IGF Intersessional Work Session: DC

Summary

This discussion focused on the role and impact of Dynamic Coalitions within the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), organized into four thematic clusters to showcase their diverse work and collaborative potential. Markus Kummer and Henriette co-moderated the session, emphasizing how Dynamic Coalitions serve as “engines of innovation, dialogue, and community-driven research” that operate as bottom-up, self-organized groups within the IGF ecosystem.

The first cluster addressed core internet values and governance principles, with representatives discussing how foundational internet values like openness, interoperability, and decentralization must evolve to meet current challenges including AI governance and geopolitical tensions. The second cluster focused on safety and security issues, covering cybersecurity, children’s rights in digital environments, Internet of Things governance, and educational resources, with speakers emphasizing the need for coordinated action across stakeholders to address the “gargantuan task” of making the internet safer and more secure.

The third cluster highlighted capacity building efforts, demonstrating how Dynamic Coalitions work to include underrepresented voices in internet governance discussions. Representatives showcased programs supporting persons with disabilities, developing educational curricula for internet governance schools, and bringing journalism and media perspectives to digital policy discussions. The fourth cluster examined emerging technologies and their governance challenges, including work on AI ethics, digital health systems, and youth engagement in governance processes.

Throughout the discussion, participants emphasized several key challenges and opportunities. Many Dynamic Coalitions operate with limited or no funding while producing substantial research outputs, policy recommendations, and practical tools that influence governance beyond the IGF. Speakers called for better documentation and celebration of Dynamic Coalition achievements, improved coordination with the IGF Secretariat, and enhanced visibility of their work. The discussion concluded with recognition that Dynamic Coalitions represent the evolving, community-driven character of the IGF, involving thousands of participants worldwide who contribute to internet governance even when not physically present at IGF meetings.

Keypoints

## Major Discussion Points:

– **Dynamic Coalition Cluster Presentations**: Four thematic clusters were presented showcasing the diverse work of Dynamic Coalitions – Core Internet Values/Governance, Safety and Security (including cybersecurity, children’s rights, IoT, and educational resources), Capacity Building (accessibility, journalism, financial inclusion), and Emerging Technologies (AI, digital health, digital economy, youth engagement)

– **Tangible Outcomes and Impact**: Multiple speakers emphasized that Dynamic Coalitions produce concrete deliverables including policy reports, guidelines, toolkits, and frameworks that influence real-world governance – contrary to criticisms that IGF only produces dialogue without outcomes

– **Resource Constraints and Sustainability**: A recurring theme about the challenges of operating with limited or no funding, relying on voluntary contributions, and the need for sustainable support to maximize the coalitions’ potential impact and coordination

– **Visibility and Documentation Challenges**: Participants highlighted the difficulty in finding and accessing Dynamic Coalition reports on the IGF website, and the need for better celebration and promotion of their successes and influence on global policy

– **Future Role in Multi-stakeholder Governance**: Discussion of how Dynamic Coalitions can strengthen internet governance through value-anchored approaches, reimagined participation models, cross-sector collaboration, and enhanced intersessional work that bridges technical and human rights perspectives

## Overall Purpose:

The discussion aimed to showcase the work and impact of IGF Dynamic Coalitions through a clustered approach, demonstrate their role as “engines of innovation” and “living labs of multi-stakeholder collaboration,” and explore how to strengthen their future contributions to internet governance while addressing operational challenges.

## Overall Tone:

The tone was predominantly positive and collaborative, with speakers celebrating achievements while constructively addressing challenges. There was enthusiasm about the clustering approach and cross-coalition collaboration, mixed with practical concerns about resources and visibility. The discussion maintained an optimistic outlook about the future potential of Dynamic Coalitions, with speakers demonstrating pride in their work while being realistic about constraints and areas for improvement.

Speakers

**Speakers from the provided list:**

– **Muhammad Shabbir** – Dr., Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability

– **Xianhong Hu** – UNESCO (representing Dynamic Coalition on Digital Inclusion)

– **Waqas Naeem** – International Media Support (media development organization working on safety of journalists), affiliated with DC on sustainability of news media and journalism

– **Jutta Croll** – Dynamic Coalition on Children’s Rights in the Digital Environment

– **Amrith Kumar** – Co-chair of Dynamic Teen Coalition (DTC), also representing DC Digital Health, DC Digital Economy, DC Emerging Technologies

– **Wout de Natris van der Borght** – Representing Cluster 2 of Dynamic Coalition on Cybersecurity and Safety, Dynamic Coalition on Children’s Rights and in the Digital Environment, DC Internet of Things, DC Digital, DC Cybersecurity and Safety Coalition, DC Open Educational Resources, Internet Standards Security and Safety Coalition (coordinator)

– **Rajendra Pratap Gupta** – Member of three dynamic coalitions: digital economy, digital health, and environment

– **Pari Esfandiari** – Member of Dynamic Coalition on Core Internet Values, Dynamic Coalition on Internet Universality Indicators, Dynamic Coalition on Interplanetary Internet

– **June Parris** – Rapporteur for the session

– **Reyansh Gupta** – Dynamic Coalition on Gaming for Purpose

– **Laura Becall** – Representing Dynamic Coalition on Schools of Internet Governance, Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability, Dynamic Coalition on the Sustainability of Journalism and News Media

– **Luca Belli** – Professor at LGV Law School, co-chair of Dynamic Coalition on Data and AI Governance and Dynamic Coalition on Community Connectivity (DC3)

– **Markus Kummer** – Co-facilitator of the Dynamic Coalition Coordination Group, co-moderator of the session

– **Anriette Esterhuysen** – Co-moderator of the session

– **Ayden Ferdeline** – Dynamic Coalition on Digital Financial Inclusion

**Additional speakers:**

– **Henriette** – MAG liaison of the Dynamic Coalition to the MAG, co-moderator

– **Roman** – IGF Secretariat support staff (mentioned as providing sustained support to dynamic coalitions)

# Dynamic Coalitions at IGF: Engines of Innovation and Multi-stakeholder Collaboration

## Executive Summary

This session examined the role, impact, and future potential of Dynamic Coalitions within the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), showcasing their work through four thematic clusters and addressing both achievements and operational challenges. Co-moderated by Markus Kummer and Henriette (MAG liaison), the session demonstrated how Dynamic Coalitions serve as “engines of innovation, dialogue, and community-driven research” whilst operating as bottom-up, self-organised groups within the IGF ecosystem.

The discussion featured representatives from over fifteen coalitions presenting their work across diverse areas including accessibility, cybersecurity, children’s rights, artificial intelligence governance, digital health, and community connectivity. Despite being moved from the main plenary hall to a smaller room, participants noted that the more intimate setting actually facilitated better discussion, with interpretation available via Zoom for those needing it.

## Organisational Structure and Clustering Approach

Markus Kummer opened the session by explaining that Dynamic Coalitions have been organised into four thematic clusters to showcase their diversity and enable better collaboration. This clustering approach represents a significant evolution from previous years when coalitions worked more independently. The coordination group provides ongoing support to the IGF Secretariat, with Roman from the IGF Secretariat acknowledged for providing sustained institutional support.

The clustering methodology aimed to move beyond individual coalition presentations towards demonstrating overarching themes and collaborative potential. As Kummer emphasised, Dynamic Coalitions represent “living labs of multi-stakeholder collaboration” that embody the IGF’s core principles through open collaboration, long-term commitment, and deep expertise.

## Cluster One: Core Internet Values and Governance Principles

Pari Esfandiari, representing multiple coalitions including Core Internet Values and Internet Universality Indicators, addressed the fundamental challenge facing internet governance in the current global context. She noted that “we are entering a phase of intensifying geopolitical tension, transformative technological change, and growing distrust in institutions and governance models,” with multi-stakeholderism itself facing pressure from scepticism and performance fatigue.

Esfandiari argued that core internet values serve as anchors during disruption, requiring active updating and application to governance practices. The Internet Universality Indicators work connects global digital norms to local policymaking through measurable approaches, whilst the Interplanetary Internet coalition addresses future connectivity challenges. She emphasised that participation must go beyond tokenism to include ownership and co-creation in governance processes, stating: “We don’t have to reinvent multi-stakeholderism, we just have to re-energise this.”

## Cluster Two: Safety and Security Challenges

Wout de Natris van der Borght presented a comprehensive overview, representing six coalitions focused on cybersecurity, children’s rights, Internet of Things governance, and educational resources. He characterised internet security as a “gargantuan task” requiring coordinated action across all stakeholders, noting that despite the internet’s benefits, it remains fundamentally insecure.

### Cybersecurity and Standards Implementation

Van der Borght highlighted critical challenges in cybersecurity preparedness, particularly regarding quantum computing threats and internet standards deployment. He posed several urgent questions about workforce training, stakeholder procurement practices, and preparation for quantum computing threats.

He noted that after initial enthusiasm for cybersecurity work at IGF, focus had shifted from practical security implementation towards ethical questions, which in his view had slowed progress on technical solutions. The Internet Standards Security and Safety Coalition works to address skills gaps and promote government leadership in secure procurement practices.

### Children’s Rights and Digital Environments

Jutta Croll, representing the Dynamic Coalition on Children’s Rights in the Digital Environment, highlighted their significant contribution to UN General Comment 25 on children’s rights in digital environments. The coalition works to ensure safer online environments whilst fighting child sexual abuse and empowering youth participation in governance processes.

## Cluster Three: Capacity Building and Inclusion

Laura Becall initially presented the capacity building cluster before Anriette Esterhuysen took over, representing coalitions focused on accessibility, journalism, and financial inclusion. The presentation illustrated the interconnectedness of coalition work by asking: “What good is protecting children’s or teenagers’ rights online if we leave them a digital world without knowing how the space is governed with inaccessible platforms, without safe and digital financial platforms, without independent media and journalism to tell their stories?”

### Accessibility and Disability Rights

Muhammad Shabbir, representing the Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability, described their fellowship programmes and guideline development to ensure meaningful participation of persons with disabilities. Significantly, their accessibility guidelines are being adopted by organisations beyond the IGF, including the Internet Society, demonstrating broader policy impact.

### Schools of Internet Governance and Digital Inclusion

The Schools of Internet Governance coalition addresses the challenge that participating in internet governance is difficult due to technical language and complex institutional dynamics. They develop materials and curricula to empower stakeholder participation in governance discussions.

Ayden Ferdeline highlighted the Digital Financial Inclusion coalition’s work on open, interoperable payment protocols as foundations for inclusive systems. Meanwhile, the journalism coalition addresses the notable absence of media voices in digital policy forums through evidence-based research.

## Cluster Four: Emerging Technologies and Digital Transformation

Amrith Kumar, representing the Dynamic Teen Coalition and multiple technology-focused coalitions, emphasised that teen voices must be represented in digital governance as current stakeholders, not just future ones. After initial technical difficulties getting online, he advocated for referring to “promising technologies” rather than “emerging technologies,” suggesting a more optimistic framing.

