Keynotes

EuroDIG 2024 Highlights Multistakeholder Collaboration in Internet Governance

At the European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG) 2024, the imperative of multistakeholder collaboration in shaping the future of internet governance was brought to the forefront. The session commenced with an announcement by the moderator of a forthcoming social event, indicative of the event’s commitment to fostering interaction and networking among attendees.

Agnė Vaiciukevičiūte, Lithuania’s Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications, took to the stage with a keynote address that conveyed pride in hosting the gathering in Vilnius. She praised the event’s agenda for its breadth and the participants for their engagement and insightful contributions to previous discussions. Emphasizing the need for critical reflection on the relevance and effectiveness of internet governance platforms such as the IGF and FSYS, Vaiciukevičiūte posed challenging questions about their future in light of the global digital compact. She advocated for open dialogue, encouraging participants to share their personal perspectives and to step away from scripted remarks, in order to foster a more genuine exchange of ideas.

Carol Roach, Chairperson of the IGF’s Multistakeholder Advisory Group, continued the dialogue by acknowledging the efforts of EuroDIG’s organizing committee and the Lithuanian government in facilitating the event. She highlighted EuroDIG’s exemplary role in stakeholder engagement and stressed the significance of multistakeholder discussions in the development of digital public policies at the local level. Roach raised critical questions about the inclusion of diverse viewpoints in policy-making to avoid further fragmentation of the internet and an increase in the digital divide. She referenced the UN Secretary-General’s remarks on the pace of technological innovation, particularly in AI, outstripping regulatory capacity, underscoring the urgency of the issue.

Reaffirming the commitment to a multistakeholder, open, inclusive, and people-centred approach to digital governance, Roach aligned her message with the IGF 2024 theme of building a multistakeholder digital future. She outlined the IGF’s preparatory work, including the contributions of dynamic coalitions, policy networks, and best practice forums, which are instrumental in curating the IGF’s programme. Roach also drew attention to significant forthcoming initiatives, such as the UNGDC and the WSIS-IGF mandate review set for 2025, inviting greater collaboration for a robust IGF that champions multistakeholder governance. She concluded by inviting participants to the annual IGF in Riyadh and wished for a successful continuation of the meeting.

The session underscored the critical role of multistakeholder models in the governance of digital policies, advocating for the inclusion of diverse perspectives in policy-making. Both speakers highlighted the necessity of ongoing evaluation and potential evolution of internet governance frameworks to ensure their continued relevance and efficacy in an ever-evolving digital world. The discussions at EuroDIG 2024 served as a reminder of the collective responsibility to shape a digital future that is inclusive, sustainable, and reflective of the needs of all stakeholders.

Moderator:
No, I spent three days close to our YouTube participants, very close, and we always had questions. Always. Even imagine if the speaker is after basketball match, good basketball match at night, and looks tired, they still are asking and asking questions, and it’s very good, because it shows that they are into it, and they want to know more. So it’s normal that we are a bit late. But I heard that you all are waiting for social events. So I have one good thing to say, that this evening we are having a social event. It will be hosted by Baltic Domain Days, I mentioned before. But now, before that social event, we have our first, the very first plenary session. And please welcome the keynote speaker of the plenary session, Agnė Vaiciukevičiūte, Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Lithuania, and she will be in exchange with Carol Roach, Chairperson of the Internet Governance Forum’s Multistakeholder Advisory Group. Please. The floor is yours. Yeah, exactly.

