Day 0 Event #262 Enhancing the Role of the IGF Through Gdc Follow Up and WSIS

Summary

This open forum session focused on enhancing the role of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) through the upcoming World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Plus 20 review and Global Digital Compact (GDC) follow-up processes. The discussion featured representatives from governments, international organizations, business, and youth communities sharing their priorities and strategies for strengthening global digital governance.

Government representatives emphasized the need to secure the IGF’s long-term future through renewed mandates, improved funding mechanisms, and enhanced inclusivity. Australia presented a non-paper proposing communities of practice and stronger connections between global, regional, and national IGF initiatives. The European Union advocated for meaningful multi-stakeholder participation, appointment of an IGF director position, and the establishment of an informal multi-stakeholder sounding board to support the negotiation process.

International organizations, represented by ITU, highlighted the importance of coordinated UN system-wide approaches to avoid duplication while building on WSIS’s 20-year legacy. They emphasized that existing WSIS frameworks could effectively implement GDC objectives through established multi-stakeholder platforms like the IGF and WSIS Forum.

The business community stressed the value of the IGF as an accessible forum for policy dialogue and called for greater stability through long-term mandate renewals. Youth representatives outlined four key priorities: digital inclusion, digital skills and literacy, safety and mental health, and meaningful participation in governance processes.

All participants agreed on the critical importance of maintaining the IGF’s multi-stakeholder model while addressing funding challenges and ensuring broader participation from underrepresented communities. The discussion concluded with calls for continued collaboration and bold, positive approaches to bridge digital divides and strengthen the IGF’s role in global digital governance.

Keypoints

## Major Discussion Points:

– **Strengthening the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) through WSIS Plus 20 and Global Digital Compact processes**: All speakers emphasized the need to secure long-term funding, extend the IGF mandate beyond the current 5-year cycle, and enhance institutional capacity through measures like appointing a director position and establishing better connections between global, regional, and national IGF initiatives.

– **Ensuring meaningful multi-stakeholder participation and inclusivity**: Participants stressed the importance of maintaining the IGF’s unique multi-stakeholder model while addressing barriers to participation, particularly for underrepresented communities, youth, and stakeholders from the Global South. This includes both financial support for attendance and structural mechanisms for inclusive decision-making.

– **Bridging digital divides and promoting digital inclusion**: Speakers highlighted persistent connectivity gaps (38% of African population lacks internet access, 189 million more men than women are online globally) and emphasized the need to move beyond coverage to focus on meaningful connectivity, digital skills, and capacity building programs.

– **Youth empowerment and intergenerational collaboration**: The discussion emphasized youth as digital natives and future leaders who need not just inclusion but co-ownership in digital governance processes, supported by mentorship, funding, and platforms that amplify youth voices in policy development.

– **Coordination and avoiding duplication across UN processes**: Participants discussed the need for streamlined approaches between WSIS Plus 20 review and Global Digital Compact implementation, with UN agencies coordinating through existing frameworks while building on 20 years of WSIS experience.

## Overall Purpose:

The discussion aimed to identify priorities and strategies for strengthening the Internet Governance Forum through upcoming WSIS Plus 20 review and Global Digital Compact follow-up processes. Participants sought to align different stakeholder perspectives (government, business, international organizations, and youth) on how to enhance the IGF’s role in global digital governance while maintaining its multi-stakeholder character.

## Overall Tone:

The discussion maintained a consistently collaborative and constructive tone throughout. Speakers demonstrated mutual respect and built upon each other’s points rather than presenting conflicting views. There was a shared sense of urgency about upcoming negotiations and processes, but this was balanced with optimism about the IGF’s proven track record and potential for growth. The tone remained professional yet accessible, with speakers acknowledging challenges while focusing on practical solutions and positive outcomes.

Speakers

– **Yoichi Iida** – Former Asset and Vice Minister at the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (Session Moderator)

– **William Lee** – WSIS Plus 20 Policy Lead for the Australian Government’s Department of Infrastructure and Communications

– **Philipp Schulte** – Representative from the Ministry of Education, Digital Transformation and Government Modernization of Germany

– **Maarit Palovirta** – Deputy Director General at Connect Europe (Brussels-based trade association representing European telecom operators)

– **Gitanjali Sah** – Strategy and Policy Coordinator, ITU (participating online)

– **Murillo Salvador** – Representative from Youth IGF and Swiss Youth IGF

**Additional speakers:**

None identified beyond the speakers names list provided.

# Summary: Enhancing the Internet Governance Forum Through WSIS Plus 20 and Global Digital Compact Processes

## Introduction and Context

This open forum session, moderated by Yoichi Iida, former Assistant Vice Minister at the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, brought together stakeholders to discuss strengthening the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) through the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Plus 20 review and Global Digital Compact (GDC) follow-up processes.

Iida outlined the critical timeline ahead: “zero draft in August, second preparatory meeting in mid-October, first draft outcome document in November, final consensus in high-level meeting in December.” The session featured representatives from governments, international organisations, business, and youth communities sharing their priorities for enhancing global digital governance.

## Government Perspectives

### Australian Government Position

William Lee, WSIS Plus 20 Policy Lead from Australia’s Department of Infrastructure and Communications, presented Australia’s approach outlined in a non-paper, emphasising it as “a conversation starter, not necessarily the final outcome our government will support.”

Australia’s key priorities include:

– Creating “communities of practice” – collaborative groups bringing stakeholders together around specific topics to drive concrete outcomes

– Establishing systematic connections between global IGF and national/regional initiatives “so that all voices can be heard at all levels of the conversation”

– Focusing on “universal and meaningful connectivity as a critical priority,” particularly addressing the usage gap

– Prioritising youth empowerment, recognising that “youth empowerment is central as they are the future of the digital world and deliver unprecedented innovations”

### German Government Approach

Philipp Schulte from Germany’s Ministry of Education, Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation congratulated Australia on their non-paper and mentioned that Switzerland also has a non-paper. Germany’s focus centred on institutional strengthening and meaningful multi-stakeholder participation.

Key German proposals include:

– “Longer-term mandate renewal beyond the typical five-year cycle” for greater stability

– “Strengthening the IGF secretariat through appointment of a director position to improve leadership and coordination”

– Being “open-minded to have this discussion” about funding mechanisms

– Establishing an informal multi-stakeholder sounding board with “10 members of current MAG and leadership panel”

Schulte emphasised concerns that “stakeholder input might diminish as negotiations progress towards final stages” and highlighted Germany’s fellowship programme for young adults aged 18-30, achieving “little money with huge impact.”

## International Organisation Perspective

Gitanjali Sah, Strategy and Policy Coordinator for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), participated online and positioned the Global Digital Compact as “a booster to the WSIS process, with WSIS architecture ready to implement GDC objectives through established multi-stakeholder platforms like the IGF and WSIS Forum.”

Sah provided key statistics demonstrating WSIS engagement: “WSIS Stocktaking Database has 2 million subscribers and 15,000 entries” and “WSIS prizes had record 972 submissions with 2.2 million words engagement.”

She emphasised that “digital inclusivity remains essential given that 38% of the African population lacks internet access and 189 million more men than women are online globally,” and stressed the importance of “deepening coordination through the UN Group on Information Societies to avoid duplication.”

