IGF 2021 Town Hall #7 Internet governance with and for the Citizens

Time
Friday, 10th December, 2021 (12:50 UTC) - Friday, 10th December, 2021 (13:50 UTC)
Room
Ballroom B
Issue(s)

Assessing Internet governance approaches and mechanisms and fostering inclusiveness: What are the main strengths and weaknesses of existing Internet governance approaches and mechanisms? What can be done, and by whom, to foster more inclusive Internet governance at the national, regional and international levels?
Advancing global digital cooperation: What opportunities are provided by the current focus on digital cooperation resulting from the UN Secretary-General's Roadmap for digital cooperation? What role should the IGF play (and how) in advancing global digital cooperation?

Panel - Auditorium - 60 Min

Description

“We, the Internet” is born out of the conviction that including a wide range of ordinary citizens and stakeholders in the discussion on the future of the Internet will make its governance more inclusive, smarter, and more legitimate. It will facilitate the overcoming of blockades and give strong backing to the decision-making process on critical and controversial policy issues.

In 2018 and 2019, and with the support of a global coalition of partners, we prepared and tested the approach in 17 Dialogues around the world. In 2020, we scaled the process to 70+ countries. Citizens of the world delivered 5 visions on the Future of the Internet.

In 2021 and beyond we will focus on one major objective: Make sure that by 2025 Citizens’ Dialogues and deliberative formats are part of the internet governance process. The open forum aims at presenting and co-improving the process and the next steps to ensure that objectives are met by 2025.

The Forum will be shaped as a participatory event: participants will sit at tables and discuss the results of the debate in order to transform them into actionable learnings and actions for them.

1. Opening (15’) Short presentation of project and process (Missions Publiques). Feedback from core partners of the Advisory Board and national partners of the project.

2. Discussion / Break-out groups (45’) Participants are randomly split into groups of 5 (maximum diversity). In each group, a facilitator and a note taker guide the discussion. They discuss the following questions (not exclusive): How do these results inspire me for my strategy, my advocacy, my position? What do they mean for us as a community? What are most meaningful results in relation with the IGF agenda?” Which discussions do they impulse, which actions?

3. Presentation of results of the groups and conclusion (30’) Participants gather in plenary, note takers present the key results of their group.

Online participation will be organized as a mirror of the f2f participation: 1. E-Opening (15’) The remote participants will be in a listening position and will be in the virtual room. Two of the feedback in the beginning will be delivered by remote participants: One organizer and one participant. 2. E-Discussion / E-Break-out groups (45’) Online participants will be invited to join virtual rooms (links will be provided at the beginning of the session - participants will be dispatched in function of the first letter of their country of origin). In each group, a facilitator and a note taker will guide the discussion. The virtual group will discuss the same two questions as the f2f groups. 3. E-Presentation of results of the groups and conclusion (30’) Online participants will join back the plenary, remote note takers will present the key results of their group.

Organizers

Missions Publiques
Nota Bene: The Open Forum is coordinated by Missions Publiques with the backing of a global Coalition of Stakeholder.

For complete a list of co-organizers, see: www.wetheinternet.org

Speakers

Nota Bene: see methodology: All participants to the Forum will be “speakers”. The list of persons below is the list of persons that are at the core of the process and will act as table facilitators and resource persons during the discussions. There will be no frontal input apart from the introduction. We will invite to this event participants of the Citizens Dialogues and national partners. They will be chosen so as to represent the 5 continents.

Onsite Moderator

Antoine Vergne, Missions Publiques

Online Moderator

Maike Brakhan, Missions publiques

Rapporteur

Benoit Verhulst, Missions Publiques

SDGs

4. Quality Education
5. Gender Equality
16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Targets: We the Internet aims at creating a better governance for the 21st Century hence providing support for strong institutions.

It also aims at delivering capacity building on citizens' Engagement worldwide, hence supporting a quality education.

Citizens' Dialogues include ordinary citizens in policy making hence improving gender equality and inclusion.