Internet Governance Forum (IGF)

IGF revolves around an in-person meeting, held annually since 2006, that is open to all entities accredited to the WSIS. (Other institutions and persons with proven expertise and experience in matters related to internet governance may also apply to attend.) The annual gathering is intended to: maximise the opportunity for open and inclusive dialogue and the exchange of ideas; create opportunities to share best practices and experiences; and identify and discuss key themes that would, in the future, benefit from the multistakeholder perspective of the IGF.

For example, the November 2009 gathering, to be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, has as its theme "Internet Governance - Creating Opportunities for All", which "reflects the basic purpose of the IGF to develop a common understanding of how to maximize the opportunities the Internet offers for all nations and peoples, and how to address the risks and challenges, while also raising awareness of the development dimension of Internet governance." To maximise participation, provisions for remote access, including Regional Hub meetings, are made. The preparatory documents, transcripts, and all other items to emerge from each year's meeting are available on the IGF website. This platform is an interactive, collaborative space where all stakeholders can air their views and exchange ideas, and where members of the general, global public can educate themselves about the issues.

Technology, Governance, Rights.

From the Association for Progressive Communications (APC): "The IGF's origins lie in deadlocked debates between governments on internet governance issues, which dominated the latter stages of the WSIS process. This led to a recommendation by governments to form a working group which would make proposals for how the international community could best address this complex area of public policy. APC was nominated by our peers to be a member of this group - which eventually comprised 40 or so individuals from government, business and civil society - and along with other civil society actors was instrumental in formulating one of the final recommendations, that a forum be established."

Another comment from APC is illustrative: "One of the most memorable moments in the 2008 IGF was hearing APC's Jac sm Kee explaining from the main plenary podium that women are often prevented from accessing important content on health and reproductive and sexual rights because of the content regulation policies being promoted. She left several panelists who were espousing paternalist views on protecting women and children from harmful content without a strong argument....From the podium she changed the orientation of the IGF process regarding online security and privacy from one which was pushing aggressively for a global protection initiative that would have had enormous implications for freedom of expression, to one which finally took a more balanced...approach to the issue. The IGF provides a space where this type of dialogue, between adversarial opponents, can really move towards deepening understanding and ultimately influencing decision makers to make better internet policy for a more just world."