## Business Community Perspective

Marit Palovirta, Deputy Director General at Connect Europe representing European telecom operators, highlighted the IGF’s accessibility for private sector engagement: “for private sector representatives, we come here much easier than we would go to formalised meetings at the ITU or the OECD.”

Her key points included:

– Implementation of meaningful connectivity “requires partnership between governments and private sector with clear measurement frameworks”

– Supporting “simplicity to enable meaningful stakeholder participation with limited resources”

– Advocating for “more stability at the IGF level to remove distractions” from mandate renewal uncertainties

## Youth Community Perspective

Murillo Salvador, representing both Swiss Youth IGF and “the global youth IGF network in 40+ countries,” outlined four key priorities: digital inclusion, digital skills and literacy, online safety and mental health, and meaningful participation in governance processes.

Salvador emphasised moving beyond basic inclusion, proposing “moving from guaranteeing access to enabling meaningful participation to eventual co-ownership in global arenas.” He highlighted that the Youth IGF network “already mobilises and educates youth across 40+ countries.”

Key youth priorities include:

– Ensuring “affordable, reliable, secure internet access especially for underserved regions”

– Developing “digital skills and literacy crucial for meaningful online engagement”

– Implementing “holistic digital well-being approaches”

– Creating measurable targets towards “youth-led accountability mechanisms”

## Areas of Consensus

Strong agreement emerged across stakeholder groups on several key areas:

### Multi-stakeholder Governance

All participants endorsed the multi-stakeholder approach as fundamental. Iida emphasised that “the IGF provides a unique venue for multi-stakeholder learning and equal participation across different stakeholder groups.”

### IGF Sustainability

Consensus existed on securing the IGF’s long-term future through enhanced mandates and sustainable funding, with support for longer-term mandate renewals and greater institutional stability.

### Youth Empowerment

All speakers recognised youth empowerment as essential, moving beyond traditional inclusion to acknowledge young people as current innovators deserving meaningful participation.

### Digital Divide Urgency

Participants agreed on the urgent need to address persistent digital divides, emphasising meaningful usage rather than just coverage expansion.

## Next Steps and Timeline

As outlined by the moderator, the WSIS Plus 20 process moves rapidly through 2024, with key milestones leading to the final high-level meeting in December. The discussion demonstrated strong stakeholder alignment on fundamental priorities for IGF strengthening.

## Conclusion

William Lee’s closing metaphor captured the current moment: “building a bridge” where “the hardest part is the moment before you connect the two parts, where both parts are teetering on the edge and there may be a storm.”

The session revealed remarkable consensus across diverse stakeholder groups on strengthening the IGF through enhanced mandates, sustainable funding, maintained multi-stakeholder approaches, youth empowerment, and addressing digital divides. This alignment provides a strong foundation for advancing IGF strengthening initiatives through the WSIS Plus 20 review process, building on the IGF’s 20-year track record of multi-stakeholder collaboration in global digital governance.

Yoichi Iida: Good afternoon. Thank you very much for joining us in this open forum session on enhancing the role of the Internet Governance Forum through global digital compact follow-up and WSIS Plus training review processes. So my name is Yoichi Iida, the former Asset and Vice Minister at the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and we have excellent five speakers on my side, four next to me and one online. So thank you very much to all the panelists for joining me in this session and let me introduce quickly five speakers. First we have Ms. Marit Palovilta, if I pronounce correctly and Deputy Director General at Connect Europe. And second we have Mr. Murillo Salvador from Youth IGF. Thank you very much. And next we have Mr. William Lee from the Australian Government working at the Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, Sport and the Art Ministry. You have a lot of work. And then we have also the government of Germany, Mr. Philippe Schutte from the Ministry of Education. Digital Transformation and Government Modernization of Germany Ms. Gitanjali Sarr, Strategy and Policy Coordinator, ITU Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . We will have zero draft in August, and we will have the second preparatory meeting in mid-October. And then the UN provides information that we will have the first draft outcome document in November, which needs to be negotiated to reach the final consensus in a high-level meeting on the sideline of General Assembly in the middle of December this year. So we have a very important process to come in front of us, and today I want to discuss how we can make our IGF even stronger and more robust through this negotiation, and what would be the point, what would be the priorities for us. And in particular, from the viewpoint of different stakeholders, and then how we can achieve those priorities. That is the major point of this session. So without further ado, I would like to ask questions to individual panelists. So the first question, having looked at the progress over the last one or two years, what are your priorities or targets in the coming WSIS Plus 20 review and global digital compact follow-up process? So I would like to first invite Mr. William Lee. Your government issued a non-paper, and what are the major points in the paper, and what do you think the Australian government wants to achieve?

William Lee: Thank you and thank you very much for having me. My name is William Lee. I’m the WSIS Plus 20 Policy Lead for the Australian Government’s Department of Infrastructure and Communications and many other things. As you mentioned, Australia only recently published a non-paper on the WSIS Plus 20 process, which sets out some of our objectives and some of the ideas that we think might be worthy of consideration and conversation. What I will say at the start is that we have put this out as a conversation starter. It’s not necessarily where we think the final outcome will be and it’s not necessarily the final outcome that our government will support. But what we have tried to do is understand what different parts of the global community see as important and taken through the evidence that exists, what are some of the ideas that could come forward. I think it’s probably prudent to start on the question of the Internet Governance Forum, given we are here in Norway at the moment. And I think one of the key things for us is to secure the long-term future of the IGF, both in terms of its function, its mandate, but also the resourcing that it needs to deliver. One of the key things that we hear time and time again is the question of inclusivity and how do we bring the tens of thousands of people, the hundreds of thousands of people that are interested in digital issues together. It’s obviously not practical that everyone comes to the global IGF, but what we have seen through the WSIS process over the last 20 years is some really, really strong national and regional initiatives emerge, youth IGFs emerge, other processes emerge. And one of the things that we would like to see is a conversation about how we start a cycle of conversation between the global IGF and these national and regional initiatives So that all voices can be heard at all levels of the conversation and nothing is lost in those processes We would love to see as many people as possible at the global IGF from as many different regions and stakeholders as possible And while we have some ideas about how we may be able to raise money to better support those that need it to be able to participate in some of these conversations We also recognize that there is a need to connect those conversations together So that no matter the resources and capability of each stakeholder We make sure that those voices are not lost in the process. I think other elements That are really important for us cultural and linguistic diversity. I think really valuable. I think Dealing with the online environment that we now face Really challenging, but I think really important. How do we provide a safe online environment? How do we address the questions around digital platforms? How do we strengthen information integrity online? I think the question of youth empowerment and engagement is really central I think Youth is the future of this digital world and they are delivering things that we would never have thought possible But how do we connect their voice at every stage of that conversation? How do we innovate? How do we encourage entrepreneurs? How do we support small and medium businesses engage with their online world? Of course universal and meaningful connectivity is really really important There is still a third of the world offline That is mostly a usage gap rather than and finally one of the things that I will say in the in the non paper that we have presented is this idea of communities of practice and the purpose behind that is really that question of how do we focus energy and effort from all parts of the community into problems that we know exist, challenges that we know are being articulated and digital gaps or digital divides that need to be closed and bridged and so one of the ways we think we can do that is through bringing together stakeholders around particular topics and issues for a time limited period to really focus in on particular issues and drive outcomes forward and the IGF as a institution is a really valuable way to bring all of those conversations together. I’ll pause there, thank you very much.