### Artificial Intelligence and Digital Health

The coalitions work on ethical governance frameworks and global principles to guide safe and responsible technology use. Digital health initiatives focus on adopting AI, robotics, and other technologies to improve healthcare whilst building trusted systems. Kumar emphasised that emerging technologies require comprehensive governance approaches that consider human rights implications from the outset.

Xianhong Hu, representing UNESCO and the Digital Inclusion coalition, noted their rapid growth and ability to address emerging technologies through multi-stakeholder collaboration, particularly highlighting the need for human rights-centred approaches to quantum technology governance.

## Tangible Outcomes and Real-World Impact

A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the substantial, measurable impact of Dynamic Coalition work beyond the IGF itself. Multiple speakers provided concrete evidence of policy influence:

Luca Belli, representing Data and AI Governance and Community Connectivity coalitions, reported that community connectivity work has led to mainstream recognition and regulation of community networks globally. His coalitions produce comprehensive research reports involving multiple authors and stakeholders.

Rajendra Pratap Gupta, representing digital economy, digital health, and environment coalitions, noted that their work has produced numerous reports covering multiple countries and shaping policies. Jutta Croll’s mention of contributing to UN General Comment 25 on children’s rights represents direct influence on international frameworks.

## Resource Constraints and Operational Challenges

Despite their significant outputs and impact, Dynamic Coalitions face substantial operational challenges. Laura Becall articulated a concern shared by multiple speakers: “Dynamic Coalitions operate without sustainable funding on a voluntary basis, limiting their potential impact.” This resource constraint was identified as the primary barrier to maximising coalition effectiveness.

Luca Belli raised additional operational concerns, noting that organising two IGF meetings within six months creates challenges for meaningful intersessional work. Waqas Naeem sought practical guidance on “modalities and strategies that have been effective in chairing dynamic coalitions, especially regarding resource and capacity constraints.”

The IGF Secretariat also faces resource limitations. Markus Kummer acknowledged that whilst Secretariat support has improved, there are constraints in facilitating broader connections between coalitions and other organisations.

## Visibility and Documentation Challenges

A critical issue identified throughout the discussion was the poor visibility of Dynamic Coalition work and achievements. Luca Belli noted that Dynamic Coalition reports are “literally impossible to find” on the IGF website unless one knows the specific URL, severely limiting their accessibility and impact.

Markus Kummer acknowledged that the IGF is “notoriously bad at celebrating its own successes,” despite the substantial policy influence of Dynamic Coalition work. Several speakers called for better documentation and celebration of Dynamic Coalition successes.

## Floor Discussion and Practical Suggestions

During the floor discussion, several practical suggestions emerged. Reyansh Gupta, representing the Dynamic Coalition on Gaming for Purpose, suggested that “gaming approaches could help quantify and celebrate Dynamic Coalition outcomes whilst engaging broader audiences.” This proposal represents creative thinking about making internet governance work more accessible.

Wout de Natris van der Borght made a particularly striking observation about the relationship between Dynamic Coalitions and the broader IGF: “I think Dynamic Coalitions are more the essence of the IGF than a workshop where people talk and go home and come back and sometimes talk the same thing next year.”

## Meta-Observations on IGF Evolution

Anriette Esterhuysen provided insightful meta-observations about the broader significance of Dynamic Coalitions: “Dynamic coalitions really are, it’s the forum within the IGF that reveals what the IGF has become. And one point that really struck me is that there are hundreds, thousands of people involved in dynamic coalitions. Many of them don’t come to the IGF. And yet they identify strongly with being part of this community.”

This observation reveals how the IGF’s influence extends far beyond annual meetings through sustained, year-round engagement that creates lasting community bonds. It suggests that Dynamic Coalitions may represent the most authentic expression of the IGF’s multi-stakeholder principles.

## Youth Engagement and Continuity

A notable theme was the importance of youth engagement and generational transition in governance processes. Amrith Kumar emphasised that teen voices must be represented as current stakeholders, not just future ones, challenging traditional approaches that treat young people as beneficiaries rather than contributors.

June Parris, serving as rapporteur, concluded with the observation that “work should be passed on to young people to ensure continuity and fresh perspectives in governance processes,” suggesting recognition that sustainable governance requires active engagement across generations.

## Future Directions and Next Steps

Several speakers addressed the need for better integration of Dynamic Coalition work into the main IGF programme. Van der Borght argued that Dynamic Coalitions should organise themselves to integrate work into IGF programmes for greater visibility and influence.

The discussion generated concrete recommendations for immediate action: Dynamic Coalitions should organise themselves in the coming months to prepare a unified message for the new MAG about integrating their work into IGF programmes. Reports should be made more visible and easier to find on the IGF website.

## Conclusion

This session demonstrated that Dynamic Coalitions represent far more than peripheral activities within the IGF ecosystem. They embody the forum’s core principles of multi-stakeholder collaboration whilst producing tangible outcomes that influence global internet governance policies. The clustering approach has successfully moved coalitions beyond working in silos towards addressing overarching themes collaboratively.

The evidence presented shows that Dynamic Coalitions produce research, influence international instruments like UN General Comments, and shape national regulations on issues from community connectivity to children’s rights. This impact occurs despite significant resource constraints and visibility challenges.

The discussion revealed both the successes and limitations of the current model, with clear pathways for improvement. The collaborative spirit and constructive approach to addressing challenges provides a strong foundation for future coordination and joint initiatives among coalitions.

Most significantly, the session demonstrated that Dynamic Coalitions reveal “what the IGF has become” – a global community engaged in sustained, year-round collaboration on internet governance challenges. This evolution from an annual meeting to a continuous community of practice represents an important development in how global governance can operate in the digital age.

Markus Kummer: Good morning. Let me extend a warm welcome to all of you in the room who came at such an early hour. I am Markus Kummer. I’m the co-facilitator of the Dynamic Coalition Coordination Group and I’m happy to co-moderate the session with Henriette, who is the MAG liaison of the Dynamic Coalition to the MAG. Let me first say a few words on the organization. We were originally as a main session supposed to be in the main plenary hall, but due to some misunderstanding we ended up here, which is actually much better. It’s still a big room, but not quite as intimidating as the plenary hall. However, there are downsides that go with it. With the plenary hall you have automatic interpretation and sign language. Here we don’t have that, but thanks to the support of ICANN we now have remote interpretation. So if you want to listen in one of any of the UN languages, you have to tune in to the Zoom link and listen to it. Interpretation is available in Zoom. So if you need interpretation, please link in to the Zoom room. Now back to this session. We have organized it in four clusters. These clusters we used before for organizing webinars and we considered they were highly successful in showing the diversity of the Dynamic Coalition’s view. Maybe a few words on the Dynamic Coalition. They have been with us since the beginning. They are not sort of under the authority of the IGF, so to speak. They are bottom-up, self-organized, and in the session descriptions it says it very nicely. They are engines of innovation, dialogue, and community-driven research, and also living labs of multi-stakeholder collaboration. So let me first ask the speakers here. They represent not only their own Dynamic Coalition, but the number of Dynamic Coalitions they grouped in the same cluster. Let me ask them to introduce themselves and say to which Dynamic Coalition they’re I would like to invite you to speak on behalf of Dynamic Coalition on Core Internet Values. I would like to invite you to speak on behalf of Dynamic Coalition on Core Internet Values. Please, you first, Pari.

Pari Esfandiari: Thank you very much, and hello, everyone. It’s great to be here. I am delighted to speak today on behalf of Dynamic Coalition on Core Internet Values. My name is Pari Sfandiari. I am a member of the Dynamic Coalition on Core Internet Values. I am a member of the Dynamic Coalition on the Internet Universality Indicators as well as the Dynamic Coalition on the

Laura Becall: Interplanetary Internet. Thank you. Hi, hello, everyone. Thank you. I’m representing the Dynamic Coalition on Schools of Internet Governance, the Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability, and the Dynamic Coalition on the Sustainability of Journalism and News Media. I think I didn’t say my name, so I’m Laura, by the way.

Wout de Natris van der Borght: Wout. Thank you, Marcus. My name is Wout van der Boer, and I’m representing Cluster 2 of the Dynamic Coalition on Cybersecurity and Safety. That includes the Dynamic Coalition on Children’s Rights and in the Digital Environment, the D.C. Internet of Things, the D.C. Digital, and, of course, the D.C. Cybersecurity and Safety Coalition. I’m representing the Dynamic Coalition on Open Educational Resources, and my own Dynamic Coalition, which I’m the coordinator, Internet Standards, Security, and Safety Coalition. Thank you.

Anriette Esterhuysen: We will start with having the first two clusters present themselves, and then we open up for discussion, and then Cluster 3 and 4 over to you, Moriette. Thank you, Wout, and thank you, Amrit, for inviting me. Thank you for inviting me to be a part of Cluster 3 and 4. Amrit, I think it was, no? Amrit is online. Amrit is online. Amrit, so sorry, and, in fact, we haven’t welcomed our online participants. Amrit, are you there? Can we hear you? While we wait to get Amrit online, we have people in the room that have been supporting. In fact, maybe it’s worth saying that the Dynamic Coalition Coordinating Group is a very dynamic group, and we have several Dynamic Coalition members who support us, as well as the Secretariat, but, Wout, let’s start with, let’s move on to Cluster 2, Safety and Security. Thank you, Moriette. As I said, my name is Wout van der Bork.

