Develop and implement UNESCO Guidelines for the Use of AI by the Judiciary

Unresolved Issues

Specific strategies to close the digital gender gap

Concrete plans to connect the remaining one-third of humanity that is offline

Detailed frameworks for balancing innovation with privacy protection

Specific measures to address the compute, data and algorithmic divides in AI development

Suggested Compromises

Balancing privacy and innovation through privacy-enhancing technologies

Combining traditional values with technological advancement, as exemplified by Saudi Arabia’s approach

Leveraging both digital public infrastructure and AI public infrastructure to address global challenges

We are today talking about digital divide, but before we talk about that, we must zoom out and talk about the global divide and then zoom in on the way forward, talking about AI divide and the need for a new AI governance model.

speaker

Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha

reason

This comment reframes the discussion from just digital divide to a broader global divide, introducing AI as a new dimension. It’s insightful because it connects different levels of inequality and suggests a more comprehensive approach.

impact

This comment shifted the focus of the discussion from purely digital issues to broader global inequalities and the emerging challenges of AI. It set the stage for a more holistic conversation about technological governance.

We must agree on a governance model that is able to tackle these three challenges, the compute divide, the data divide, and the algorithmic divide.

speaker

Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha

reason

This comment identifies specific aspects of the AI divide, providing a framework for understanding and addressing the challenges. It’s thought-provoking because it breaks down a complex issue into manageable components.

impact

This comment provided a structure for subsequent speakers to address specific aspects of AI governance and inequality. It deepened the level of analysis by introducing concrete areas for policy focus.

Digital technology must serve humanity, not the other way around.

speaker

António Guterres

reason

This succinct statement encapsulates a fundamental principle for technology governance. It’s insightful because it places human needs at the center of technological development.

impact

This comment set a ethical foundation for the discussion, influencing subsequent speakers to consider the human impact of technological advancements.

We need investment. We really need investment in affordable digital infrastructure and services, and we need that now.

speaker

Doreen Bogdan-Martin

reason

This comment highlights the urgent need for practical action beyond policy discussions. It’s thought-provoking because it shifts the focus from theoretical governance to concrete investment needs.

impact

This comment brought a sense of urgency to the discussion and encouraged participants to consider practical steps for implementation of digital initiatives.

There is no contraposition, no dichotomy between privacy and innovation. I’d like a strong message to come from us here today and say that pitching privacy against innovation is a mistake, and it’s something that we must not do.

speaker

Ivana Bartoletti

reason

This comment challenges the common assumption that privacy and innovation are at odds. It’s insightful because it reframes the relationship between these two important aspects of digital development.

impact

This comment introduced a new perspective on the relationship between privacy and innovation, potentially changing how participants view the balance between these two priorities in policy-making.

Overall Assessment

These key comments shaped the discussion by broadening its scope from digital divide to global inequalities and AI governance, introducing specific frameworks for understanding these challenges, emphasizing human-centric approaches, highlighting the need for urgent practical action, and challenging assumptions about the relationship between privacy and innovation. They collectively moved the conversation from general principles to specific areas of focus and action, while maintaining an emphasis on ethical considerations and human impact.

How can we address the compute divide, data divide, and algorithmic divide in AI?

speaker

Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha

explanation

These new divides in the AI age are critical to address to ensure equitable access and benefits from AI technologies globally.

How can we develop an AI governance model that is inclusive, innovative, and impactful?

speaker

Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha

explanation

A new governance model is needed to address the challenges and opportunities presented by AI on a global scale.

How can we bring down the costs of mobile internet and smartphones in developing countries?

speaker

Doreen Bogdan-Martin

explanation

Addressing affordability is crucial for bridging the digital divide and increasing internet access globally.

How can we improve digital infrastructure resilience against cyberattacks, physical damage, and climate impacts?

speaker

Doreen Bogdan-Martin

explanation

Enhancing the resilience of digital infrastructure is essential for maintaining reliable connectivity and services.

How can we effectively implement the Global Digital Compact and strengthen the multi-stakeholder foundation of internet governance?

speaker

Krzysztof Gawkowski

explanation

Implementing the compact and reinforcing multi-stakeholder governance is crucial for shaping a fair and inclusive digital future.

How can we develop and promote privacy-enhancing technologies that support both innovation and privacy protection?

speaker

Ivana Bartoletti

explanation

Balancing innovation with privacy protection is essential for building trust in digital technologies and AI systems.

How can we invest more in fundamental research in network information theory and intelligence theory?

speaker

Ke Gong

explanation

Developing a solid theoretical foundation is crucial for addressing challenges in internet and AI governance.