Yoichi Iida: Okay, thank you very much William for this very much comprehensive comment and also the stress on the inclusivity and also diversity which are two of the most important elements the IGF is realizing in this formulation. So thank you very much for the comment and now I would like to turn to Mr. Philip Schutte to talk about the viewpoint from probably European perspective. We have the kind of agreement on the informal multi-stakeholder sounding board and maybe that concept is also very important in your comment.

Philipp Schulte: Yes, thank you Yuichi. Thank you for having me, and also congratulations to Australia for this excellent non-paper. First people already were quoting the paper to me, so I think that’s already a success here. Congratulations. And indeed, as Australia and other UN member states were thinking about the process, I mean, way ahead already, before the Elements paper, which was published last Friday, came to us, the EU, I mean, the EU will negotiate as a whole, as a bloc in the UN system, was finding common positions already in the last month, and was also trying to come up with a positive approach and bringing some ideas in it. Indeed, the founding board was a non-paper by the EU and its member states, and we are really pleased to see that the co-facilitator took up the idea, and I mean, it’s not one to run translated, but I mean, it also was only a discussion paper from us, but we are really pleased to see that they took up the idea and, yeah, have started a call for application for MAG members of the current MAG and the leadership panel, and I think 10 members of the current MAG and the leadership panel will be in the founding board, and it’s completely informal, it’s not institutionalized, so it’s not a heavy bureaucracy, but it’s one mean for the co-facilitators to test some ideas, to exchange views, since being a co-facilitator can be a heavy burden, and it’s a lot of work for the delegations in New York, so I think that might be a helpful tool to support the co-facilitators. The origin question on priorities, I mean I totally agree with what William said, that are also, a lot of them are also priorities of German government but also of the European Union. Indeed, a key priority, and that doesn’t come as a surprise to you, will be the Internet Governance Forum and the meaningful stakeholder participation at the Internet Governance Forum but also through other Internet Governance processes. And one way indeed is, well one idea how to implement that is the sounding board. But speaking about the IGF, it’s like a renewal of the mandate would be awesome, but maybe we can even, yeah, dream a bit more and not only have a new rule for five years but maybe a longer long-term renewal. And of course, I mean that’s always the topic when we talk about the IGF, it’s a financial foundation of the IGF. We have some, I mean we did some good efforts in the last year, the leadership panel helped a lot in raising funds and I think we can build on that. And I think the voluntary funding is a good, I think it’s actually an asset of the IGF and we see that in the current budget crisis that is actually an advantage of the IGF that is voluntary funding and I think we should keep voluntary funding but we might also discuss if like part of the funding can be integrated in the UN budget. We are at least open-minded to have this discussion and we are also happy to receive ideas on this. And then, I mean, it’s not only about money but it’s also about people and ideas and here one thing which in our internal analysis about the IGF and the multi-stakeholder system is that we would like to have a stronger voice of the IGF and other multilateral organizations. but also another multi-stakeholder forum, and we think that one idea the EU will promote during the business forum is to strengthen the IGF secretariat in particular through appointment of a director position. So this existed in the past, but was then kind of forgotten because of budgetary constraints, but we think that could really strengthen the IGF and could create a better leadership. It would be easier for other UN agencies also to exchange with the IGF secretariat and so on. So these are priorities. Other priorities, of course, for the business is the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. We think that we could strengthen the role in the WSIS process since human rights issues and human-centric design of technologies will become more and more important with new topics coming up, and the EU will definitely advocate for that. And then the WSIS is not only about content, but it’s very much also about the process itself. And I mean, we have the sounding board now, but we also advocate for strong and meaningful multi-stakeholder participation through the whole process to the very end, and I think that will be also a top priority for us.

Yoichi Iida: Okay, thank you very much for those very insightful comments. And actually, the common position of EU is always making a lot of impact on the negotiation, in particular between the groups of countries, and I think the EU strategy will be very important for other like-minded partners. So now we have heard from two governments, and now I would like to invite Gitanjali online to ask about a kind of perspective of international organization. So Gitanjali, the floor is yours.

Gitanjali Sah: Thank you, Yoichi-san. Can you hear me? Yes, I can hear you loud and clear. Okay, good afternoon and apologies for not being there. In-person, I will be joining IGF on the 25th. We have our ITU council ongoing, so we have been quite busy here. So, of course, WSIS, like we heard before from Philip and William, is really digital cooperation in action. Currently, we work with more than 50 UN entities. If you would like a UN perspective, it’s really one UN in action looking at digital cooperation issues. And each one of us, based on our respective mandates, implement or co-implement different WSIS action lines. For example, ITU leads the facilitation of infrastructure, cybersecurity, capacity building and enabling environment. Similarly, WHO for e-health, ILO for e-employment. And you will see this beauty of the framework in the WSIS plus 20 action line assessments that the WSIS action line facilitators have made. And it’s available online on the WSIS forum page as well as the WSIS plus 20 review page. This is a valuable piece of document because it highlights the emerging trends challenges from the perspective of the UN agencies facilitating these action lines. So, we have taken this process, of course, very seriously, especially the key UN agencies involved. We launched a joint preparatory process in September 2022, actually, where we started designing a roadmap. So, ITU Secretary General has a WSIS plus 20 roadmap that we present to our membership. UNESCO has their WSIS plus 20 roadmap that they will present to their governing body and so does the CSTD. This preparatory process, of course, we had the annual session of the UN CSTD where the draft ECOSOC resolution was approved by member states. We had the UNESCO conference and we will soon have the ITU and other UN agencies WSIS forum and, of course, IGF with UNOTAB right now. So, we saw the commitment of ITU’s membership during the ITU Council, which is ongoing right now. We presented the WSIS documents where they actually showed the commitment towards not only what we’ve achieved in the 20 years, but also the future of the WSIS process. William, congratulations for the Australian paper and Switzerland also has a non-paper on WSIS plus 20. Very good documents and the WSIS cofacts came up with the elements paper. Also appreciate that, but of course, we will be providing our feedback also in the sense that important multi-stakeholder platform like WSIS forum is missing from the paper. So, we will be providing our feedback on it as well. So, in terms of the priorities, Yoichi Iida, we look at, of course, digital inclusivity, bridging the digital divide. It’s really unacceptable that 38% of the African population only has access to the internet. Thank you very much. Thank you. Remain with 189 million more men online than women globally. Rural populations, of course, this appropriately affected as well. And capacity building skills training with the evolution of technology, we really have to ensure that digital skills and capacity building tools and knowledge are in place for people. Of course, for our priorities, the multi-stakeholder framework, it remains one of the key successes of WSIS, where we have been working together to address the complexities of the digital world. As part of the WSIS plus 20 review, it’s also essential to highlight and strengthen the role of the Internet Governance Forum for Global Digital Governance Services Forum for grassroots development. Both have been essential in crystallizing dialogue and developing concrete outcomes. The WSIS Stocktaking Database, which has more than 2 million subscribers and 15,000 entries, really remains a vital tool for capturing real digital impact. And these are the WSIS regional and national initiatives which have been inputted by the stakeholders on their own. Every year, we have a call for action to update the projects. And the WSIS prizes, we had a record number of submissions this year, 972, with an increased global engagement of 2.2 million words. So this really shows the real enthusiasm and the commitment that the stakeholders have towards all of these processes. Of course, we would like to say, Yoichi Iida, that the WSIS framework has evolved with the evolution of technology because the action lines have provided a great framework. With respect to the GDC, we look at it as a booster to the WSIS process. And we, the UNGIS group, the United Nations group, came up with a matrix that maps the GDC objectives with the WSIS action lines and the WSIS process in general. And it really shows that we are already implementing the objectives of GDC. And we stand ready, as the CSTD ECOSOC resolution mentioned, that the WSIS architecture stands ready to implement the GDC objectives. I’ll end by saying that WSIS has focused on building adaptive governance processes and can keep pace with rapid evolution of technology. And we need to ensure that we have a very dynamic process so that we can evolve and meet the challenges and opportunities presented by new technologies. Back to you, Yoichi Iida.