Wout de Natris van der Borght: And I think that the group of GCs that I’ve mentioned in the introduction focus on the topic of security and safety on the internet. And we in this room and in the whole world are confronted on a daily basis with the insecure environment the internet is, despite all the good things that the internet brings. Due to our own behavior on the internet, but also because of insecure environment offered by those who provide services, tools, applications, and devices, that allow us to work and rest and play successfully on the internet. It’s for this reason that we convened our workshop under the title Safety and Security, Learning the Hard Way, Cybersecurity and Safety Lessons for the 21st Century. We looked at the angle not only from our own respective individual DC angles, but also from three more generic angles, current priorities, emerging priorities, and global alignment. We concluded that there’s a gargantuan task ahead of us. If we want our internet to become more safer and more secure, different stakeholders will each have to take their respective roles. And all stakeholders concerned have to stop learning the hard way and not make the same mistake each time a new ICT technology emerges. For the DC main session, we have asked the four involved DCs the following question. How and where does your dynamic coalition’s intersessional work address cybersecurity issues? The DC cried for children’s rights, strive to ensure a safer and more secure online environment for children and youth, for example, by establishing ongoing exchange of experiences between all stakeholders. It strengthens efforts on all levels to fight child sexual abuse of all kind, as well as for the empowerment and participation of children and youth themselves to ensure that the needs of children as users are respected in the development and provision of new services and applications online. Members of the DC are active in the NRIs and other fora beyond the annual IGF on the themes or questions addressed by the DC. Current issues are, for example, child rights, recognition while shaping and developing the metaverse, or the engagement in developments of privacy and anonymity preserving mechanisms of age verification solutions as a precondition for a secure and safer usage of the digital environment. For further information, I can refer you to DC Cried’s annual report of 2024 that is found on the page on the IGF website. The DC Internet of Things has developed a global understanding of good practice principles that aim at developing IoT systems, products, and services taking ethical consideration into account from the outset, both in the development, deployment, and use phases of the life cycle of IoT devices, et cetera. Thus, to find an ethical, sustainable way ahead using IoT helping to create a free, secure, and rights-enabling based environment, a future we want full of safe opportunities to embrace. Today, IoT has evolved from initial implementation to billions of IoT devices that operate seamlessly across physical environments, smart cities, supply chains, critical infrastructure, enabling data-driven decision-making, automation, and new services, while also raising new challenges in privacy, security, and interoperability. This omnipresence in combination with the advance of cybersecurity, upcoming of artificial intelligence, and expectations related to future quantum computing has led to us to believe that IoT can no longer be approached as a topic in isolation. But that the time has come to bring IoT-specific elements in wider discussions about privacy, data protection, cybersecurity, resilience, and internet and artificial intelligence governance. DCI S3C has one goal, to make the internet more secure and safer by advocating the deployment of existing security-related internet standards and ICT best practices by the ICT industry. Through the years, we have published four reports and two toolkits in which we advocate the following. One, all relevant stakeholders have to work together. to close the skills gap between the curriculum tertiary cybersecurity educational facilities offer and the demands made by the industry. IS3C advocates the creation of a cybersecurity hub to make this happen. This includes as well an age gap as a gender gap in cybersecurity. Two, billions of devices, sensors, and machines have come online. This will increase ever more. It is of the utmost importance that A, IoT policy around the globe must become more aligned and B, voluntary adoption of existing security standards is becoming unsustainable for users and society. And C, the goal has to be aimed at buying ICTs secure by design. Three, governments have to lead the way and create policies that allow for procuring ICTs secure by design. And IS3C has provided the tools to A, select the most urgent internet standards to deploy and B, select arguments that convince your boss to deploy or procure secure by design. Four, in our latest report, IS3C presented here at the IGF, IS3C points out that the social economic implications of ICTs are not secure by design before the emergence of quantum computing and provides recommendations how to reach that stage before the so-called quantum day that the first computer actually works. The DCOED, the Open Educational Resources are a vital part of open ecosystems and are recognized as digital public goods. With their open licensing, OER promotes inclusive, equitable access to knowledge and support the sustainable development goals. However, openness must be balanced with robust safeguards to protect digital rights and sound security and the privacy of learners. The UNESCO 2019 recommendation on OER calls on member states to ensure that OER initiatives are accompanied by appropriated policies to protect user data and promote safe digital environments. For teaching and learning, as AI have become embedded in the creation and delivery of OER, the Dubai Declaration on OER recommends the development of trustworthy, transparent AI systems that respect privacy, safeguard educational data and do not contribute to its monetization. This includes promoting ethical AI practices, supporting digitally signed and verifiable OER and ensuring that open content remains accurate and free from misinformation. Crucially, both the recommendation and the declaration urge the active engagement of education learners and communities in the governance of emerging technologies to ensure OER ecosystem remain open, secure and inclusive. To close, if we talk about the future, the IGF is ideally placed to organize intersessional work around these topics. How do we train our workforce and future workforce? How do we make sure that the most important stakeholders start to demand security when? in other ICTs or IoT or other services, paving the way for all minor stakeholders and individuals. What are the steps we need to prepare for? When do we have to take them and who will be held accountable? Personally, I liken this task to the project undertaken around the Millennium Bug, when everybody started to take the same preparations at the same time. They were more or less for nothing because nothing happened, but everybody knew what to do. It was agreed upon. We have to do so again, and the IGF can organize the originating of it. As all stakeholders are present and can form teams that prepare and agree on actions, others will have to undertake the next phase, and they can work together on an equal level. And I think that that is what the IGF makes itself so strong.

Markus Kummer: So thank you. Thank you, Walt, and apologies to Amrit for the hiccup at the beginning, but over to you, and can you kindly introduce yourself? Please, Amrit, you have the floor.

Amrith Kumar: Yeah, I would first like to extend a thank you to the moderators, Andrea and Marcus, for organizing this, and also the colleagues that made the session possible today. I’d also like to extend thank you to the participants, both online and in person, attending the session. So firstly, just to introduce myself, my name is Amrit Kumar, and today I’ll be speaking on behalf of DC Digital Health, as well as DC Digital Economy, DC Emerging Technologies, all these interconnected, interdisciplinary tasks, and finally, DTC, which I’m currently serving as a co-chair at. Would you like me to just go ahead? Yes, please, and the overarching theme of the cluster is how does internet governance and the IGF community respond to rapidly advancing and evolving technologies, and what role do DCs play in this regard? Over to you. Yeah, I think we can first take a look at DC Emerging Technologies, the most recently established DC, in fact, and much of their work resolves around. the overarching theme of these emerging technologies. And I’ve worked closely with Dino who helped start this. And we can look at this in terms of three tracks. So firstly, focusing on the ethical governance frameworks that they’re working on. So ultimately, these emerging technologies working towards developing these global principles to guide safe and responsible use of various emerging technologies such as AI, blockchain, internet of things, digital twins, quantum computing and other technologies. And an aspect of this is also protecting human rights and reducing the risk of these technologies. So that comes with creating these ethical guidelines and risk controls, which helps to prevent the harm on marginalized and underserved groups, as well as helping to represent groups such as children, elders, people with disabilities and indigenous communities. And something that I recently learned was that DC Emerging Technologies was made in collaboration with a Canadian based nonprofit, which is working to support these underserved groups, such as indigenous communities to ensure that emerging technologies are benefiting all groups. And as a part of this, this comes in with inclusion and digital access. So ensuring that there’s equitable access and participation in this digital age, where we’re focusing on digital literacy, accessibility and empowerment for all. And when we’re on this track discussing about emerging technologies, it would also be good for us to take a look at interdisciplinary tasks. And that comes up with DC Digital Health. And in terms of DC Digital Health, the current focus is on emerging technologies within healthcare systems. So this involves adopting AI, such as generative and multi-model AI, robotics, digital twins, AR, VR, MR, to improve diagnostics, treatment placing and patient engagement. And this ultimately moves us towards the possibilities of how these emerging technologies can be. employed within various interdisciplinary tracks. And you can implement these technologies within the healthcare value chain as well. And another focus of them is building clinical grade trusted AI systems. So closing this data quality gap and this digital divide that we often see. So using the IGF to promote global adoption of these workforce training and digital upscaling. So ensuring that there’s capacity building and knowledge is being spread across all groups. So a common theme that we see here is this idea of inclusion and ensuring that all groups are supported. And as a part of what comes with that is DC Digital Economy and a current project is their Project Create. And as a part of this, they’re creating actionable frameworks to leverage AI, platform work and digital services, which are essential for creating jobs and entrepreneurship. And an aspect of this is the job maps, which help to showcase related technologies and how they can create employment across sectors and geographies. And this comes with bridging the digital divide for economic inclusion. So promoting universal internet access and this enables technologies like AI, robotics and these online platforms, for example, to reach everybody and ensuring that there’s inclusive digital economies that leave no one behind. So this comes with a human centered approach to ensure that there’s sustainable automation. So addressing the concerns over job displacement and as well as promoting multi-stakeholder cooperation so that tech adoption leads to livelihoods and not losses in the job market. And something that really stuck with me recently that Dr. Rajendra, the chair of this coalition mentioned is that when we’re talking about emerging technologies, it may be better to refer to them as promising technologies because we’re in an era where technologies such as AI and other various. These advancements are actually helping us in the current timeframe, and it’s important to recognize that. And as an aspect of that, I’d like to switch to the Dynamic Teen Coalition, DTC, where we’re working to ensure that teens are involved in this process. So making sure that teen voices are represented, and often a pattern that may be noticed is that teens are considered future stakeholders, but it’s important to recognize that teens are in the present, and they play a large role in shaping these digital platforms. And as an aspect of that, three tracks that we’re working on at the Dynamic Teen Coalition would be our governance hub, where we have an online network, a governance space where teens can lead discussions on emerging tech, civic strategy, and digital rights in real time. So it’s an asynchronous platform. And we also have micro-learning. For example, we have our DTC Friends, an ambassador’s program, which includes micro-learning modules for algorithmic literacy, such as quantum ethics, responsible AI, and a variety of discussions to ensure that teens have the proper algorithms to ensure that they’re consuming proper information and allowing them to shape these governance spaces. And finally, our recent work involves the DGN, the Digital Governance Network, and as a part of this, it allows us to link youth-led Discord, Slacks, and forums into a distributed AI-supported infrastructure that is scalable and allows equitable participation. So teens and early-career professionals working towards SDGs and other sustainable development goals can be supported as well.

Markus Kummer: Thank you very much, Amrit, and I’m passing over to Henriette, who will open the discussion with the floor. Yes. Any other contributions from other dynamic coalitions or questions from the floor or contributions? It’s quite hard sometimes to grasp the scope of dynamic coalitions. They… cover a very wide range of topics, and we’ve only actually given you a kind of snapshot of some of them. But any comments or questions for Amrit and Wout? I’ll check online. Anyone in the room? Roman, is there anyone online that wants to… I have a question, if that’s okay then. I think to both of you, how have you seen the engagement with the IJF community on your respective topics, which kind of overlap to some extent as well, but in how the topic of safety and security is being addressed in the IJF? Wout, I’ll start with you. And I think what’s so important about the work that’s being done in that cluster is that it spans both technical standards and engagement with the technical community as well as the user orientation. And I think that applies to emerging technologies as well, Amrit. So, what shifts have you seen in how the IJF community, from these two different angles, the technical angle and the user rights perspective,

Anriette Esterhuysen: how the community is engaging and responding to these topics? Let’s start with you, Wout.

Wout de Natris van der Borght: Yes, thank you. As a historian, I can look back a little bit, but when I started to engage with the IJF, with the Secretariat as a consultant, I was tasked with cyber security. So, what was happening in the world of spam, what was happening in building C-certs, and I wrote reports on that in two consecutive years. And what I noticed is that the first year there was a lot of interest, and the second year it was extremely hard to find even people to work in that best practice forum. And I pulled a lot of strings, but that doesn’t matter, so we had a report. But the C-cert report opened the eyes of the C-cert community, because all of a sudden they realized that governments perhaps are not their enemy, despite C-certs have gov-certs among them as well. So, they started working together with governments, and at the OECD there was a report with the whole contribution from C-certs explaining to governments what they were doing, and that was a year after the report. And Marcus may remember that there were countries that used the report to start building their own C-cert. So, if you talk about influence of the topic outside, it is measurable if the IGF would work a little bit harder at celebrating their successes and monitoring what happens with the work. After that, I became less involved because somebody else took over, but I noticed that it drifted away from practical security to more, let’s say, ethical questions. And that perhaps slowed the work down a little bit in my personal view, but what I noticed with the Dynamic Coalition, since we’re really starting to work together in the last two years, that we start to notice that we have common issues. And if we are able to set that into a next step and make it a more generic message than just our individual messages, I think that the IGF will develop into something which could be far more influential.

