Video Message
Members of the Leadership Panel,
Allow me to congratulate you, on an excellent Internet Governance Forum in Kyoto last year.
The Kyoto IGF was a resounding success. It attracted the IGF’s highest ever number of in-person participants and covered critical topics, including Artificial Intelligence and its ramifications.
Among the more than 9,000 attendees, both onsite and online, we also saw robust and increased participation by Governments, Parliamentarians, youth and the private sector.
The IGF is, indeed, a destination for global dialogue addressing critical issues within the digital landscape.
Your steadfast advocacy of the IGF, and your efforts to increase its reach and visibility have contributed to this success.
2024 is an important year for the IGF.
In September, world leaders will come together to adopt a Pact of the Future, including a Global Digital Compact.
Global and regional consultations are also taking place to prepare for the review process of the World Summit on the Information Society in 2025.
There are concrete measures this esteemed Panel can take to advance the work of the IGF and bolster its contributions to these important processes.
First, I support the consideration of the Panel in its enabling role to advance the Business Track, alongside other established tracks.
This will fill the gaps in strengthening private sector representation and underscore the IGF’s ‘big-tent’ approach to global digital dialogue.
Second, the Panel could leverage the meeting’s location in Riyadh, a digital hub, to attract the much-needed participation of start-ups and young people.
And, finally, the Panel can strengthen the positioning of the IGF as a global platform where outcomes matter.
It is crucial that the IGF Messages and intersessional outcomes provide meaningful insights and strategic, actionable solutions that inform decision-making at all levels.
Colleagues,
In the years since its inception, discussions at the IGF have evolved beyond the traditional limits of Internet governance to address many aspects of the digital age.
As we shape the vision of the IGF in 2025 and beyond, it should reflect this reality.
I applaud the efforts of the Panel in putting forward the principles for an ‘Internet We Want’. I urge you to champion this framework as the foundation for the future of the IGF.
At UN DESA, we are committed to supporting your work, as you aim for greater heights for the IGF in this defining year.
Thank you.