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Best Practice Forums (BPFs)
About BPFs
The Best Practice Forums (BPFs) provide a platform to exchange experiences in addressing Internet policy issues. The objective is to collect existing and emerging good practices from community experience, not to develop new policies or practices.
BPFs are open, bottom-up and collective processes to produce community-driven outputs. BPF outputs intend to contribute to an understanding of global good practice, and to serve as a resource to inform policy discussions, standards development, business decisions, as well as public understanding, awareness, and discourse.
BPF background
A report produced by the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) Working Group on Improvements to the IGF called for the development of more tangible outputs to ‘enhance the impact of the IGF on global Internet governance and policy’. To enrich the potential for IGF outputs, the IGF has developed an intersessional programme of Best Practice Forums (BPFs) intended to complement other IGF community activities.
All interested stakeholders are encouraged to contribute to the BPF discussions, through public consultations, surveys, mailing list discussions, online meetings, and other modalities for public engagement. Stakeholders interested in contributing to BPF activities are encouraged to subscribe to the dedicated mailing lists where online meetings and other activities are announced.
IGF 2021 BPFs
During the IGF 2021 cycle, the following BPFs are under development:
- BPF on Cybersecurity
- BPF on Gender and Digital Rights
Latest outputs: IGF 2020 BPF work
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Cybersecurity BPF webpage |
Final report - Exploring Best Practices in Relation to International Cybersecurity Agreements (.pdf) |
|
Gender and Access BPF webpage |
Final report - Gender at the Internet Governance Forum (.pdf) |
|
Data and New Technologies in an Internet Context BPF webpage |
Final report - A dialogue on how users’ data is collected, analyzed and used, and best practices to ensure that this data is used to bring benefit and not to harm users. (.pdf) |
|
Local Content BPF webpage |
Final report - Local and indigenous content in the digital space: Protection, preservation and sustainability of creative work and traditional knowledge (.pdf) |
| Reviewing past BPFs and developing guidance for future BPFs: a ''BPF on BPFs'' |
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In 2020, the MAG launched an initiative to evaluate the first six years of Best Practice Forums. This initiative, colloquially termed as a “BPF on BPFs”, documents lessons learned, outputs, and, where possible, outcomes of BPFs organized between 2014 and 2019 with the intention to inform the process for evaluating, proposing and approving BPFs from 2021 onwards. More on this initiative on the BPF on BPFs webpage . |
BPF sessions at IGF 2020
- Meet the BPFs - Friday, 6 November, 16:10 to 17:00 UTC
- BPF Local Content - Monday, 9 November, 17:20 to 18:50 UTC
- BPF Data and New Technologies - Thursday, 12 November, 9:00 to 10:30 UTC
- Preparing for the BPF 2021 cycle (BPF on BPFs webpage) - Thursday, 12 November, 13:20 to 14:20 UTC
- BPF Gender and Access - Friday, 13 November - 11:20 to 12:50 UTC
- BPF Cybersecurity - Tuesday, 17 November - 12:50 to 14:20 UTC
What is the substantive focus of the IGF 2020 BPFs and how to participate?
Every year, the MAG agrees on thematic focus of the Best Practice Forums. The analytical process and development of the final BPF output document are done in an open and consultative way with the community. All interested stakeholders are welcome to join the BPF virtual meetings and participate in the BPF discussions on to dedicated BPF mailing lists.
For IGF 2020 cycle, the BPFs are focused on the following themes:
| BPF | Scope of work | Co-facilitators and Mailing list |
| Cybersecurity |
The BPF continues the analysis of international cybersecurity agreements it started in 2019, and divides its work in 3 tracks: - New agreements and recent developments - Understanding and documenting methods of norms assessment - Outreach to widen participation in the BPF |
BPF Cybersecurty webpage Mailing list: Subscribe HERE to the BPF on Cybersecurity mailing list |
| Gender and Access | The BPF will compile good practices and develop recommendations on how Internet-related policy processes and spaces (should) foster the participation of women and gender-diverse people. Our focus will be on Internet-related policy processes and spaces that address issues related to violence, harm, pleasure and consent online. |
BPF Gender & Access webpage Mailing list: Subscribe HERE to the BPF on Gender and Access mailing list |
| Data and New Technologies in an Internet Context | What best practices exist to ensure that users’ data is collected, analysed and used to bring benefit, and not harm, to users? |
BPF Data & New Technologies webpage Mailing list: Subscribe HERE to the BPF on Data and New Technologies in an Internet Context mailing list |
| Local Content | The BPF will compile and analyse case studies of policies and approaches to protect, preserve and remunerate creative work and collective wisdom in order to create a sustainable model for the production, distribution and local fruition of local content in the digital age. |
BPF Local Content webpage Mailing list: Subscribe HERE to the BPF on Local Content mailing list |
| Reviewing past BPFs and developing guidance for future BPFs: a ''BPF on BPFs'' |
|
In 2020, the MAG launched an initiative to evaluate the first six years of Best Practice Forums. This initiative, colloquially termed as a “BPF on BPFs”, documents lessons learned, outputs, and, where possible, outcomes of BPFs organized between 2014 and 2019 with the intention to inform the process for evaluating, proposing and approving BPFs from 2021 onwards. More on this initiative on the BPF on BPFs webpage . |
What is the BPF background ?
A report produced by the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) Working Group on Improvements to the IGF called for the development of more tangible outputs to ‘enhance the impact of the IGF on global Internet governance and policy’. To enrich the potential for IGF outputs, the IGF has developed an intersessional programme of Best Practice Forums (BPFs) intended to complement other IGF community activities.
BPFs offer substantive ways for the IGF community to produce more concrete outcomes. They carry their work in an open and consultative manner. BPF outcomes – in the form of compilations of good practices – are intended to help inform policy debates and serve as inputs into other pertinent forums and processes. All interested stakeholders are encouraged to contribute to the BPF discussions, through public consultations, surveys, mailing list discussions, online meetings, and other modalities for public engagement. Stakeholders interested in contributing to BPF activities are encouraged to subscribe to the dedicated mailing lists where online meetings and other activities are announced.
Overview of BPF work 2014-2020
Reference Reading:
- IGF BPFs 2014 - 2019 Outputs
- IGF Best Practice Forums (BPFs): A Participants Guide
- 2016 IGF Community Activities: Modalities and Timeline(s)
- Looking back on the 2015 BPF process: Observations, Thoughts and Suggestions to Enhance the BPF Process, Participation and Outputs
- Possible collaboration between the BPFs and NRIs
الأرشيف
معلومات إضافية
معلومات الاتصال
United Nations
Secretariat of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF)
Villa Le Bocage
Palais des Nations,
CH-1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
igf [at] un [dot] org
+41 (0) 229 173 678