Yoichi Iida: Thank you very much, Gitanjali-san, for the very insightful comment. And also, the UN negotiation and discussion process is always complicated. And even for us, government officials, your formulation and organization of the different elements and the existing resources is quite useful for us. So thank you very much. And we fully agree to the point made by Gitanjali and also Philippe, and the inclusivity and the meaningful participation of stakeholders is critically important. In particular, when we look back at the process of GDC negotiation last year. So now I would like to invite Marit, Ms. Marit Palavista, for your priorities from the business perspective.

Maarit Palovirta: Thank you very much, and thank you for the kind invitation to be part of this panel today. So, my name is Marit Palavista, I’m the Deputy Director General at Connect Europe. And for those who don’t know us, we are a Brussels-based trade association and we represent the European telecom operators. So our members invest a lot in telecoms. to telecom operators. And so you might ask what is the benefit of the multi-stakeholder model for us specifically and also of the IGF. So I think that to give you an answer, so first of all I think our members they drive really the digital transformation not only of the European continent but also beyond. So some of our largest members are present in Africa, in Asia, in Latin America and of course providing connectivity services. And connectivity services are today running on open and global IP protocols and the whole technical foundation that is still very solid and firm is very important for operators to be able to provide these interoperable and connectivity services. And of course this process is firmly backed up by the multi-stakeholder model and has been so for quite some time. So that’s a very clear benefit for us. The second benefit is more than in the area of policy and specifically the IGF. So we believe that the IGF and in general the internet governance sphere is very important for aligning common principles for different policy issues. And for us this is really more about policy shaping than about policy making. So of course laws are made in our case in Europe but this global forum really allows us to exchange with different stakeholders and also to understand and learn what’s going on in the world. And in many ways I think one of the benefits of the IGF is that it’s so inclusive and open that for a private sector representative like ourselves we come here much easier than we would perhaps go to I don’t know some of the formalized meetings at the ITU or the OECD. And just for your information we are a sector member of the ITU as well and also part of the OECD BIAC but in terms of time spent and resources the IGF seems to be an easier forum for us to engage. And just for the priorities on the WSIS plus 20. So this is of course something that governments are hands-on negotiating but we are very firmly calling for the continuation of the IGF mandate and very much for the reasons that I just mentioned. We believe that this is truly an invaluable forum to promote the multi-stakeholder engagement and to discuss the different policy issues. And then in which shape or form we know very well that there’s issue with budgeting that also the let’s say the stability or the exact form and shape is still under discussion. So we are exchanging on these and liaising at the regional level with our policymakers and also then hoping to have our voice heard in the discussions which we of course cannot really attend and also due to resourcing issues it is challenging. On the GDC priority it is very important for us that the implementation will be of course a success and we would be also supportive of including the multi-stakeholder approach or different stakeholders in the implementation phase. And I think for example for our sector so we have meaningful connectivity as part of the GDC framing and of course it is very important for us to understand then how will this be measured and what are we in the end expected to do because the implementation will happen as a partnership between governments and private sector also of course of the not-for-profit in some cases. So again there the multi-stakeholder aspect is very important. I would also agree I think it was William who mentioned that when we talk about the implementation it’s not only about the coverage it’s also about the usage. So looking at this whole what is meaningful connectivity and taking a kind of ecosystemic point of view because also in Europe we see very well that today we have more coverage than we actually have uptake of the services. So maybe those are my introductory remarks on this important topic. Thank you.

Yoichi Iida: Okay thank you very much Marit for the comment and I cannot agree more to the point that IGF is so unique place where the different stakeholders meet each other on equal basis. And actually this is a very very important venue for the government officials to learn how we can work in multi-stakeholder approach together with other stakeholders. So thank you very much for the comment and now I would like to invite the youth representative Mr. Murillo Salvador.

Murillo Salvador: Thank you. Thank you very much. Yes I’m Murillo. I’m here representing the Swiss Youth IGF but also the global youth IGF which is a network of the youth IGFs in more than 40 countries and we of course have been organizing national regional events. We have been developing capacity building programs and policy consultations to represent this youth voice that as you said is extremely important because youth brings fresh perspective. The youth are digital natives so they have this know-how sometimes that we. Director-General, IGF Youth Inclusion is not just optional, it is essential. If we focus on the future role of the IGF, we can propose four priorities, which are not just principles for us, but should be ideally measurable targets towards a youth-led accountability mechanism for these four principles. Our first principle, digital inclusion, is crucial to ensure that we have affordable, reliable, secure access of the Internet for all, especially in underserved regions. And here we can, of course, cross this notion with the global majority and youth in the global majority. Digital skills and literacy, that’s our first principle. Second principle, my apologies, and here we highlight the competencies to meaningfully engage online, so not only have access, but also have the capacity to meaningfully engage in the digital economy, to understand technology from a critical point of view, so as to develop that digital citizenship, which is essential, looking forward into the future. Our third principle, I’d like to highlight here, concerns safety and mental health, a huge issue now, of course, increasingly important now. So addressing the harms that are caused by mental health, addressing the disinformation online, and developing this holistic idea of digital well-being is crucial for an organization like the IGF, thinking into the future. And the fourth principle that I want to put forward here is the participation in the governance, which is the final step, so ensuring that these formal mechanisms to contribute and to co-create the policies that, of course, being here myself is part of that, but it’s much broader than that, and that’s our first priority. Thank you.

Yoichi Iida: Okay, thank you very much to all five speakers for your very, very insightful and also the forward-looking comments, and also the very strategic priorities. So, having heard from all of you about your priorities and the targets in the process coming, such as WSIS Review, and also GDC follow-up. How do you think those priorities and the targets can be achieved and what is your strategy? What would you recommend to governments who work in the negotiations and also what do you recommend to maybe DESA or UN people on how to ensure the meaningful participation in the process? So first on this question, let me invite Gitanjali online for your opinions on the proposals and recommendations on how to achieve those priorities.