Markus Kummer: And we recognize that in this cycle, with having to work together in a cluster, that we do have a lot of overarching themes, and I think that’s the value of working together. So I hope that answers your question a little bit from the past 10 years.

Anriette Esterhuysen: No, I think it does answer my question. Amrit, what about you? Do you have any observations to share?

Amrith Kumar: So I think if I was to offer my insights, I would give it in terms of what I’ve seen within DTC, so specifically how teens are engaged in discussions about technologies, emerging challenges, and ways to traverse, because ultimately, teens and the young people are the ones that are going to be governing these spaces, and ultimately, how these spaces are functioning. And a common theme that I’ve understood or noticed is that teens are very willing to get into these work, and they’re already engaged in various academic institutions and participating in research. For example, many of my close friends are already conducting research. conducting research on various topics and are very involved with these emerging technologies. And even within our own network that we’re noticing as we’re trying to identify potential allies for our digital governance network there are various youth initiatives and initiatives that are working towards the SDGs. And as we have an outlook with the assist plus 20 and the future process of achieving these goals it’s important to understand that we need to engage teens and young people as well. And an effective way to do that is ensuring that they’re aware and awareness is key. That’s also a common theme that you notice among DC emerging technology DC Internet of Things DC digital economy. So accessibility and awareness is a large part of how this will be

Anriette Esterhuysen: framed. Thanks a lot. Any any other comments or questions. We can always come back to these clusters as well. Should we move on

Amrith Kumar: to cluster three capacity building. Well let me just start by setting a bit the scene and acknowledging that participating in

Laura Becall: internet governance discussions is not easy. These conversations happen in spaces that are filled with technical language diverse and complex institutional dynamics and competing political wills. So for many communities just getting in the room is a challenge. Being heard and having your priorities or your outcomes reflected is even harder. So that’s why dynamic collisions are such a valuable space for capacity building. They offer long term issue or issues driven spaces where people can connect learn and engage. It’s dynamic collision brings to the table as we just saw different key perspectives that otherwise could go remain unheard. Some of that or some of us or most of us. We do this without sustain. sustainable funding, or no funding at all, and on a voluntary basis. So imagine what we could do, and I’m going to show you now the examples of the coalitions that I’m representing. So imagine what we could do if we could increase the capacity and the effectiveness of these dynamic coalitions. So dedicated assistance and support, including funding, could create more opportunities for coordination, research, and would drive more attention and meaningful engagement from a diverse pool of stakeholders to ease to these key policy discussions. So let me start with the first dynamic coalition and some of the achievements that they have generated. This dynamic coalition is working, actually, to empower different stakeholders to participate in internet governance discussions. I’m talking about the dynamic coalition on schools and internet governance. Schools and internet governance, frequently, they start without access to the materials they need, or even like background on some of the issues that are covered in internet governance discussions. They know, perhaps, that a topic is important, but they might not have these materials or like the resources available. The dynamic coalition on schools of internet governance works on developing these materials that can be used by the schools. The materials are developed in a bottom-up way, and each school has their own plans. They can use, they can make use of these shared materials. They also created a core curriculum that was further developed by the IGF Secretariat and is now, or is being used also widely by the schools globally. This curriculum now, it’s being updated, and I think it’s expected for the coming year, if I’m not wrong. They are also working on the sustainability of these schools, so in the long term, and the publication of all these results, like strategies, is going to be also published in 2026. speaking about accessibility and making an inclusion, I’m gonna talk about the Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability. They run a unique, targeted fellowship program that enables persons with disabilities to participate in the IGF, both in person, also remotely. They developed these accessibility guidelines for IGF meetings, which are a practical reference for designing inclusive events, ensuring persons with disabilities are not only present, but able to engage meaningfully. Their influence has also helped mainstream accessibility with IGF planning processes and push for an inclusive digital rights policies. Because accessibility cannot be conditional, it must be embedded from the outset. The next Dynamic Coalition is the Dynamic Coalition on Digital and Financial Inclusion. The Dynamic Coalition champions the development of open, interoperable payment protocols as the foundation for an inclusive, secure, and public accountable digital finance systems. They have published the Blueprint for Interoperable Payment Protocols, which advocates for universal services obligations, public investment, inclusive and transparent governance, educational initiative for financial literacy, and mechanisms to ensure sustainability when financial institutions serve traditionally excluded communities. They also articulate why inclusion matters, not as a moral add-on, but as a structural requirement. It makes the case that technical interoperability in standards and protocols is essential and non-negotiable in digital public infrastructures. And by the way, this Dynamic Coalition has very much new members that were brought to these conversations, so they have also been building this capacity in the IGF in expanding the reach to stakeholders who did not otherwise need to be here or seen value like to be here. And that brings me to my own dynamic coalition, which actually was created also to engage another sector of stakeholders and close this persistent gap. The absence of media and journalism voices in digital policy fora. So DC Journalism publishes annual reports that gather evidence-based insights and case studies that amplify the global majority voices and local experiences, documenting the digital transformation of journalism and exploring the practical solutions to the challenges it presents. We have just released our report 2024-2025. It’s already online and it explores how artificial intelligence is impacting journalism and also providing these practical solutions on how we can rebalance that space. We also have a publicly available resource center which we try or we encourage organizations to use it and therefore strengthen their capacity to engage strategically and meaningfully in Internet governance discussions. And again, without this work and the resource organizations, because media now is facing an existential and a survival crisis, and without this work, sorry, let me begin, already stretched organizations like by conflict, crisis, shrinking funding, risk further exclusions from decisions that will define their future. So strengthening the presence of journalism voices as other stakeholders in digital governance discussions is not a niche issue anymore. It’s essential for the future of democracy, information integrity, inclusivity and accessibility. So let me just wrap up by saying that capacity building is not just about support and taking out the best of digital technologies It’s also about this collective defense against the existing and potential harms that come with these technologies. And as you have seen also with Cluster 1 and Cluster 2, each coalition has its own focus and priorities, but these issues are deeply interconnected. So, building also on what Wadba was saying, we need to start working together. What good is protecting children’s or teenagers’ rights online if we leave them a digital world without knowing how the space is governed with inaccessible platforms, without safe and digital financial platforms, without independent media and journalism to tell their stories and provide them with public interest information about their own communities and other global affairs. So, I’m just ending. So, that’s why these spaces for collaboration matter, and we need to advocate together so these spaces are preserved and have long-term and sustainable funding to continue their work.

Markus Kummer: Thank you. Thank you very much. Sorry for interrupting to discuss how much time we have in time management, but it shows here we have 39 minutes and 44 seconds left. Now we go to the meta-issue. What is the role of dynamic coalitions in the future of multi-stakeholder governance and what is necessary to strengthen the impact of their important intersessional work? That picks up very much on what you have said, Laura, and actually this session is a good example of we have moved from being in silos where each dynamic coalition presents their work, working together much more and forming these clusters shows actually how important that is. We hope also to have much more impact that way. Over to you, Pari.

Pari Esfandiari: Thank you very much. Let me begin by saying a few words about the dynamic coalitions that I’m representing today. Beginning with Dynamic Coalition on Core Internet Values, which has been around since IGF 2009, our work is centered on preserving and promoting the foundational values that underpin the Internet’s architecture. These are global, interoperable, open, decentralized, end-to-end, robust and reliable, and freedom from harm. I’m also speaking on behalf of Dynamic Coalition on Internet Universality Indicators. It’s a UNESCO-backed initiative that promotes a free, open, accessible Internet using the ROMEX framework, rights, openness, accessibility, and multi-stakeholder participation. And finally, I represent the Dynamic Coalition on the Interplanetary Internet, which looks ahead to applying multi-stakeholder. multi-stakeholder governance to the space frontiers. Together we are part of a diverse and independent dynamic coalition ecosystem, deeply rooted in the IGF’s multi-stakeholder spirit, as we mark 20 years since WSIS, our challenge is how to adopt and apply them to the realities we now face. And those realities are shifting quickly. We are entering a phase of intensifying geopolitical tension, transformative technological change, and growing distrust in institutions and governance models. Even multi-stakeholderism, once embraced as a global innovation, now faces pressure from skepticism, from co-option, and from performance fatigue. So the key question is, what role can dynamic coalition play in strengthening the legitimacy, responsiveness, and future readiness of multi-stakeholder governance? I believe there are four ways we can lead. One, anchoring governance in shared values. In time of disruption, from AI to digital sovereignty, core internet values act as anchors. These aren’t just legacy principles. They are evolving commitments we need to actively update. At DC Core Internet Values, we have been working on exactly that. At EuroDIG 2025, we hosted a session called From Talk to Action, focused on how values shape real-world governance practices. Similarly, DC Internet Universality Indicators uses UNESCO’s ROMEX principles to connect global digital norms to local policymaking, offering measurable ways to build inclusive rights-based governance. And the interplanetary Internet DC remind us that our values must scale, not just across borders, but across frontiers. Two, reimagining participation. Participation is more than showing up. It’s about ownership and co-creation. Dynamic coalition like DC Core Internet Values push for more meaningful, inclusive engagement that goes beyond tokenism. DC Internet Universality Indicators has done this by setting up national multi-stakeholder advisory boards, ensuring diverse voices shape and follow through on digital strategies. Across the board, we need to rethink who sets the agenda and how inclusion works in practice. Participation must reflect not only diversity, but continuity, making sure engagement translates into action. Three, bridging discipline, sectors, and generations. No single community can govern the internet or future tech alone. DCs like ours create a space for diverse voices to come together, learn from each other, and respond quickly to new issues. DC Core Internet Values emphasize the importance of youth engagement, cross-sectoral collaboration, and interdisciplinary problem solving. That’s especially key as we tackle complex emerging areas like AI and planetary networks. DC Internet Universality Indicators work also underscore this, integrating perspectives from academia, civil society, regulators, and policy makers, building bridges between technical reality and human rights aspirations. Four, enhancing intersession. A common critic of the IGF is the gap between dialogue and outcome, but many DCs are already producing impactful year-round work. DC Internet universality indicators is a great example. By embedding ROMEX tools in national development plans and data strategies, it’s turning principle into policy. At DC Core Internet Values, we are also focused on connecting our work to global priorities, from the SDGs to the Global Digital Compact, to make sure our values-based contribution influence real changes. But to scale this, we need better coordination, documentation, and integration across DCs. Let’s keep finding ways to make DCs insightful and tools visible and relevant in real policy conversations. In closing, dynamic coalition represents what the IGF does best, open collaboration, long-term commitment, and deep expertise. But we need to keep evolving. We don’t have to reinvent multi-stakeholderism, we just have to re-energize this. That means grounding our efforts in shared values, widening what participation looks like, and making sure DC contributions feed into actual policy decisions. Let’s ensure that IGF and its DCs continue to be real engine of governance innovation, places where cooperation isn’t performative but practical, where dialogue informs framework, and where technical and ethical priorities are developed together. These coalitions are not just communities of interest, they’re platforms for progress. In a world where the pace of change of an artistry policymaking, dynamic coalitions offer a real space for foresight, inclusion and concrete action. Strengthening them is not just good practice, it’s an investment in governance that can keep up. Thank you. Well, thank you very much. You made some very

