The IGF Secretariat is hosting a briefing session at the 2023 World Summit on the Information Society about the IGF 2023 preparations and opportunities. For more details, please visit https://www.itu.int/net4/wsis/forum/2023/Agenda/Session/323
WEST AFRICAN INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM 2022 | 26-27 May 2022, ACCRA, GHANA
Capacity development workshop hosted by the IGF Secretariat
Towards an inclusive IGF 2022
26 May 2022 | 10:00-11:00 UTC | Room 2 and online
Join through this link https://sched.co/11lfa
After a decade, the IGF is back in Africa! What are the opportunities for stakeholders from the region and beyond? This interactive session will provide a space for a dialogue to learn what is new, and how to engage in IGF 2022. It will also be an opportunity to help us improve further the IGF 2022 by learning from your expectations and ideas.
The 17th annual IGF meeting will be hosted by the Government of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa from 28 November until 2 December 2022 under the overarching theme Resilient Internet for a shared sustainable and common future. The entire process will be hosted in a hybrid format, to ensure equal-as-possible participation of online and onsite participants.
Thematically, the IGF is aligned with the topics of the Global Digital Compact from the Our Common Agenda Report. What does this mean for the IGF and how all people can contribute to the shaping of this process through the IGF?
The IGF is more out there, closer to people. This is why the intersessional working modalities are also advancing and many capacity development activities are being introduced. What are ways to engage in this year’s IGF 2022 intersessional work focused on cybersecurity, gender and access, Internet fragmentation and meaningful access? How do we engage those historically unrepresented stakeholders to ensure Internet governance processes are present in all corners of the world?
This session will allow participants to learn more about IGF innovations and how to effectively engage in the IGF 2022 processes.
Format and agenda
This roundtable dialogue will focus on the following areas:
Further reading
EuroDIG 2022
Internet governance within the system of United Nations: is IGF on a good path to adapt, innovate and reform?
20 June 2022, 16:30-18:00 CEST
Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy
SISSA Main Auditorium, Zoom link TBC
Much on digital policy and related processes is happening across the United Nations system. The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is actively working on ‘adapting, innovating and reforming’. It recently concluded its second retreat, the Expert Group Meeting, from which a number of action points are subject to implementation and expected to trigger a change. In addition, as a concrete action point from the Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, the IGF has reformed its structure by introducing the Leadership Panel. What to expect from the Panel?
The Secretary-General went steps further the Roadmap by issuing its Our Common Agenda Report. Can this vision for ‘’reinvigorating multilateralism’’ trigger re-energization of multistakeholderism? What are the Global Digital Compact and Summit of the Future about and how can all stakeholders be part of them including those gathered around various intersessional processes of the IGF?
Format
This will be an open, interactive, roundtable exchange between those working directly on the above-mentioned UN processes and those contributing or wishing to contribute to it. It will be an opportunity to challenge the status quo and provide creative ideas to strengthen the existing processes.
The proposed draft agenda of the session is:
Further reading
Updates on IGF 2022 processes will be shared and discussed during the World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2022 on Friday 3 June 2022 at 11:00-12:45 CEST.
This session will bring together the hosts of the IGF and other participating stakeholders to discuss expectations from the IGF. It will also describe how people can follow and join IGF discussions. Particular aspects to be addressed relate to:
Book your calendars now https://www.itu.int/net4/wsis/forum/2022/Agenda/Session/352
SUPPORTING SCHOOLS ON INTERNET GOVERNANCE
Digital Inclusion for All
Digital policy and related processes are continuously changing as digital technologies are emerging and becoming more and more integrated in people's lives. Much of the knowledge and skills on how to maximise benefits from using digital technologies, but also how to utilize them in a safe and secure manner is with users. In order to ensure the overall safety and security online, it is important to ensure that education on how to use digital technologies circulates among people. Schools on Internet Governance (SIGs) have shown to be a good way to systematically do this.
Over the years, those that already held expertise in Internet governance recognized the need to develop further the capacity in Internet governance. They started to invest into educational programmes that could attract people of different backgrounds and ages, and help to transfer knowledge on what digital technologies can do for people and how they can be utilized. In addition, some gained a regional or a global scope which allowed for important networking among involved people.
The IGF Secretariat has been communicating with many SIGs. In several, its staff was involved in various ways to support the implementation of the programme. Especially, the last few years saw a growing number of SIGs associated to the national or regional IGF initiatives as a form of a capacity development activity. During this collaboration, it was noticed that different practices exist in planning and implementing the schools. Some are a few hours long, while same run for days. Some include an international component, while some are locally-driven. One of the biggest assets associated with schools is that they are inclusive of ages, regions, disciplines. In the times of a still-growing digital divide including the gender-based divide, this is particularly important.
In 2021, the IGF Secretariat aims to extend its support to SIGs through cooperation on a development of an international syllabus framework which can be adjusted to the particular requirements and needs of a particular local community. In this activity, all schools gathered around the Dynamic Coalition on Schools on Internet governance (DC-SIG) are invited to join this effort. The syllabus will be implement through a bottom-up, open, transparent and inclusive methodology by gathering already existing best practices and brainstorming with SIGs on best ways to achieve this objective. As a neutral facilitator of the process, through open public consultations with DC-SIG coordinators and members - scools on Internet governance, the work could develop around the following area which will feed into the syllabus:
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JOIN US! Launching the IGF 2021 initiative to support schools on Internet governance
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In support of 
The IGF Secretariat will host a session at the 2021 EuroDIG (European IGF). The session will focus on the IGF 2021 process innovations and will allow for direct interactive discussion with focal points of the intersessional work.