Gitanjali Sah: Thank you, Yoichi-san. So of course from our side, you know, from the UN perspective the follow-up will require a coordinated, inclusive and action-oriented strategy and really from what we hear from all stakeholders is that we should have a lot of ambition to ensure that all those priorities can be achieved. So our approach is anchored in the WSIS legacy which puts people at the center of digital transformation, promotes multi-stakeholder cooperation and builds agile governance for the future. We do know that we have to be agile to be able to evolve with the changing technologies. So we will deepen our coordination through the United Nations Group on Information Societies, ensuring that there is no duplication and that we are working in sync based on each other’s mandates and priorities to ensure that we have a UN system-wide digital and all these actions are aligned and they’re complementary. We do know that there are a lot of restrictions in of course resources right now, so we have to be sure that we don’t duplicate and then we complement each other. Of course from our side as UN agencies we really feel that we need to continue to build on the platforms of the Internet Governance Forum and the WSIS Forum to ensure that they’re able to provide wider consultations. So we have these open consultation processes where we are able to gather views and inputs of all stakeholders so that we can build these programs, the agendas and really to shape policy as one of the speakers mentioned before me as well. And also representation of the grassroots and the under-represented stakeholders. So really the importance of these platforms to be able to provide all these inputs from different communities. Then digital transformation really was must work for everyone. So to be able to prioritize digital skills and capacity building we need to highlight the action line on capacity building. So ITU is currently leading the facilitation of it with UNDP and with many other UN agencies especially UNESCO, UNITAR and so on so forth. Also promoting local ownership and having like tailored local solutions capacity building program is really important for the success of any process like this as well. Some of you did mention for us it’s really important that we also have a measurable impact. Currently the WSIS action line complementing of course a complementary framework for WSIS and the GDC, avoid duplication and maximize synergies. The UN bodies that are involved in the WSIS implementation are already working on it and we think that we will be able to offer a tested and inclusive implementation model to deliver on the GDC commitment. So in summary, Yoichi-san, build on the 20 years of WSIS’ success, strengthen the multi-stakeholder partnerships and collaborations, mobilize digital cooperation across all levels, the UN at the national, regional and international level as well. Of course, regional commissions, we work very closely with them and to ensure that digital transformation advances equality and the internationally agreed development goals. Back to you, Yoichi-san.

Yoichi Iida: Okay, Gitanjali-san, thank you very much for the very concrete proposals and the comments and strategic viewpoints. In particular, the coordination inside the UN would be very important and that is one of the stressed points in the GDC negotiation last year. And also measurable indicators would be very important and that is something before us to do in the coming month. So having listened to these points and also representation would be very important in particular from the communities in the little bit less strong position. From that point of view, I would like to invite again Murillo on your opinion. How do you think your priorities can be achieved and what do you think the major roles of the youth community and how do you think you can materialize your priorities or how other communities or governments or other generations can help youth community take your role?

Murillo Salvador: Thank you for the great question. I’ll try to be concise. So a lot of this we’re already doing and this goes in the spirit of the GDC that refers to the WSIS outcomes as a foundation on which to build. And the youth IGF is already providing a good foundation that should be further supported, I think. So we have three points to answer your question. One is working on youth capacity, the second is working on youth voice and decision making, and third is promoting that international generation collaboration that you mentioned. So just to elaborate on each point very quickly, the first point, youth community roles here are important. So our youth community, the youth IGF in each national chapter, we are already mobilizing and educating and organizing the youth, already co-developing this policy recommendations and bringing them here and then translating back the outcomes to the local peers. So this is a work that we are already doing that we ask of continuous support as we think of the future. Second point, of course, thinking about youth voice and enabling that voice, everything goes back to funding. So funding the youth, funding us being here, of course, being able to speak here, but also more broadly our activities, we think about moving from guaranteeing access to enabling many from participation, as we have already mentioned, to a final, let’s say, ambition of having a co-ownership sort of ideal for youth in this global arenas. Now the third point, as I mentioned, generational collaboration is essential here. Mentorship, of course, providing these mentorship opportunities is something that we call for. Resource sharing from other communities to the youth communities, that’s essential too. As I mentioned, we have this financing. And then thinking about not just including us, but also being our allies and not just speaking for us, but opening the doors for us and letting us speak for ourselves. Because, as I mentioned, we already do this work of gathering input and formulating recommendations. So that’s all. Thank you.

Yoichi Iida: Okay, thank you very much. Very future-looking comments and also these are very important role of youth community. And we are discussing for the future of internet and the future of internet will be owned by the youth generation. So that is very important. And they talked about some support from other communities and also co-ownership. So having listened to these points and what is your view, Marit, from a business perspective? How do you think you can achieve your priorities and also how do you think business community can help other communities?

Maarit Palovirta: Yes, so thank you very much. On the goals of WSIS, I’m just, you know, I think I very much agreed with what also Gitanjali just said about not duplicating and being simple. So when we think about our participation, but I’m also thinking other communities. for stakeholders like ourselves to dedicate time and resources to to meaningfully contribute. So I think avoiding duplication and simplicity that would be really my number one. I also liked like the point I think Philip made it on on reinforcing the regional or the link between the regional initiatives and and the global ones. So we for example we very much work with the European Internet Governance Forum as well the EuroDIG and I think that you know for many communities who are maybe even who maybe even have less resources than ourselves you know they could use this regional event as a first kind of a base to go on and discuss an exchange and then there is a mechanism if there was somehow a clear link also to bring these messages to the global forum then that could also be very effective from from our point of view. And I think lastly and it was already mentioned and I also mentioned in myself so I think more stability at the IGF level that would you know I don’t know remove a lot of distraction. So now we every five years we’re discussing the process a lot simply because there’s a renewal of the mandate. So I think that some level of permanence and funding would really help us also then focus on the key policy issues at hand and really focus on the substance and and these important issues that we all need to exchange on. So I think those would be my three messages. Thank you.

Yoichi Iida: Okay thank you very much. We fully agree to the point in particular the simplicity or streamlining the discussion and so many emerging topics and policy items which we have to tackle for our policy for the future. So having listened to those views from different communities I would like to ask a government perspective from two speakers. So first I would like to invite probably Philip on your priorities and the understanding on how to achieve those priorities.

Philipp Schulte: Thank you. Just before to react on some of the points mentioned. First of all I actually think one of the main benefits is the engagement. The IGF and it’s even I would say it’s even for government easier to engage at the IGF level and I think that’s a huge benefit and that’s what also why we come here and present our strategies and our priorities because Here we actually get the input to make them better and to make them fit for the system and for for for the stakeholders So and then on on the second point When we talk about the IGF, we always like we need more funding and we need to extend but actually and that’s all true yeah, but Actually, it works out also pretty well. Yeah, and so the secretary is doing an amazing job. You and these are really committed and So we have this amazing conference yet last year an amazing conference in Kyoto. That was a major success So we have huge events which are always complicated to organize, but they are successful people come there There are a thousand people. They have a good time They have a great conference and I think we should value that and we should communicate that maybe better Yeah, so this is really conference if you want to discuss digital policy on an international or global level There’s no other conference such as the IGF and you really have to come here Yeah to discuss and to meet the people and I think that’s a great great value and maybe we should Be a bit better and communicated. So coming to back to our priorities I mean, I mentioned and there’s always month the money question we supporting the IGF, but we also supporting our Organization, but then it’s not on only about money. It’s also about people and ideas So what what we did in Germany as arm, so we saw that thought okay, we what can we do and what’s really low-key kind of easy thing to to to to support the community and We established a fellowship international digital policy for young young adults from 18 to 30 years and We support them to come to the IGF but also to other international and multilateral conferences such as the AI summit at the AI Action Summit and but also the CSTD. So we have 16 young people who are really eager to learn about the community and we help them to get engaged in the community. So we introduce them to people they might want to talk to. We pay the travel cost but also we explain what’s going on, how is the IGF, why should be engaged. And I think that’s compared to other government programs, little money with a huge impact and it really can help the community because these people now know how it goes, know the multi-stakeholder approach, know how the IGF was established, how the IGF works, how the community thinks and now they can find their own way in the community which is, even it’s very inclusive, is sometimes a bit difficult to approach the people who work in WSIS for 20 years, who are really experienced and you come in as a newcomer, I mean you might experience that better. But it’s sometimes a bit, even when I started my position I was a bit shy and didn’t know all the ideas before and so I think that’s really helpful and that can help not only the global, I mean not only the national IGF but also the regional IGF and also the global IGF in the end. And I will stop here since we have only four minutes left.