Markus Kummer: important points. I think one comment I would like to make is, we all know the IGF is a platform for dialogue and it has often been criticised for that it did not produce tangible outcomes, which you may question. But I mean, the IGF is mainly here to shape decisions that are taken elsewhere in other organisations. But we do have the dynamic coalitions and they do produce tangible outcomes. You have many examples, the Rights and Principles Coalition has early on produced a set of principles. Your coalition has also been very active and I see Luca Belli in the room, I know he’s active in various dynamic coalitions that have produced outcomes which had significant impact in other institutions. So I think we need to celebrate that and also document that. I think one thing the IGF is notoriously bad at is celebrate its own successes and document and promote their successes. They’re not that well known and I think there we can certainly do better. But I would like to open the dialogue for the floor. Are there people who would like to come forward? Take the microphone. I see Luca is already coming forward and Jutta, you’re also there. Observing the remote space, but please over to you Luca and introduce yourself first and the dynamic

Luca Belli: coalitions you represent, please. Good morning to everyone. Luca Belli here. I’m professor at LGV Law School. I’ve been involved in several dynamic coalitions. I’m the co-chair of the IGF, and I’m the co-chair of the IGF, and I’m the co-chair of the IGF, and I have been co-chair of the IGF since over the past years. I currently co-chair two, one on data and AI governance, and another one on community connectivity, the DC3. I want to share two comments about the work of the two of them, just to illustrate, well, to celebrate the success, but also to illustrate the challenges that we can face, both in terms of data and AI, and also in terms of the collaboration, the coalition on data and AI governance. This year, we have worked a lot to update a report we issued two years ago on the quest for AI sovereignty, transparency, and accountability. And as most of us have a research background, this is a very large book, 350 pages, with more than 40 authors, but this takes a lot of time, right? It’s a lot of work, and it’s a lot of work to get the IGF to be able to organize the research to then foster capacity building, propose policies, but this takes time, and literally, I think one easy thing the IGF could help would be not organizing two IGF on a row at five or six months distance, because from December to June is extremely challenging to do meaningful work. And the second thing that could help would be to have, again, sessions, because it’s very difficult to motivate people to do this, but it’s very difficult to motivate people to do this. And the third point I wanted to make is about this book that we managed to have published on record time, and I received the copies the afternoon before boarding, on this is the outcome, the annual outcome of the dynamic coalition on community networks, the community connectivity coalition, on self-sustaining financing solution for community connectivity, and why I’m particularly interested about this book because if one reads this book why would one be interested? And now I can now all agree with some of the people on the panel, because they have given the advance prophecy and hope in what is likely to happen. And a lot of these Gauthesehen So I think it’s very interesting, I’m very attached to this specific coalition because we have been working closely, literally academics, civil society, developers and activists, private sector leaders, government representatives, especially from regulators, to understand what are community networks, to make them visible. There was literally no mention about community networks before we started 10 years ago, it became a mainstream internal governance issue, there was no regulation about the community network in the world, now Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Kenya, they all have regulation because of the work we did. The ITU has used our work to promote community networks, so for me this is really the essence of internal governance. Civil society, private sector, government, working together to shape the evolution of the internet in a decentralized way. So I think that we really should celebrate our success, make it more visible, even easy to find would be already a great achievement because this is the 10th report we have done and if you want to look for the reports on the IGF website, unless you already know the URL, it’s literally impossible to find them. So that is another very easy step I think the IGF Secretariat could help us in making our work more visible.

Markus Kummer: Thank you very much. Well, thank you, Luca, it’s very important for this very important work and also for this statement and yes, it has been a challenge for all of us to have only six months between two annual IGF meetings. Jutta?

Jutta Croll: Thank you, Jutta Kroll. I’m representing the Dynamic Coalition on Children’s Rights in the Digital Environment which was founded in 2007 in Rio de Janeiro at the second Internet Governance Forum as the Dynamic Coalition on Children’s Online Safety. And also the name is telling you the way we’ve been moving forward, learning and growing. in the Internet governance community. Members of the Dynamic Coalition have been working together with the United Nations Council on Children’s Rights to produce the General Commitment Number 25 on children’s rights in relation to the digital environment. And that was really helping us to showcase that we are not talking only about children’s rights to protection, but also about their rights to provision and participation. And what more can we do to make sure that children can participate in the digital environment together with the community of Internet governance people? So this is all laid down in one product that we have from the Dynamic Coalition on Children’s Rights. And that was also the reason why we renamed the Dynamic Coalition in 2021. And from that on, also we learned from the cooperation with Dynamic Coalition on Internet of Things, with the Dynamic Coalition on Safety and Security and Standards, how important standards are. And that’s why members of the Dynamic Coalition have been joining the work on the global age assurance standards summit to produce a standard for age assurance methodologies that is data minimizing and privacy preserving. Such we can get into a dialogue, which has been more of a discourse and a debate over the years, always between, oh, you’re the child protection people, but we are the freedom of expression people. And helping us to understand that it’s not a dispute. We can do that together. We can achieve together that we have standards that help us to make sure that privacy is preserved, that data are minimized, but still that people can have access to the internet in a meaningful way and in a nature-appropriate way.

Anriette Esterhuysen: Thank you. Thanks, Jutta. I just think that last remark you made, it’s such a good illustration of how dynamic coalitions succeed in taking issues that surface during a and IGF, tensions such as the one between freedom of expression and child protection, and then it creates a modality, a space, for that issue to be explored in greater depth, incrementally, over time. So it allows the IGF to be so much more than just a conference. We have a question online, and we have one more person in the room. Have you been able to unmute? Zhanghong Hu from UNESCO has a question. Is it possible to unmute her so she can ask her question? We have a question in the room as well, so let’s continue with that while you get Zhanghong online for us to go ahead.

Waqas Naeem: Thank you. Hi, my name is Vakas Naeem, and I work with International Media Support, which is a media development organization working on the safety of journalists around the world, and I’m also affiliated with the DC on the sustainability of news media and journalism. I want to build on some of the comments that my colleague Laura shared during her talk about some of the resource and capacity constraints that dynamic coalitions might face, and I was wondering if our colleagues who are representing the other dynamic coalition clusters would perhaps also comment on what modalities and strategies they have found to be effective in their own experience in chairing these dynamic coalitions that you represent, and are there any, again, effective strategies, even if it’s outcome setting, how you’ve gone about it, because those sort of operational suggestions and tips can also be very helpful for some of the newer DCs we’ve heard from the. floor already some suggestions about, you know, the support we can request from the IGF Secretariat, but again, also if you have any suggestions for how the IGF Secretariat can perhaps strengthen its support to the DCs, we’d love to hear your comments on that. Thank you.

Markus Kummer: Thanks for that. I think that is a key question. We have Zhang Hong online now. I think, Zhang Hong, let’s hear your question and introduce yourself and the DC you’re part of.

Xianhong Hu: Yes, yes. Thank you, Henriette. Hello, friends, colleagues. I have to show me up to say hello to everyone. It’s a great pleasure speaking here. I’m representing actually not UNESCO today, but really I’d like to share a bit of the work of our new dynamic coalition on digital inclusion, which was created last year, February 2024. It’s very new, maybe the latest one, but we have achieved so much growth in the past 12 months. We have reached 80 members subscribed to the dynamic coalition because I think the issue of digital inclusion has become so crucial across every sector, and not only about the Internet, about the digital, about the AI, but we are also very strong in tracking and monitoring the emerging technologies. That’s one strength I’d like to stress about the power of a dynamic coalition. I just typed a link in the chat that our dynamic coalition, we recently launched a new policy brief about quantum technology and how we can start to shape the human rights center, the global governance of quantum, how we should foresee member states, stakeholder about the forthcoming gap related to the quantum development, which are going to reshape the AI Internet development for the future. It can be one part of the future where it will lie. And also the gender issue, again, is very crucial. And with this collaboration, I came to realize that how in-house, how powerful we can work together with our stakeholders, because without the Dynamic Coalition members, we won’t be able to touch upon such an emerging issue so rapidly and get to the core. That’s my first point. I try this to be shared by other Dynamic Coalition as well. Secondly, I thought, because all Dynamic Coalition are so semantically based, it’s very easy for us to continue the conversation as Mr. Max Kummer just mentioned. We really are, it’s a year-long ongoing conversation. Whatever emerged, we are able to bring it up through all kinds of forum. My Dynamic Coalition, we are going to have a session at the WSIS Forum in the following weeks. We had just had a big session at the EuroDIG. We are integrating to so many different type of forum, which means that we are able to connect the dots to really have the best ideas combined to present to the policy area. And a third point that I’d like to also to highlight is how our Dynamic Coalition work well with other intersessional activities. For example, the policy network on the meaningful connectivity. They’re also having the main session on Friday. And because that one focus on policy, that can help the Dynamic Coalition to sharpen our contribution in the policy area. We can have tangible outcome to help them get implemented because we have the different stakeholder on the policy network. Again, it’s amplify our impact. And lastly, I’d like to thank all the colleagues from other Dynamic Coalition. We also received the collaboration from Dynamic Coalition on the emerging technology, on the gender, on the many others. I also see that this is again, it shows the power of synergy. So again, as I just like to say that, now let’s continue this Dynamic Coalition cloud movement. and also for the future I only have one question because this year I was as one of the coordinators of our democrats a bit confused about how we present ourselves in the in the IGF in Norway I understand it’s a very short organization I only see the information today when I on the on the program I saw our democration but I hope it’s not too late I can I’m still able to share our latest development hope for the future we can maybe have a better coordination with all the dynamic coalitions thank you thanks a lot for that Xianghong. Vaut, I know you want to respond

Anriette Esterhuysen: to that question but let’s just hear from Rajendra first who’s been very active in the DC coordination space Rajendra and then we’ll have responses and then thank you so much

Rajendra Pratap Gupta: and the entire IGF I’m Rajendra Pratap Gupta and I’ve been a part of three dynamic coalitions dynamic coalition on digital economy digital health and environment and I must congratulate the spirit in which DC’s operate true to their name dynamic and coalitions and what I like most which I should say here is very open-minded very collaborative and we have learned so much from each other I have seen DC’s phenomenal work right from standards to you know setting the thought leadership to even adopting to try gaming you know to implement gaming to check impact I mean I really appreciate my previous speaker talking about documentation I was looking at the three reports we produced this year from our dynamic coalition I was looking number of countries we covered on the state of digital health we come out every year it covers 30 countries on the digital economy we can cover 38 countries this year on an environment we have put environment as economy and environment economy as environment as a theme so I think if we really document just these three DC’s work for last four or five years we have produced almost 12 reports and if I look at all DC’s we have made substantive contribution I don’t know we have a way to quantify this contribution how they shape the policies of the world but but I’m sure people look at these policies, do more. We have also started webinar series, you know, which lets broader audience engage from across the world. So I think DGs are doing a lot more than we speak here. It’s more of the work and action and way we are influencing the global policies on internet.

