IGF 2022 Closing ceremony

Event report

Concluding the five-day long discussions at the IGF in 2022, the panellists highlighted during the closing ceremony their takeaways and hopes for the future of internet governance and of IGF. 

Many panellists celebrated multistakeholderism and open collaboration witnessed throughout the IGF 2022. It was highlighted that several ideas forged at the IGF have transformed into implementable industry best practices. It was stated IGF’s multistakeholder approach to internet governance has enabled norms, rules, and decision making process to evolve and ensured diversity and inclusion in the process. Multistakeholder discussion and cooperation were emphasised as key to solve challenges that face the internet and digital technologies, such as misinformation, infringement of human rights, and internet fragmentation. 

The IGF was highlighted as a valuable initiative that contributes to formulation of a Global Digital Compact, which were proposed in the UN Secretary General’s Common Agenda and will be agreed the UN Summit of Future in September 2023 by all stakeholders, including governments, the UN system, technology companies, and civil society. The panellists share the hope that the Global Digital Compact will address issues that we face globally today, such as digital connectivity, internet fragmentation, human rights in digital space, and safety and security of the internet. Moreover, IGF’s robust involvement of youth can provide unique input to the Global Digital Compact. It was noted that one of the key roles of youth is to shape the future of the internet by contributing to drafting policy frameworks and ensuring sustainability in natural resources, infrastructure, people, and policy. 

Looking ahead to the future of the IGF, measures to enhance accountability and relevance of the IGF were brought forward. A suggestion was put forward that the IGF assume new responsibilities, such as calling on implementation of its outcomes and commitments; and producing decisions on curated issues without losing the IGF’s key features as an open forum for collaboration.

By Nagisa Miyachi

The session in keywords