Yoichi Iida: Okay thank you very much and thank you very much for mentioning Kyoto IGF. Actually we learned a lot from Berlin IGF when we formulate the Kyoto IGF. So sorry for the management of time but last question, what is your strategy to achieve your priorities?

William Lee: Thanks very much. Look I’ll be very brief. I think what we are doing is building a bridge to cross those digital divides. Digital is complex. There are many, many different issues at the moment, and there are many, many experts who are really across different parts of that digital landscape. Second, I think as governments we need practical solutions. We are looking at problems, all of these problems together and looking towards the global community to show us how we can solve them. So if you have a practical idea, something that you would like the global community to consider, then that is something that we as governments want to hear. Thirdly, I think it’s really important to be bold and to be positive in what we’re thinking. The IGF is a testament to the positivity over the last 20 years, and its enduring nature regardless of what is happening outside of this conference venue is its success. And I think for it to continue to be a success, we need to continue to look at bold and positive ideas for the future. And then finally, we often talk about stakeholder groups in isolation. We talk about governments, civil society, technical community, business community, academia, youth. I actually think the IGF’s enduring value is its ability to bring all of those groups together and have conversations like this that cut across those stakeholder groups. And so I would only encourage those conversations to continue as we go forward for the next six months to continue to show the value that the IGF will bring. I said at the beginning that we’re building a bridge, and the hardest part about building a bridge is the moment before you connect the two parts, where both parts are teetering on the edge and there may be a storm or something.

Yoichi Iida: Thank you very much for the story. And so I understood, you know, this storm of WSIS Plus 20 review is coming, and our work to bridge, making the bridge has to be done. And that, in the end, the IGF will be even stronger. And the important thing is to continue our work without stopping and also learning each other. So I think time is running out, but I just want to take one question from the floor, if one of you have any questions to one or two or even more of the speakers. Do you have any questions? Is there any question online? Okay, I think the discussion was so clear that nobody has a question anymore. That makes us very happy, and thank you very much for the very active discussion. And actually, I myself learned quite a lot from the discussion from the speakers, and one of the most important learnings here is continue our work all together and keep learning from each other. And until not the end, but also connect the bridge, bridge the complete, and then we will have even more robust IGF beyond the WSIS Plus 20 review. So thank you very much for the discussion, and thank you very much for joining us to everybody on site and online. I hope this will be useful. some helpful learning for everybody and one of the things we learned here is let’s get a keep in contact and working together and the go beyond which is for us to any review so thank you very much and the session is concluded.

Agreement points

Strengthening IGF mandate and ensuring sustainable funding

Speakers

– William Lee
– Philipp Schulte
– Maarit Palovirta

Arguments

Secure long-term future of IGF with enhanced mandate, function, and sustainable resourcing

Advocate for longer-term mandate renewal beyond the typical five-year cycle

IGF provides invaluable forum for multi-stakeholder engagement and policy discussion that is more accessible than formal ITU or OECD meetings

Summary

All three speakers agree on the critical importance of securing the IGF’s long-term future through enhanced mandates and sustainable funding, with Schulte specifically advocating for longer-term renewals beyond five years

Topics

Legal and regulatory

Multi-stakeholder approach as fundamental to internet governance

Speakers

– William Lee
– Philipp Schulte
– Gitanjali Sah
– Maarit Palovirta
– Yoichi Iida

Arguments

Create cycle of conversation between global IGF and national/regional initiatives to ensure all voices are heard

Establish informal multi-stakeholder sounding board to support co-facilitators in WSIS Plus 20 process

Multi-stakeholder framework remains key success of WSIS for addressing digital world complexities

IGF provides invaluable forum for multi-stakeholder engagement and policy discussion that is more accessible than formal ITU or OECD meetings

IGF provides unique venue for multi-stakeholder learning and equal participation across different stakeholder groups

Summary

All speakers strongly support the multi-stakeholder approach as essential for effective internet governance, emphasizing its role in bringing together diverse voices and perspectives

Topics

Legal and regulatory | Development

Youth empowerment and meaningful participation

Speakers

– William Lee
– Philipp Schulte
– Murillo Salvador
– Yoichi Iida

Arguments

Youth empowerment central as they are the future of digital world and deliver unprecedented innovations

Establish fellowship programs for young adults to learn about international digital policy and multi-stakeholder approaches

Move from guaranteeing youth access to enabling meaningful participation and eventual co-ownership in global arenas

Youth ownership of internet’s future requires their central participation in governance discussions

Summary

Strong consensus on the critical importance of youth participation in internet governance, with recognition that young people are both the future of the digital world and current innovators who deserve meaningful participation

Topics

Development | Sociocultural | Human rights

Bridging digital divides and ensuring meaningful connectivity

Speakers

– William Lee
– Gitanjali Sah
– Maarit Palovirta
– Murillo Salvador

Arguments

Address universal and meaningful connectivity as critical priority, focusing on usage gap rather than just coverage

Digital inclusivity essential given 38% of African population lacks internet access and 189 million more men than women are online globally

Meaningful connectivity implementation requires partnership between governments and private sector with clear measurement frameworks

Digital inclusion must ensure affordable, reliable, secure internet access especially for underserved regions and global majority youth

Summary

All speakers agree on the urgent need to address digital divides, with emphasis on moving beyond coverage to meaningful usage and addressing geographic and demographic disparities

Topics

Infrastructure | Development | Human rights

Similar viewpoints

Both emphasize the importance of coordination within UN systems and strengthening institutional frameworks to avoid duplication and ensure human-centric approaches

Speakers

– Philipp Schulte
– Gitanjali Sah

Arguments

Deepen coordination through UN Group on Information Societies to avoid duplication and ensure complementary actions

Strengthen role of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in WSIS process for human-centric technology design

Topics

Legal and regulatory | Human rights

Both emphasize the need for practical, streamlined approaches that enable effective stakeholder participation despite resource constraints

Speakers

– William Lee
– Maarit Palovirta

Arguments

Focus on practical solutions and bold, positive ideas while maintaining cross-stakeholder conversations

Avoid duplication and maintain simplicity to enable meaningful stakeholder participation with limited resources

Topics

Legal and regulatory

Both stress the critical importance of capacity building and digital skills development to enable meaningful participation in the digital world

Speakers

– Gitanjali Sah
– Murillo Salvador

Arguments

Strengthen capacity building and digital skills training to keep pace with technological evolution

Digital skills and literacy crucial for meaningful online engagement and critical understanding of technology

Topics

Development | Sociocultural

Unexpected consensus

Private sector accessibility of IGF compared to formal international organizations