Anriette Esterhuysen: Thank you so much. Thanks. Let’s take all the questions Mark has just proposed. And then I think panelists, when you make your closing remarks, we’ve got just 15 minutes left. I think those are the kinds of questions, those kind of meta questions. What can we do to create more visibility, more documentation, more celebration of the outcomes? But we have two more contributions.

Markus Kummer: Yuta, do we have anyone else online? Please, Aiden, go ahead. Thank you, Henriette. And hello everyone.

Ayden Ferdeline: My name is Aiden Vaudelin and I am with the Dynamic Coalition on Digital Financial Inclusion. We are a new dynamic coalition in our second year and our members for the most part have never engaged in the IGF before. Our members are primarily financial institutions, small, medium and large in size. We have some fintechs, we have participation from some financial services, regulators and other supervisory authorities and academics. And we have put together a policy blueprint. It’s still in a draft form, which we are socializing here. And we do have a round table at 11.15 today that everyone is welcome to attend, speak to me to learn more about that. But we’re not calling this a multi-stakeholder document just yet. It is a multiple stakeholder document that have contributed to the process. But one suggestion that we have would be if the IGF secretary was able to facilitate connections within other UN agencies, because we have tried ourself as a dynamic coalition to reach out, for example, to the Secretary General Special Advocate for Financial Inclusion and to other UN agencies to see if they would be willing to participate in our work. And the answer has been silence as of today, but we are very open to more participation. participation from multilateral institutions into the UN system in general. We have strong participation already of subject matter experts, and we are looking to expand that. And I think that is something that the IGF Secretariat may be able to support with, not just for our dynamic coalition, but with other dynamic coalitions, trying to bring in more of the UN system into our work.

Markus Kummer: Thank you. Thanks, Aidan. Just to comment on that. It’s a very good suggestion, but it’s also more and more tasks are heaped on the Secretariat, and we do have limited resources. And I think they’re very stretched resources. And yes, it would be nice to have. We have now more sustained Secretariat support, and I recognize Roman, who is here in the room, who has been very active in supporting us. Before, that was not the case, that we had such good sustained support. But yes, of course, more could be done, more should be done, but we have always financial constraints, so we have to be aware of that. But you can also be active going around and approach donors, especially you when you’re working with financial institutions. They may be able to chip in some funding for this. There are functions that can only be done by people affiliated to the UN, so financial institutions may actually be interested in, as a selling point, please help us with some financial contribution. Just a suggestion. Very briefly, we’re really just asking for introductions to be facilitated. That’s the extent of the support that we’re seeking. Yes, I do understand, but do this, do that. It requires also more staff, maybe, just to say. Let’s have the other two questions, and maybe we can also look at how there’s a, if there is more visibility, that in itself. might actually go halfway towards what Aidan is asking about without necessarily involving more

Reyansh Gupta: more human time. Hi, I’m Riyansh, I’m from the Dynamic Coalition on Gaming for Purpose and this is just a suggestion, I think we should as DCs and IGF gamify our incentives because I say and I believe that people understand games, it’s inherent, we understand chess, we understand any other game that we play and although we do very serious work, I think the best way to celebrate and quantify our outcomes is through gaming. What better way to actually use games to show what we have done and gamify what we do and the game platform that we built for IGF and the DCCG was a very good example of that and I think yeah just we should look at that as an opportunity to quantify and also engage other people outside of the IGF itself and see what we’re doing, you know, from the outside. Thank you. Thanks. Our last speaker from the floor,

Markus Kummer: Mohamed, please and also introduce yourself kindly.

Muhammad Shabbir: Yes, thank you very much. I am Dr. Mohamed Shabbir from the Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability. Thank you very much for all the speakers. Building on that, you may have already heard about the work of the Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability. We have a fellowship program to bring the voices of persons with disabilities to the IGF discussions. We do have guidelines to make the IGF meetings accessible for persons with disabilities and we have heard that IGF Dynamic Coalitions produce a number of reports and we need to make them more visible and one of the evidence if you are looking for that how these reports are being used, the guidelines that we produced rather updated from 2015 back in 2024 IGF, these guidelines were for making IGF meetings be in person. are online accessible for people with disabilities. But now we have evidence that one of the organization in the internet ecosystem, Internet Society, is using these guidelines to make their own events accessible. So this is one of the examples that how the work being produced in these spaces is being used in the broader internet ecosystem. So many of these reports can be used in other spaces as well. But for me, it’s just the work of Dynamic Coalition can go beyond just producing reports. We do bring experts. I’m sure the people, those who are producing these reports, they are the experts in their own domains. We have DC on financial inclusion, we have DC on SIGs, we have DC on internet standards and security, Dynamic Coalition on accessibility and disability. All of these Dynamic Coalitions brings experts to their discussions. And if IGF were looking for experts on any of the subjects, they can come to these DCs. And as Marcus was saying, what can we do to enhance the work of DCs without expanding the human resource? This could be one of the options that the secretariat can come to DCs and ask for the expert in terms of human resources and other expertise. Thank you.

Markus Kummer: Thank you very much. And DCAT really needs to be commended for their work. They have been done and they had tremendous impact. And as you said, not just on the IGF itself, but beyond the IGF. Now we’re running out of time. Can I give each panelist one minute comment? And then we also have June, who is our rapporteur. She will give her final take on that. Shall we start with Wout? Yes. Can you make it in one minute?

Wout de Natris van der Borght: This is our report. Let me stop there for sake of time. But it’s on the socioeconomic impacts of post-quantum encryption. We’ve been hearing a lot about the impacts of Dynamic Coalitions. And I think that we made tremendous progress in the past two, two and a half years. Let’s start there. But also that we have this report, just like people saying we present this report. How is it that it’s not in the main stage at some point in this program? So that we know what the outcome of Dynamic Coalitions are, but also of the multi-stakeholder efforts that we’re making. In that sense, I think that Dynamic Coalitions are more the essence of the IGF than a workshop where people talk and go home and come back and sometimes talk the same thing next year. But that is organizational. And I think as Dynamic Coalitions, we should… When everything starts again next year, we have a new MAG, we have a new situation, that we try to organize ourselves in a way that we’re on the same level. And it’s not about workshops, but it’s about integrating our work into the program, so that we’re more visible, we become more influential, and the IGF will also become more influential. Because a lot of people are asking for tangible outcomes. And we are delivering them as dynamic coalitions.

Markus Kummer: Thank you, that’s a good summing up. One sentence, so let’s organize ourselves in the coming months to have that message ready when there’s a new MAG, or the new MAG is being organized. Thank you. Laura?

Laura Becall: Yes, just to not repeat, I think we have made great achievements with limited resources. We have policy briefs, we have guidelines, comprehensive and solution-oriented reports. But also, I just want to notice that collaboration also takes time. It takes trust, it takes consensus, it takes listening to each other, disagreeing, finding ways forward. So this is why sustainable support is very necessary. But in the meantime, we can still boost each other’s work and capacity, build these alliances, share expertise and experts also. And even if we’re not advocating for the same goals, we will all benefit also from this digital space and digital future that’s grounded in human rights, equity and inclusion. And I have two announcements to make, very quickly. Today at 12.30 in the booth of the IMS, we are doing this informal launch of our annual report. And secondly, tomorrow at 12.15, if I’m not wrong, at workshop room 5, it’s the capacity building session. So the cluster 3 session. So I invite you also to join us today at 12.30 for the launch of the Dynamic Coalition on Journalism. At 12.30 and tomorrow, capacity building session.

Markus Kummer: Thank you. Amrit, one minute.

Amrith Kumar: Yeah, I think as we end this session, one thing we must understand, DCs are these open multi-stakeholder independent groups, and our strength comes from the various diverse topics that each dynamic coalition is involved in. But as we move away from this session today, it’s important that we work together and bring together various outputs to create meaningful change. Something that I’ve noticed is that within the cluster one, for example, all of these DCs work towards ensuring inclusion and support for groups to be involved in digital governance in such a manner, for example, at Dynamic Teen Coalition, something we’re involved in is ensuring that teens are aware of these discussions and topics so that they’re more involved in the future and in the current in digital governance. So we always extend an invite with coalitions to be involved with supporting inclusion of teens and ensuring they’re involved. And similarly, as we move forward, the dynamic coalitions must work together and create synergy and capacity building so that our outputs function and create meaningful change as they already are.

Markus Kummer: Thank you. Thank you. Oriette, do you have a- Pari. Pari, yes, of course. You have the meta cluster. Thank you.

Pari Esfandiari: I think that everybody touched on lots of demands from IGF, so I’d like to turn now the focus on dynamic coalition themselves. I think what is clear is governance is a living system. It’s not defined by protocols alone, but by the people who step forward to shape it, to question it, and to improve it. And I think dynamic coalitions are not just working group. We are proof of this concept. So I think it’s important to be creative in our policies. Simple actions like even having a joint session could be beginning of partnerships among us. So I think that I would like to end this conversation by saying that if bridges are to be built between regions, disciplines, or even planets, it will be because coalition like ours dares to build them.

Markus Kummer: Thank you. Thank you. Oriette. June, yeah, I was looking for you in the room, now I can see you, yes.

June Parris: Hello, hi, yeah, it’s working. Yeah, we’ve had a really good session this morning, thanks everyone for coming and as you can see the room has quite a big audience. The dynamic coalitions are doing quite a lot of work and from what all the experts here have said, they continue to do this work and they will continue to do it in the future. But what needs to happen from what I’ve listened to is to have more liaison with the IGS Secretariat and not work separately from one another. So someone from a dynamic coalition needs to sit on the Secretariat and advise them and inform them and continue so that the work can continue in a legitimate way. But I actually, I really enjoyed the youth speaker because he’s bringing new thoughts to the process and I want to see that continue. I want to see the work passed on to the young people based on what I’m listening to. I think there should be lots of improvements in the future. Thank you very much. Orjet, do you have a take?

Anriette Esterhuysen: Just I think that, I mean this is the evolving IGF and IG ecosystem and I think what we see with dynamic coalitions, it’s about people. It’s not just about topics, it’s about people wanting to work together and it’s growing and it’s self-organized. And then at the same time we have the IGF which has a structure made up of the MAG, the Secretariat and sometimes I think there is the change and the ability for the sort of bottom-up character, the self-organized community character of the IGF and the IGF at its more institutional layer and I think quite understandably sometimes struggles to be in sync because they’ve got different accountabilities, different channels that they have to follow. But I think we can and I think there’s some simple cross-cutting activities and tasks such as making information more accessible, communicating more consistently, that I think can be a way of facilitating greater harmonization between these different dimensions, shall I say, of the IGF ecosystem. But I think dynamic coalitions really are, it’s the forum within the IGF, I think that reveals what the IGF has become. And one point in particular, Mark, is that really struck me today, but also during the webinars that we’ve had, is that dynamic coalitions, there are hundreds, I think thousands of people involved in dynamic coalitions. Many of them don’t come to the IGF. And yet they identify strongly with being part of this community. And that’s the power that dynamic coalitions gives us.