This session is formally placed on the programme along with the NRIs Assembly. But please note that everyone, from any part of the world, are invited and most welcome to join and take active participation, regardless if affiliated with NRIs or not.
Please make sure to register for EuroDIG 2021 to receive your personal link to join. We advise that you save this calendar entry to your personal calendar and set up a reminder.
More about the session is available below.
Session hosted by the IGF Secretariat at EuroDIG 2021
Towards an innovative IGF 2021
28 June 2021 | 13:15-14:15 UTC | Studio Trieste
Registration link is https://www.eurodig.org/get-involved/register-for-eurodig-2021/
Session teaser
For over a year, the world turned to digital completely. The IGF, as well, was hosted completely online for the very first time in its history. Many lessons are learned and being applied to this year’s IGF. Join us for this interactive session to learn what is new and to help us improve further IGF 2021.
Session description
The IGF 2021 process includes an interactive community-centred preparatory phase and the 16th annual meeting to be hosted by the Government of Poland in Katowice from 6 to 10 December. The entire process will be hosted in a hybrid format, to ensure as-equal-as-possible participation of online and onsite participants.
Even though the IGF was always hosted in a format that aimed to accommodate online participation, this year's process will invest even more effort into this goal. The COVID-19 pandemic and related travel restrictions are not the only factors that prompted the IGF to evolve towards a hybrid nature. Its mandate, continuous advice from the community, as well as the Roadmap for Digital Cooperation all added to the momentum for concrete action in improving the participation conditions.
The IGF is more out there, closer to people. This is why the intersessional working modalities are also advancing and many capacity development activities are being introduced. We hope that the IGF 2021 process will engage many historically unrepresented stakeholders who will help us to ensure Internet governance processes are present in all corners of the world.
This session will allow participants to learn more about IGF innovations and how to effectively engage in the IGF 2021 processes.
Agenda
The IGF Secretariat/UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) & the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology kindly invite you to join us for a briefing update on the proposed approach for implementation of the IGF Multistakeholder High-level Body (MHLB).
This approach takes into account the various written inputs received and consultations that have taken place to date, including those provided for the Options Paper for the Future of Global Digital Cooperation, the response to the Options Paper by the IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group Working Group on IGF Strengthening and Strategy, and the public online consultation and written inputs submitted in February and March. (A summary of the public online consultation and a list of the written inputs are available on the IGF website.) The final decision and determination of the body’s attributes will be made by the Secretary-General of the United Nations and his Executive Office.
The one-hour-long consultation will be hosted online on Monday, 14 June 2021, at 13:00 UTC.
Agenda
| 13:00-13:10 | Overview by the IGF Secretariat of the proposed approach for implementation of the MHLB (Overall composition, selection process, mandate and functioning) | ||
| 13:10-13:50 | Participants invited to give feedback on the proposed approach (The feedback will be noted by the facilitators) | ||
| 13:50-14:00 | Wrap-up | ||
Registration can be done through the following link: https://intgovforum.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUufuurpj8oG9ywtMom-F7yk_…;
We look forward to welcoming you to this update.
The IGF 2021 Youth Summit in Katowice is in December and preparations are starting early. Are you a young person interested in Internet governance and you wonder how you can get involved? Or maybe you still don’t know much about that topic, but you feel like you want to find out more? If the answer is “Yes!” we would like to warmly invite you to join the very first webinar of the preparation cycle on the way to the IGF 2021 Youth Summit in Katowice!
The webinar will be hosted on 22 April at 12:00 UTC.
The first topic we are going to explore together is: How to change the world from home? It's been over a year since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and it has never been so urgent to answer this question. As the whole world decided to go online, so should the discussion about the impact of the remote lifestyle on the environment.
As the young generation, we find it more than necessary to move the discussion on digital sustainability further on. Due to the special matter of this topic, it is important to broaden the scope of the discussion on how to make digitalization greener and more sustainable.
That is why the theme of the webinar is “3xG” that stands for:
If you want to find out:
Save the date and register for our webinar! The registration link: https://intgovforum.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EH2iPkSlQxSye9A2ME3zCQ
Webinar for IGF 2020 Sessions Organizers/Speakers & Remote Hubs
14 October, 14:00 UTC (click here to register)
Live transcription is also available.
Note: This is a session similar to the one on October 12th. Only one attendance suffices.
Agenda:
Webinar for IGF 2020 Sessions Organizers/Speakers & Remote Hubs
12 October, 8 AM UTC (click here to register)
Agenda:
| Preparing the IGF 2020 Youth Summit |
Public consultations for understanding youth’s thematic priorities via survey: https://www.intgovforum.org/content/youth-at-igf-2020-0
For more information about the IGF 2020 Youth Engagement, please consult:
Webinar: Youth at IGF 2020
14 October, 12 PM UTC (click here to register)
Agenda focus: how to prepare for IGF 2020 youth summit and other sessions?; Poland’s plans for IGF 2021 and how to start early.
Youth at IGF 2020
Webinar 21 September, 18 PM UTC (click here to register)
What to expect from the IGF 2020 and how to engage in its preparatory process? Chat with the IGF 2020 Host Country - Government of Poland; MAG Chair and the IGF Secretariat.
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://intgovforum.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYpcu-pqDIsKObrV5Qh5y_B9c…;
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
How can young people participate in the IGF 2020 preparatory process? Learn more about the youth track at the IGF 2020 in Poland, Katowice (2 - 6 November).
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://intgovforum.zoom.us/meeting/register/uJIrc-irrjkobexmototG6tTpk…;
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