Speakers

– Maarit Palovirta
– Philipp Schulte

Arguments

IGF provides invaluable forum for multi-stakeholder engagement and policy discussion that is more accessible than formal ITU or OECD meetings

Actually think one of the main benefits is the engagement. The IGF and it’s even I would say it’s even for government easier to engage at the IGF level

Explanation

Unexpected agreement between business and government representatives that IGF is more accessible and easier to engage with than formal international organizations like ITU or OECD, suggesting IGF’s informal structure is valued across stakeholder groups

Topics

Legal and regulatory | Economic

IGF’s current effectiveness despite resource constraints

Speakers

– Philipp Schulte
– Maarit Palovirta

Arguments

Actually, it works out also pretty well. Yeah, and so the secretary is doing an amazing job

More stability at the IGF level that would you know I don’t know remove a lot of distraction

Explanation

Unexpected consensus that despite ongoing concerns about funding and mandate renewal, the IGF is currently functioning well and delivering successful outcomes, suggesting the focus should be on stability rather than major structural changes

Topics

Legal and regulatory

Overall assessment

Summary

Strong consensus exists across all stakeholder groups on core principles: strengthening the IGF through enhanced mandates and sustainable funding, maintaining and enhancing multi-stakeholder approaches, prioritizing youth empowerment, and addressing digital divides through meaningful connectivity initiatives

Consensus level

High level of consensus with remarkable alignment across government, business, civil society, international organization, and youth representatives. This strong agreement suggests favorable conditions for advancing IGF strengthening initiatives through the WSIS Plus 20 review process, with shared priorities likely to facilitate successful negotiations and implementation

Different viewpoints

IGF funding approach – voluntary vs. integrated UN budget

Speakers

– Philipp Schulte
– Maarit Palovirta

Arguments

Strengthen IGF secretariat through appointment of a director position to improve leadership and coordination

IGF provides invaluable forum for multi-stakeholder engagement and policy discussion that is more accessible than formal ITU or OECD meetings

Summary

Schulte suggests integrating part of IGF funding into the UN budget while maintaining voluntary funding, whereas Palovirta emphasizes that the current voluntary funding model is actually an advantage that makes IGF more accessible than formal organizations like ITU or OECD

Topics

Legal and regulatory | Economic

Unexpected differences

Formalization vs. accessibility of IGF processes

Speakers

– Philipp Schulte
– Maarit Palovirta

Arguments

Strengthen IGF secretariat through appointment of a director position to improve leadership and coordination

IGF provides invaluable forum for multi-stakeholder engagement and policy discussion that is more accessible than formal ITU or OECD meetings

Explanation

Unexpectedly, while both support the IGF, Schulte advocates for more formalization through director positions and potential UN budget integration, while Palovirta values the current informal accessibility that distinguishes IGF from formal organizations. This represents a tension between institutionalization and accessibility

Topics

Legal and regulatory

Overall assessment

Summary

The discussion showed remarkably high consensus among speakers on core priorities like IGF strengthening, youth participation, digital inclusion, and multi-stakeholder engagement. The main disagreements were subtle and focused on implementation approaches rather than fundamental goals.

Disagreement level

Low level of disagreement with high implications for implementation strategy. The tension between formalization and accessibility could significantly impact how the IGF evolves, as it touches on the fundamental character of the forum. The funding approach disagreement also has practical implications for IGF’s future sustainability and independence.

Partial agreements

Similar viewpoints

Both emphasize the importance of coordination within UN systems and strengthening institutional frameworks to avoid duplication and ensure human-centric approaches

Speakers

– Philipp Schulte
– Gitanjali Sah

Arguments

Deepen coordination through UN Group on Information Societies to avoid duplication and ensure complementary actions

Strengthen role of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in WSIS process for human-centric technology design

Topics

Legal and regulatory | Human rights

Both emphasize the need for practical, streamlined approaches that enable effective stakeholder participation despite resource constraints

Speakers

– William Lee
– Maarit Palovirta

Arguments

Focus on practical solutions and bold, positive ideas while maintaining cross-stakeholder conversations

Avoid duplication and maintain simplicity to enable meaningful stakeholder participation with limited resources

Topics

Legal and regulatory

Both stress the critical importance of capacity building and digital skills development to enable meaningful participation in the digital world

Speakers

– Gitanjali Sah
– Murillo Salvador

Arguments

Strengthen capacity building and digital skills training to keep pace with technological evolution

Digital skills and literacy crucial for meaningful online engagement and critical understanding of technology

Topics

Development | Sociocultural

Key takeaways

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) requires strengthened long-term sustainability through enhanced mandates, stable funding mechanisms, and institutional improvements like appointing a director position

Multi-stakeholder participation must be meaningfully enhanced through mechanisms like informal sounding boards, better coordination between global and regional IGF initiatives, and stronger youth engagement

Digital inclusion remains a critical priority with significant gaps – 38% of African population lacks internet access and 189 million more men than women are online globally

The WSIS Plus 20 review and Global Digital Compact follow-up processes should build on existing frameworks rather than duplicate efforts, with WSIS architecture ready to implement GDC objectives

Youth empowerment is essential for future digital governance, requiring capacity building, meaningful participation mechanisms, and intergenerational collaboration

Practical solutions and cross-stakeholder collaboration are needed to address complex digital challenges, with emphasis on simplicity and avoiding duplication of efforts

Regional and national IGF initiatives should be better connected to global processes to ensure all voices are heard regardless of resource constraints

Resolutions and action items

Continue supporting the informal multi-stakeholder sounding board established by co-facilitators for the WSIS Plus 20 process

Provide feedback on the WSIS Plus 20 elements paper, particularly regarding inclusion of multi-stakeholder platforms like WSIS Forum

Maintain and expand fellowship programs for young adults (18-30 years) to participate in international digital policy discussions

Strengthen coordination through UN Group on Information Societies to avoid duplication and ensure complementary actions

Build stronger linkages between regional IGF initiatives (like EuroDIG) and the global IGF process

Continue capacity building programs through Youth IGF network across 40+ countries

Develop measurable frameworks for meaningful connectivity implementation involving government-private sector partnerships

Unresolved issues

Specific funding mechanisms for IGF sustainability – whether to maintain purely voluntary funding or integrate part into UN budget

Exact structure and duration of renewed IGF mandate beyond the typical five-year cycle

Detailed implementation frameworks for Global Digital Compact objectives and how they will be measured

Specific mechanisms for ensuring meaningful youth participation moves from access to co-ownership in global governance

How to effectively balance simplicity with comprehensive coverage of emerging digital policy issues

Concrete strategies for addressing the usage gap in internet connectivity beyond just coverage expansion

Integration of human rights perspectives through UN High Commissioner for Human Rights role in WSIS process

Suggested compromises

Hybrid funding approach for IGF combining voluntary contributions with potential partial integration into UN budget

Gradual transition from youth access to meaningful participation to eventual co-ownership rather than immediate full participation

Building on existing WSIS framework as foundation for GDC implementation rather than creating entirely new structures

Using regional IGF events as stepping stones for stakeholders with limited resources to eventually participate in global forums

Balancing ambition for comprehensive digital governance with practical resource constraints through focused communities of practice

Maintaining IGF’s informal, accessible nature while adding some institutional strengthening through director position

One of the things that we would like to see is a conversation about how we start a cycle of conversation between the global IGF and these national and regional initiatives so that all voices can be heard at all levels of the conversation and nothing is lost in those processes… communities of practice… bringing together stakeholders around particular topics and issues for a time limited period to really focus in on particular issues and drive outcomes forward

Speaker

William Lee

Reason

This comment introduced a concrete structural innovation for the IGF – creating systematic linkages between global and local levels through ‘communities of practice.’ It moved beyond general calls for inclusivity to propose specific mechanisms for achieving it, addressing the practical challenge of how to include thousands of interested parties who cannot physically attend the global IGF.

