New York, 17 November – Advancing digital inclusion and narrowing digital divides will build a strong recovery as the world strives to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, the 15th annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF) heard today as it concluded after a series of high-level roundtable discussions.
With record participation of over 6,000 participants from 173 countries, the Forum has provided an opportunity to discuss building a people-centered Internet and unleashing the power of digital technologies as a true equalizer and enabler.
In his closing remarks, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said, “the COVID-19 pandemic has shone a spotlight on the importance of digital technologies and transformation, and on the urgent need to enhance the role of the IGF as a platform for dialogue on proposed solutions.”
“Those without access to digital technology – almost half the world – are denied opportunities to study, communicate, trade, shop, work and participate in much of modern life,” the Secretary-General recalled. In that regard, he welcomed the Forum’s focus on digital inclusion, which he said was essential to building a strong recovery.
The two-week event featured discussions on a number of topics, including the world’s increased reliance on the Internet during the pandemic, as well as long-standing inequities such as various forms of digital divides and gender inequality, exacerbated by the pandemic.
The 2020 edition of the IGF took place in the year the UN Secretary-General has released his Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, setting out the vision to connect, respect and protect all people online.
On that point, Mr. Guterres said: “We need an Internet Governance Forum that is responsive, relevant and impactful,” adding that the Forum had a vital role in connecting the dots on the global digital map. “But, it cannot fulfill this role unless it reaches decision-makers. We must now act decisively and urgently to strengthen the IGF, so that it can enhance its unique role in the digital cooperation architecture.”
Reflecting on the Forum, the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Mr. Liu Zhenmin, emphasized that the global community can no longer separate the development tracks of digitalization and sustainable development. “More than ever, we need cross-fertilization and cooperation. These are critical for governance issues in data, environment, inclusion and trust – across borders, sectors, disciplines and generations.”
During the event, the Forum participants underlined the importance of global unity in achieving inclusive, meaningful access for everyone and bridging digital divides. Online safety and security were also central to the Forum discussions, especially in the face of growing cyber-attacks.
This year for the first time, the Internet Governance Forum took up environmental issues as a thematic focus. Amid climate change, environmental instability, and the challenges in meeting the 2030 Agenda targets, IGF participants called for the deployment of digital technologies to serve the planet’s wellbeing and tackle these global emergencies. Internet and digital technologies have proven vital in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the lessons learned from this emergency could be applied to helping the world accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, participants echoed, while stressing that this would require stronger international cooperation.
Also this year, participants set commitments for the first time on how they could contribute to a more prosperous online environment. These commitments included supporting global digital cooperation through concrete action and announcing projects to connect the unconnected, with an aim to help developing countries and vulnerable groups.
IGF 2020 Outputs
The draft summary of the meeting, transcripts and videos of all sessions, as well as voluntary commitments and other event outcomes are available here.
Key messages about the Forum are available for public feedback on the website.
Renewal of 2021 Multistakeholder Advisory Group
The Secretary-General has renewed the membership of the Multistakeholder Advisory Group of the Internet Governance Forum and its Chair.
A total of 40 members, including 15 new members, have been appointed. Having achieved gender parity, the Advisory Group includes members from all stakeholder groups and all regions, representing governments, civil society, the private sector and technical community.
Ms. Anriette Esterhuysen, appointed as Chair for the 2020 IGF, will continue to serve in 2021. Representatives of previous host countries and representatives of relevant international and regional intergovernmental organizations are also invited to attend Advisory Group meetings.
All Advisory Group members serve in their personal capacity, but are expected to have extensive linkages with their respective stakeholder groups. The main task of the Advisory Group is to provide advice on the preparations for the sixteenth meeting of the Internet Governance Forum in 2021, to be hosted by the Government of Poland.
The full list of members can be found at the IGF website: https://www.intgovforum.org/multilingual/content/mag-2021-members
About the IGF
The IGF was established by the United Nations Secretary-General in 2006 as a Forum for multi-stakeholder dialogue on public policy issues related to key elements of Internet governance, such as the Internet’s sustainability, robustness, security, stability, and development. The Forum meets annually for an open and inclusive dialogue on Internet governance issues to: share best practices and experiences; identify emerging issues and bring them to the attention of the relevant bodies and the general public; as well as to contribute to capacity development for Internet governance. This year marks the 15th annual edition of the Forum, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations hosted the event online.
Media contacts:
Esra Sergi Bertani, sergie@un.org
UN Department of Global Communications
Helen Rosengren, rosengrenh@un.org
UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Chengetai Masango, chengetai.masango@un.org
IGF Secretariat
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Link to press-release: https://www.intgovforum.org/multilingual/content/igf-2020-press-release-closing