Agnė Vaiciukevičiūte:
So are we still alive here? All happy, a lot of smiles, a lot of people I already knew before today. Once again, I’m just really happy of being here, of having you here in Lithuania, in Vilnius. It’s such an honor for us to represent Lithuania, Vilnius, to give a floor to everyone here today to create more opportunities, to create more collaboration. I was shocked about the previous discussion positively. I cannot imagine myself at that age that I had so many sophisticated insights and some really good key messages that all our international organizations could really take into account. And I really like the man back in the auditorium who mentioned what’s next. I think this is very, very interesting to think of it as well. The agenda of the event is very, very impressive, and yet more importantly, all stakeholders are here to collaborate, discuss, and agree on the next steps. I personally attended the last IGF in Kyoto late last year and the FSYS in Geneva a few weeks ago, and in this panel I’d like to challenge you all and ask, why do we need IGF, FSYS, and other formats? Do we realize the real value of these huge events, going there and discussing and discussing using the same key words and phrases? Do you really see any threats to the future of IGF, FSYS, in the light of the global digital compact? Maybe we need a change, maybe not. I encourage you to share your personal views and insights. You are all allowed not to read your instructions. I’m talking already ahead of our conversation, and I would like to have a very impersonal afternoon share of messages that would be very important during this period before the autumn next year. And of course, as the moderator mentioned, I have an honor to let also to give introduction remarks about global Internet governance processes, Ms. Carol Roach, the chair of IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group.

Carol Roach:
Hello. OK, so I’ll just jump in. Distinguished participants, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, it is indeed my pleasure to address you today at the European Dialogue on Internet Governance 2024. I am Carol Roach from the Cabinet Office of the Government of the Bahamas and the chair of the UN Internet Governance Forum Multistakeholder Advisory Group. First, let me take this opportunity to thank the Multistakeholder Organizing Committee of EuroDIG, its secretariat, as well as the government of the Republic of Lithuania for convening us all in Vilnius online. I already had the pleasure to deliver remarks this morning at the National Regional IGF Assembly. Sorry, that was like 3 a.m. in the morning for me, so I had to send a video note. I can only reiterate how important your work is in advancing the multistakeholder dialogue around digital public policy issues at local levels. Very important position. EuroDIG is indeed one of the leading examples of good stakeholder engagement. Many stakeholders present at your meeting greatly support the annual forum in various capacities. I want you to know that we are all immensely grateful for your region’s participation. It is stakeholders like you who make the IGF alive, relevant, and needed. The IGF and its NRIs are the forefront of multistakeholder and multidisciplinary inclusion, allowing for diverse perspectives to come together, perspectives that would have been left aside in closed policymaking discussions. So, you asked me a few questions earlier, and I’m going to pose a few questions of my own. So, in the spirit of IGF, GDC, NetMundial, WSIS, and others, how can we successfully advance the digital transformation journey and the adoption of new policies, rules, and regulations by the broader community if we do not include all stakeholders in the decision-making progress? How can we make sure that we opt for most efficient digital policies that do not further fragment the Internet or spur the digital divide if diverse perspectives are not being taken into account? And lastly, how can we make sure that we opt for digital policies that are people-focused, economy-building, and promote planet sustainability? Especially with the rapid advancement of emerging technologies, including AI, I’m quoting the UN Secretary General who addressed the Council of ITU last week, the pace of innovation is outpacing the capacity to regulate it. With that, I would like to reiterate that we are committed to upholding the multistakeholder, open, inclusive, people-centered model of digital governance, a governance that is very well reflected in this year’s IGF 2024 overarching theme, building a multistakeholder digital future. Our IGF multistakeholder advisory group members have an ambitious upcoming task. With this, I would like to invite you to take part in the open consultation day on June 26. Curating a meaningful IGF program would not be possible without NRIs, and certainly not without the IGF intersessional work. It is great to see so many representatives of the IGF dynamic coalition, policy networks, and best practice forums at EuroDIG program. A part of this year’s forum, we are at an important moment for the Internet and digital space, given several important processes happening. The UNGDC, and aiming to have it agreed upon during the summit of the future, a major outcome, the WSIS-IGF mandate will also be part of WSIS Plus 2020 review in 2025. We will certainly provide a platform at the IGF 2024 to discuss outcomes and preparations. In my role as the chair of the MAG, I invite you to further cooperate and collaborate with us, joining us in working together for a strong IGF that stands for good multistakeholder governance of the Internet. We look forward to your participation at the annual IGF from the 15th to the 19th of December 2024 in Riyadh. I wish you a fruitful meeting, and thank you very much. Thank you very much.