Markus Kummer: And what I heard, a lot of inclusion was there. All work on inclusion. And with that, I think our time is up. May I ask you to join me in giving a hand to all the panelists and the works behind the scenes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you all. I just want to say, if anyone here does not know about how dynamic coalitions work, and if you want to find out how one starts a dynamic coalition, just grab any of the speakers or ourselves. It’s a low barrier. Very low barrier.

Agreement points

Dynamic Coalitions produce tangible outcomes that have real-world policy impact

Speakers

– Markus Kummer
– Luca Belli
– Muhammad Shabbir
– Jutta Croll
– Rajendra Pratap Gupta

Arguments

Dynamic Coalitions produce tangible outcomes that influence policy decisions in other organizations

Community connectivity work has led to mainstream recognition and regulation of community networks globally

Accessibility guidelines produced by coalitions are being adopted by organizations beyond IGF, demonstrating broader impact

Children’s rights coalitions contributed to UN General Comment 25 on children’s rights in digital environments

Digital coalitions have produced numerous reports covering multiple countries and shaping global policies

Summary

Multiple speakers provided concrete evidence that Dynamic Coalitions create measurable impact beyond the IGF itself, including influencing UN documents, national regulations, and organizational policies across various sectors.

Topics

Human rights principles | Digital standards | Capacity development

Need for better visibility and documentation of Dynamic Coalition work

Speakers

– Markus Kummer
– Luca Belli
– Wout de Natris van der Borght

Arguments

Dynamic Coalitions produce tangible outcomes that influence policy decisions in other organizations

Data and AI governance coalitions produce comprehensive research reports with multiple authors and stakeholders

Dynamic Coalitions should organize themselves to integrate work into IGF programs for greater visibility and influence

Summary

Speakers agreed that while Dynamic Coalitions produce substantial work, there’s a critical need to better celebrate, document, and make visible their achievements and outcomes.

Topics

Capacity development | Interdisciplinary approaches

Importance of inclusion and accessibility across all digital governance work

Speakers

– Laura Becall
– Amrith Kumar
– Muhammad Shabbir
– Xianhong Hu

Arguments

Accessibility coalitions run fellowship programs and develop guidelines to ensure meaningful participation of persons with disabilities

Emerging technologies require ethical governance frameworks and global principles to guide safe and responsible use

Accessibility guidelines produced by coalitions are being adopted by organizations beyond IGF, demonstrating broader impact

Digital inclusion coalitions demonstrate rapid growth and ability to address emerging technologies through multi-stakeholder collaboration

Summary

Multiple speakers emphasized that meaningful participation and inclusion of marginalized groups, including persons with disabilities, indigenous communities, and underserved populations, is essential across all digital governance initiatives.

Topics

Digital access | Rights of persons with disabilities | Human rights principles

Resource constraints limit Dynamic Coalition potential despite voluntary dedication

Speakers

– Laura Becall
– Luca Belli
– Waqas Naeem

Arguments

Dynamic Coalitions operate without sustainable funding on a voluntary basis, limiting their potential impact

Organizing two IGF meetings within six months creates challenges for meaningful intersessional work

Dynamic coalitions face resource and capacity constraints that require effective operational strategies and modalities

Summary

Speakers consistently identified that lack of sustainable funding and operational support significantly constrains the potential impact of Dynamic Coalitions, despite the dedicated voluntary work of participants.

Topics

Capacity development

Similar viewpoints

All three speakers emphasized the critical importance of establishing and implementing standards, principles, and frameworks to guide the responsible development and deployment of internet technologies, with particular attention to security and ethical considerations.

Speakers

– Wout de Natris van der Borght
– Amrith Kumar
– Pari Esfandiari

Arguments

Internet standards deployment is crucial for security, requiring government leadership in procurement and addressing skills gaps

Emerging technologies require ethical governance frameworks and global principles to guide safe and responsible use

Core internet values serve as anchors during disruption, requiring active updating and application to governance practices

Topics

Digital standards | Human rights principles | Network security

These speakers shared concern about barriers to meaningful participation in internet governance and emphasized the importance of engaging younger generations not just as future stakeholders but as current contributors with valuable perspectives.

Speakers

– Laura Becall
– Amrith Kumar
– June Parris

Arguments

Participating in internet governance is challenging due to technical language and complex institutional dynamics

Teen voices must be represented in digital governance as current stakeholders, not just future ones

Work should be passed on to young people to ensure continuity and fresh perspectives in governance processes

Topics

Capacity development | Human rights principles

These speakers shared a vision of Dynamic Coalitions as embodying the true spirit of multi-stakeholder governance through meaningful, bottom-up participation that goes beyond superficial engagement to create real ownership and collaborative innovation.

Speakers

– Pari Esfandiari
– Anriette Esterhuysen
– Markus Kummer

Arguments

Participation must go beyond tokenism to include ownership and co-creation in governance processes

Dynamic Coalitions reveal the evolving character of IGF with thousands of participants who identify with the community

Dynamic Coalitions are bottom-up, self-organized engines of innovation and living labs of multi-stakeholder collaboration

Topics

Interdisciplinary approaches | Human rights principles

Unexpected consensus

Gaming and innovative approaches to governance engagement

Speakers

– Reyansh Gupta
– Rajendra Pratap Gupta

Arguments

Gaming approaches could help quantify and celebrate Dynamic Coalition outcomes while engaging broader audiences

Digital coalitions have produced numerous reports covering multiple countries and shaping global policies

Explanation

The consensus around using gaming and innovative engagement methods to make serious governance work more accessible was unexpected, showing openness to creative approaches for increasing participation and visibility of coalition work.

Topics

Online education | Digital access | Capacity development

Cross-sector collaboration between technical and rights-based communities

Speakers

– Wout de Natris van der Borght
– Jutta Croll
– Anriette Esterhuysen

Arguments

Internet standards deployment is crucial for security, requiring government leadership in procurement and addressing skills gaps

Children’s rights coalitions contributed to UN General Comment 25 on children’s rights in digital environments

The coordination group is very dynamic with several members supporting the Secretariat

Explanation

There was unexpected consensus that technical standards work and human rights advocacy can and should be integrated, moving beyond traditional silos to create comprehensive approaches that address both technical and social dimensions of internet governance.

Topics

Digital standards | Human rights principles | Children rights

Overall assessment

Summary

The speakers demonstrated strong consensus on the value and impact of Dynamic Coalitions, the need for better resource support and visibility, and the importance of inclusive participation across all governance work. There was also agreement on the challenges posed by resource constraints and the need for more systematic documentation of achievements.

Consensus level

High level of consensus with constructive alignment on both achievements and challenges. The implications suggest that Dynamic Coalitions have proven their value as effective governance mechanisms but require enhanced support structures and better integration into the broader IGF ecosystem to reach their full potential. The consensus points toward a mature understanding of both the successes and limitations of the current model, with clear pathways for improvement.

Different viewpoints

Approach to cybersecurity education and implementation

Speakers

– Wout de Natris van der Borght

Arguments

Internet standards deployment is crucial for security, requiring government leadership in procurement and addressing skills gaps

Summary

Van der Borght noted that after initial interest in cybersecurity work at IGF, focus drifted from practical security to more ethical questions, which in his view slowed down the work. This represents a subtle disagreement with the broader trend toward ethical approaches over technical implementation.

Topics

Network security | Digital standards | Capacity development

Unexpected differences

Timeline and scheduling constraints

Speakers

– Luca Belli

Arguments

Organizing two IGF meetings within six months creates challenges for meaningful intersessional work

Explanation

This was an unexpected operational disagreement where Belli specifically criticized the compressed timeline between IGF meetings as hampering meaningful work, while other speakers focused on resource and visibility issues. This operational concern was unique among the speakers and highlighted a structural challenge not addressed by others.

Topics

Capacity development

Overall assessment

Summary

The discussion showed remarkable consensus among speakers, with most disagreements being about methods rather than goals. The main areas of difference were: 1) Technical vs. ethical approaches to cybersecurity, 2) Different strategies for improving visibility and support (self-organization vs. funding vs. operational support), and 3) Operational scheduling concerns.

Disagreement level

Very low level of disagreement with high collaborative spirit. The disagreements were constructive and focused on implementation strategies rather than fundamental principles. This suggests strong alignment on the value and importance of Dynamic Coalitions, with differences mainly on tactical approaches to strengthening their impact. The collaborative nature bodes well for future coordination and joint initiatives among the coalitions.

Partial agreements

Similar viewpoints

All three speakers emphasized the critical importance of establishing and implementing standards, principles, and frameworks to guide the responsible development and deployment of internet technologies, with particular attention to security and ethical considerations.

Speakers

– Wout de Natris van der Borght
– Amrith Kumar
– Pari Esfandiari

Arguments

Internet standards deployment is crucial for security, requiring government leadership in procurement and addressing skills gaps

Emerging technologies require ethical governance frameworks and global principles to guide safe and responsible use

Core internet values serve as anchors during disruption, requiring active updating and application to governance practices

Topics

Digital standards | Human rights principles | Network security

These speakers shared concern about barriers to meaningful participation in internet governance and emphasized the importance of engaging younger generations not just as future stakeholders but as current contributors with valuable perspectives.

Speakers

– Laura Becall
– Amrith Kumar
– June Parris

Arguments

Participating in internet governance is challenging due to technical language and complex institutional dynamics

Teen voices must be represented in digital governance as current stakeholders, not just future ones

Work should be passed on to young people to ensure continuity and fresh perspectives in governance processes

Topics

Capacity development | Human rights principles

These speakers shared a vision of Dynamic Coalitions as embodying the true spirit of multi-stakeholder governance through meaningful, bottom-up participation that goes beyond superficial engagement to create real ownership and collaborative innovation.