Impact

This comment established a foundational framework that other speakers built upon throughout the discussion. Philipp Schulte specifically referenced and praised Australia’s non-paper, and Maarit Palovirta later reinforced the importance of regional-global linkages. It shifted the conversation from abstract principles to concrete implementation strategies.

We would like to have a stronger voice of the IGF and other multilateral organizations… strengthen the IGF secretariat in particular through appointment of a director position. So this existed in the past, but was then kind of forgotten because of budgetary constraints, but we think that could really strengthen the IGF and could create a better leadership.

Speaker

Philipp Schulte

Reason

This comment was particularly insightful because it identified a specific institutional weakness (lack of director-level leadership) and connected it to broader challenges of IGF influence and coordination with other UN agencies. It demonstrated how organizational structure directly impacts policy effectiveness.

Impact

This comment introduced the theme of institutional strengthening that complemented the funding discussions. It elevated the conversation from just securing resources to thinking about governance structure and leadership capacity, influencing later discussions about IGF’s long-term sustainability.

For a private sector representative like ourselves we come here much easier than we would perhaps go to… some of the formalized meetings at the ITU or the OECD… in terms of time spent and resources the IGF seems to be an easier forum for us to engage.

Speaker

Maarit Palovirta

Reason

This comment provided a crucial insight into why the IGF’s informal, multi-stakeholder model actually works better than traditional intergovernmental forums for meaningful engagement. It challenged assumptions about formalization being necessary for effectiveness and highlighted the IGF’s unique value proposition.

Impact

This observation reframed the entire discussion about IGF’s future. Instead of focusing solely on making IGF more formal or institutionalized, it highlighted that IGF’s accessibility and informality are key strengths that should be preserved while strengthening other aspects like funding and coordination.

Youth IGF inclusion is not just optional, it is essential… we can propose four priorities, which are not just principles for us, but should be ideally measurable targets towards a youth-led accountability mechanism… moving from guaranteeing access to enabling many from participation… to a final… ambition of having a co-ownership sort of ideal for youth in this global arenas.

Speaker

Murillo Salvador

Reason

This comment was thought-provoking because it articulated a progression from inclusion to co-ownership, introducing the concept of ‘youth-led accountability mechanisms.’ It moved beyond tokenistic youth participation to propose structural changes that would give youth genuine decision-making power.

Impact

This comment elevated the discussion about youth engagement from a nice-to-have to a strategic imperative. It influenced other speakers to acknowledge youth perspectives more substantively and contributed to the overall theme of meaningful participation versus mere representation.

We established a fellowship international digital policy for young adults from 18 to 30 years… 16 young people who are really eager to learn… compared to other government programs, little money with a huge impact… these people now know how it works, know the multi-stakeholder approach… now they can find their own way in the community

Speaker

Philipp Schulte

Reason

This comment was insightful because it provided a concrete, scalable model for addressing the capacity-building challenge. It demonstrated how governments can support community development through targeted, low-cost interventions that have multiplier effects.

Impact

This practical example shifted the conversation from abstract discussions about youth inclusion to concrete policy tools that other governments could adopt. It provided a bridge between the youth community’s calls for support and actionable government responses.

The IGF is a testament to the positivity over the last 20 years, and its enduring nature regardless of what is happening outside of this conference venue is its success… I said at the beginning that we’re building a bridge, and the hardest part about building a bridge is the moment before you connect the two parts, where both parts are teetering on the edge and there may be a storm

Speaker

William Lee

Reason

This metaphorical framing was thought-provoking because it recontextualized the current challenges facing IGF not as existential threats but as natural parts of a construction process. It provided an optimistic yet realistic perspective on the WSIS+20 negotiations.

Impact

This comment provided a unifying conclusion that tied together the various technical discussions into a broader narrative of progress and resilience. It influenced the moderator’s closing remarks and left participants with a sense of shared purpose despite the challenges ahead.

Overall assessment

These key comments fundamentally shaped the discussion by moving it from abstract principles to concrete implementation strategies. William Lee’s opening framework of ‘communities of practice’ and systematic global-local linkages established a solution-oriented tone that influenced subsequent speakers to provide specific proposals rather than general aspirations. The business perspective from Maarit Palovirta was particularly impactful in reframing IGF’s informality as a strength rather than weakness, which influenced how other speakers discussed institutionalization. Murillo Salvador’s progression from inclusion to co-ownership elevated the entire conversation about meaningful participation, while Philipp Schulte’s fellowship example provided a practical model that bridged abstract goals with actionable policies. The discussion evolved from individual stakeholder priorities to a more integrated understanding of how different communities can support each other’s goals, culminating in William Lee’s bridge metaphor that reframed current challenges as part of a constructive process rather than existential threats.

How can we create a systematic cycle of conversation between the global IGF and national/regional initiatives to ensure all voices are heard at all levels?

Speaker

William Lee

Explanation

This addresses the challenge of inclusivity when not everyone can attend the global IGF, requiring mechanisms to connect different levels of governance forums

How should meaningful connectivity be measured and what specific expectations will be placed on different stakeholders in GDC implementation?

Speaker

Maarit Palovirta

Explanation

Implementation success depends on clear metrics and understanding of roles, particularly for private sector partnerships with governments

How can part of IGF funding be integrated into the UN budget while maintaining the advantages of voluntary funding?

Speaker

Philipp Schulte

Explanation

This explores sustainable financing models that could provide stability while preserving the flexibility that voluntary funding offers

What would be the specific structure and responsibilities of a renewed IGF director position to strengthen the secretariat?

Speaker

Philipp Schulte

Explanation

This position existed previously but was discontinued due to budget constraints; clarifying its role could improve IGF leadership and inter-agency coordination

How can measurable targets and accountability mechanisms be developed for youth inclusion in digital governance?

Speaker

Murillo Salvador

Explanation

Moving beyond principles to concrete, measurable outcomes would ensure meaningful youth participation rather than tokenistic inclusion

What specific mechanisms can ensure meaningful multi-stakeholder participation throughout the entire WSIS+20 negotiation process to the very end?

Speaker

Philipp Schulte

Explanation

While the informal sounding board exists, ensuring stakeholder input continues through final negotiations remains a challenge

How can the WSIS framework evolve to keep pace with rapid technological changes while maintaining its foundational principles?

Speaker

Gitanjali Sah

Explanation

Balancing stability of the framework with adaptability to emerging technologies like AI requires ongoing assessment and potential structural adjustments

What are the most effective models for communities of practice to focus stakeholder energy on specific digital challenges for time-limited periods?

Speaker

William Lee

Explanation

This operational question requires research into successful collaborative models that can drive concrete outcomes on specific issues