Speakers

– Pari Esfandiari
– Anriette Esterhuysen
– Markus Kummer

Arguments

Participation must go beyond tokenism to include ownership and co-creation in governance processes

Dynamic Coalitions reveal the evolving character of IGF with thousands of participants who identify with the community

Dynamic Coalitions are bottom-up, self-organized engines of innovation and living labs of multi-stakeholder collaboration

Topics

Interdisciplinary approaches | Human rights principles

Key takeaways

Dynamic Coalitions serve as engines of innovation and living labs of multi-stakeholder collaboration, producing tangible outcomes that influence policy decisions in other organizations

The clustering approach has improved collaboration between Dynamic Coalitions, moving away from working in silos to addressing overarching themes together

Dynamic Coalitions demonstrate significant impact through concrete outcomes: community network regulations in multiple countries, UN General Comment 25 on children’s rights, accessibility guidelines adopted by organizations like Internet Society, and comprehensive research reports covering dozens of countries

Safety and security remain critical challenges requiring coordinated stakeholder action, with particular focus on children’s rights, IoT governance, internet standards deployment, and preparing for quantum computing threats

Capacity building and inclusion are central themes across coalitions, with efforts to engage underrepresented groups including persons with disabilities, youth, media professionals, and marginalized communities

Core internet values and governance principles need active updating and application to address emerging technologies like AI while maintaining multi-stakeholder participation

Dynamic Coalitions involve thousands of participants globally, many of whom don’t attend IGF but identify strongly with the community, demonstrating the forum’s broader reach

Resolutions and action items

Dynamic Coalitions should organize themselves in the coming months to prepare a unified message for the new MAG about integrating their work into IGF programs for greater visibility

Improve documentation and celebration of Dynamic Coalition successes, as the IGF is ‘notoriously bad at celebrating its own successes’

Make Dynamic Coalition reports more visible and easier to find on the IGF website, as current reports are ‘literally impossible to find’ unless you know the URL

Explore gamification approaches to quantify and celebrate Dynamic Coalition outcomes while engaging broader audiences

Continue cluster-based collaboration approach that has proven successful in showing diversity and enabling better coordination

Seek sustainable funding and dedicated assistance to increase capacity and effectiveness of Dynamic Coalitions

Better coordinate Dynamic Coalition participation in IGF programs to avoid confusion about presentation opportunities

Unresolved issues

Resource constraints and lack of sustainable funding continue to limit Dynamic Coalition potential impact, with most operating on voluntary basis without financial support

IGF Secretariat faces stretched resources and cannot easily facilitate all requested connections between Dynamic Coalitions and UN agencies/multilateral institutions

Gap between the bottom-up, self-organized character of Dynamic Coalitions and the more institutional structure of IGF (MAG, Secretariat) creates synchronization challenges

Challenge of organizing meaningful intersessional work when IGF meetings are scheduled only six months apart

Need for better integration of Dynamic Coalition work into main IGF programming rather than treating them as separate workshops

Difficulty in quantifying and measuring the full policy influence and impact of Dynamic Coalition work globally

Limited interpretation and accessibility services for Dynamic Coalition sessions compared to main plenary sessions

Suggested compromises

IGF Secretariat could facilitate simple introductions between Dynamic Coalitions and UN agencies without requiring extensive additional resources

Dynamic Coalitions could approach donors, particularly financial institutions they work with, to contribute funding rather than relying solely on IGF resources

Use Dynamic Coalition experts as human resources for IGF when expertise is needed, rather than expanding Secretariat staff

Cross-reference and boost each other’s work through alliance-building and expertise sharing among Dynamic Coalitions

Implement simple cross-cutting activities like making information more accessible and communicating more consistently to harmonize different dimensions of the IGF ecosystem

Have a Dynamic Coalition representative sit on the Secretariat to advise and inform ongoing work for better coordination

We don’t have to reinvent multi-stakeholderism, we just have to re-energize this. That means grounding our efforts in shared values, widening what participation looks like, and making sure DC contributions feed into actual policy decisions.

Speaker

Pari Esfandiari

Reason

This comment reframes the entire discussion by suggesting that the solution isn’t to create new governance structures but to revitalize existing ones. It shifts from a problem-focused to a solution-focused perspective and provides a concrete three-part framework for moving forward.

Impact

This comment elevated the discussion from tactical concerns about individual DC operations to strategic thinking about the future of multi-stakeholder governance. It influenced subsequent speakers to focus more on collaboration and systemic solutions rather than just individual coalition achievements.

What good is protecting children’s or teenagers’ rights online if we leave them a digital world without knowing how the space is governed with inaccessible platforms, without safe and digital financial platforms, without independent media and journalism to tell their stories?

Speaker

Laura Becall

Reason

This comment powerfully illustrates the interconnectedness of all DC work through a compelling rhetorical question. It challenges the siloed thinking that often characterizes specialized coalitions and demonstrates why collaboration is essential rather than optional.

Impact

This comment was a turning point that shifted the conversation from individual DC presentations to recognizing systemic interdependencies. It reinforced the clustering approach and influenced later speakers to emphasize collaboration over individual achievements.

I think Dynamic Coalitions are more the essence of the IGF than a workshop where people talk and go home and come back and sometimes talk the same thing next year.

Speaker

Wout de Natris van der Borght

Reason

This comment challenges the fundamental structure and value proposition of the IGF itself. It’s provocative because it suggests that the side activities (DCs) are more valuable than the main activities (workshops), inverting the traditional hierarchy.

Impact

This comment introduced a critical perspective on IGF’s effectiveness and sparked discussion about how to better integrate DC work into the main IGF program. It influenced the conversation toward organizational reform and visibility issues.

When we’re talking about emerging technologies, it may be better to refer to them as promising technologies because we’re in an era where technologies such as AI and other various advancements are actually helping us in the current timeframe, and it’s important to recognize that.

Speaker

Amrith Kumar (quoting Dr. Rajendra)

Reason

This linguistic reframing is insightful because it challenges the often fearful or uncertain discourse around new technologies. By suggesting ‘promising’ instead of ’emerging,’ it shifts the narrative from anxiety to opportunity while maintaining critical awareness.

Impact

This comment introduced a more optimistic framing that influenced how other speakers discussed technology governance, moving away from purely risk-focused approaches toward balanced perspectives that acknowledge both challenges and opportunities.

Dynamic coalitions really are, it’s the forum within the IGF that reveals what the IGF has become. And one point that really struck me is that there are hundreds, thousands of people involved in dynamic coalitions. Many of them don’t come to the IGF. And yet they identify strongly with being part of this community.

Speaker

Anriette Esterhuysen

Reason

This observation reveals a hidden dimension of the IGF’s impact and reach. It’s insightful because it shows how the IGF’s influence extends far beyond the annual meeting through sustained, year-round engagement that creates lasting community bonds.

Impact

This comment provided a meta-perspective that helped participants understand the broader significance of their work beyond the immediate session. It reinforced the value of intersessional work and influenced the closing discussion about the IGF’s evolving nature.

We are entering a phase of intensifying geopolitical tension, transformative technological change, and growing distrust in institutions and governance models. Even multi-stakeholderism, once embraced as a global innovation, now faces pressure from skepticism, from co-option, and from performance fatigue.

Speaker

Pari Esfandiari

Reason

This comment provides crucial context by acknowledging the challenging external environment facing internet governance. It’s thought-provoking because it honestly confronts the crisis of legitimacy facing multi-stakeholder approaches rather than assuming their continued acceptance.

Impact

This comment set a realistic tone for the entire discussion about the future role of DCs. It influenced other speakers to address sustainability and legitimacy concerns more directly, making the conversation more grounded in current realities.

Overall assessment

These key comments fundamentally shaped the discussion by elevating it from a simple showcase of individual DC achievements to a strategic conversation about the future of internet governance. The comments created several important shifts: from siloed thinking to systems thinking (Laura’s interconnectedness point), from problem-focused to solution-focused approaches (Pari’s re-energizing comment), from defensive to confident positioning (Wout’s ‘essence of IGF’ comment), and from narrow technical focus to broader community impact recognition (Anriette’s observation about extended community). Together, these interventions transformed what could have been a routine reporting session into a substantive dialogue about governance innovation, collaboration, and institutional evolution. The comments built upon each other to create momentum toward viewing DCs not as peripheral activities but as central to the IGF’s mission and future effectiveness.

How do we train our workforce and future workforce for cybersecurity challenges?

Speaker

Wout de Natris van der Borght

Explanation

This addresses the critical skills gap between cybersecurity education curriculum and industry demands, which is essential for creating a more secure internet environment.

How do we make sure that the most important stakeholders start to demand security when procuring ICTs, IoT or other services?

Speaker

Wout de Natris van der Borght

Explanation

This focuses on creating market demand for secure-by-design products and services, which could drive industry-wide security improvements.

What are the steps we need to prepare for quantum computing threats and when do we have to take them?

Speaker

Wout de Natris van der Borght

Explanation

This addresses the urgent need for preparation before quantum computers can break current encryption methods, requiring coordinated global action.

Who will be held accountable for cybersecurity preparedness?

Speaker

Wout de Natris van der Borght

Explanation

This addresses the governance challenge of assigning responsibility for cybersecurity measures across different stakeholders.

How can the IGF organize intersessional work around cybersecurity topics similar to the Millennium Bug preparation?

Speaker

Wout de Natris van der Borght

Explanation

This suggests using the IGF’s multi-stakeholder platform to coordinate global cybersecurity preparedness efforts.

What modalities and strategies have been effective in chairing dynamic coalitions, especially regarding resource and capacity constraints?

Speaker

Waqas Naeem

Explanation

This seeks practical guidance for managing dynamic coalitions with limited resources, which is a common challenge across coalitions.

How can the IGF Secretariat strengthen its support to dynamic coalitions?

Speaker

Waqas Naeem

Explanation

This addresses the need for better institutional support to enhance the effectiveness and impact of dynamic coalition work.

How can we better document and celebrate the successes of dynamic coalitions and the IGF?

Speaker

Markus Kummer and Luca Belli

Explanation

This addresses the visibility problem where significant outcomes and impacts of IGF work are not well-known or easily accessible.

How can we make dynamic coalition reports more visible and easier to find on the IGF website?

Speaker

Luca Belli

Explanation

This addresses a practical barrier to accessing and utilizing the substantial research and policy work produced by dynamic coalitions.

How can the IGF Secretariat facilitate connections between dynamic coalitions and other UN agencies?

Speaker

Ayden Ferdeline

Explanation

This would help expand participation and influence of dynamic coalition work within the broader UN system and multilateral institutions.

How can we better coordinate dynamic coalition presentations and integration into the main IGF program?

Speaker

Xianhong Hu and Wout de Natris van der Borght

Explanation

This addresses organizational challenges in showcasing dynamic coalition work and ensuring better visibility within the main IGF proceedings.

How can we quantify and measure the contribution and impact of dynamic coalitions on global internet governance policies?

Speaker

Rajendra Pratap Gupta

Explanation

This addresses the need for better metrics to demonstrate the real-world impact of dynamic coalition work on policy development.

How can we gamify dynamic coalition work and outcomes to better engage broader audiences?

Speaker

Reyansh Gupta

Explanation

This explores innovative approaches to make internet governance work more accessible and engaging to people outside the traditional IGF community.

How can dynamic coalitions serve as expert resources for the IGF Secretariat without expanding human resources?

Speaker

Muhammad Shabbir

Explanation

This suggests leveraging the expertise within dynamic coalitions to support IGF activities while addressing resource constraints.

How can we better integrate dynamic coalition outcomes into the main IGF program rather than treating them as separate workshops?

Speaker

Wout de Natris van der Borght

Explanation

This addresses the structural challenge of ensuring dynamic coalition work is central to IGF proceedings rather than peripheral.