Opening Plenary 2024

17 June 2024 | 17:30 - 18:30 EEST | Auditorium |
Consolidated programme 2024

Working title: Global Internet Governance processes (GDC, WSIS …)
Proposals: #41 #65 #74 #84

Session teaser

This session is the preliminary culmination of a series of virtual events and face-to-face meetings within the framework of EuroDIG. The preceding pre-events at EuroDIG - Pre 4: Update and reporting on global Internet governance processes (GDC, WSIS+20, NETmundial+10) and Pre 8: CSTD Open Consultation on WSIS+20 already provide detailed insights and invite for a discussion. In this session, we would like to hear the perspective of the leading stakeholders (organisations).

Session description

2024 is shaping up to be a landmark year for global Internet governance. The development of a UN Global Digital Compact, the preparations for next year’s 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society, NETmundial+10, and the São Paulo Guidelines that it produced have inspired stakeholders from all regions and backgrounds to debate how best to govern our global digital environment for the benefit of all. Meanwhile, both technology and regulation are rapidly evolving, challenging the commitment to a multistakeholder approach, as well as our ability to manage the adoption and spread of new technologies and applications. Will these efforts be sufficient to harness the myriad new opportunities, while understanding and addressing the emerging risks?

The EuroDIG 2024 Opening Plenary will be an opportunity to take stock of these diverse processes and the Internet governance space more generally. At a time when cooperation and coordination are more necessary and important than ever, this multistakeholder panel will explore the links between different initiatives, the common elements emerging, and the gaps that must be filled if we are to realise the WSIS vision of a “people-centred” Information Society.

Format

It will be a moderated discussion with a combination of statements, and interaction with the audience.

• 15 min statements by the speakers (3 min each)
• 30 min discussion on the questions prepared by the Org Team
• 15 min engagement of the audience

Further reading

• WSIS+20 Review and IGF+20 Review by the UN General Assembly

The preparatory phase for the WSIS+20 review led by the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) is now under way and EuroDIG is pleased to provide the CSTD with a European regional platform for consulting non-government stakeholders from civil society, the technical community and the private sector more generally – and for young people to express their views as the next generation of Internet decision-takers (Pre 8 session on 17 June). The future of the IGF’s mandate and its role in relation to the global network of national and regional IGFs (the NRIs) - including EuroDIG - that emerged in the wake of the IGF, will to a large extent depend on the outcomes of the WSIS+20 Review.

• The UN Summit of the Future and the Global Digital Compact (GDC)

EuroDIG has been actively engaged in the UN Secretary-General’s consultations during the last two years on strengthening global digital cooperation. [1]. Most recently on 25 April a EuroDIG Extra online consultation was held on the initial draft of the proposed Global Digital Compact which will influence and inform national and regional policies across Europe. A revised text that takes into account stakeholders’ views and comments was published in May.

This session provides a further opportunity for stakeholders to express their views before the finalised Compact is launched at the Summit of the Future in New York in September. Following the EuroDIG meeting in Vilnius, a summary of the main points raised during the EuroDIG consultations will be submitted to the UN co-facilitators of the GDC process. A EuroDIG commenting platform enables the submission of written comments on the GDC text.

• The Declaration on the Future of the Internet (DFI)

The EU and several other European governments including Albania, Iceland, Norway, Serbia and the UK, have signed up to the Declaration on the Future of Internet (DFI). Launched by the US administration in 2022 and with over 70 signatories in total, the DFI expresses supports for the Internet that is open, free, global, interoperable, reliable and secure, and affirms the partners’ commitment to protecting and respecting human rights online and across the digital world. The European Commission will provide an update in the session on the next steps and the potential for extending the DFI partners to include non-government stakeholder entities.

• NETmundial+10

This session in Vilnius will also provide an opportunity for European stakeholders to reflect on the outcome statement of the NETmundial+10 multistakeholder conference held in Sao Paulo in April which set out the core principles for strengthening Internet governance and digital policy processes and as such provides a strong steer for the implementation of the Global Digital Compact, and for the WSIS+20 Review next year.

People

Programme Committee member(s)

• Inga Rimkevičienė

Organising Team (Org Team) List Org Team members here as they sign up.

• Ana Neves
• Mark Carvell
• Chris Buckridge
• Sandra Hoferichter

Key Participants

• Mirjam Kühne, RIPE Chair
• Tomas Lamanauskas, Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
• Pearse O’Donohue, Director Future Networks Directorate of DG CONNECT at the European Commission (online)
• Lise Fuhr, Director General, European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association (ETNO) (online)
• Izaan Khan, YouthDIG 2023 fellow
• Video Message: Tawfik Jelassi, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, UNESCO

Moderator

• Agnė Vaiciukevičiūtė, Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Lithuania

Reporter

Reporters will be assigned by the EuroDIG secretariat in cooperation with the Geneva Internet Platform. The Reporter takes notes during the session and formulates 3 (max. 5) bullet points at the end of each session that:

• are summarised on a slide and presented to the audience at the end of each session
• relate to the particular session and to European Internet governance policy
• are forward looking and propose goals and activities that can be initiated after EuroDIG (recommendations)
• are in (rough) consensus with the audience

Current discussion, conference calls, schedules and minutes

See the discussion tab on the upper left side of this page. Please use this page to publish:

• dates for virtual meetings or coordination calls
• short summary of calls or email exchange

Please be as open and transparent as possible in order to allow others to get involved and contact you. Use the wiki not only as the place to publish results but also to summarize the discussion process.

Messages

On the Global Digital Compact

EuroDIG looks forward to the opportunities to amplify the purpose and objectives of the Global Digital Compact (GDC) following the Summit of the Future. EuroDIG offers to play its part in contributing to and monitoring progress in the implementation of GDC commitments.

EuroDIG strongly supports the commitment in the Rev.1 draft text of the GDC to strengthen the multistakeholder model of governance and advises against any watering down of this commitment in the finalisation of the text.

EuroDIG believes that the GDC process should build on the strong foundations and accomplishments of the WSIS instead of creating new mechanisms.

EuroDIG supports enhancing the role of the UN IGF.

EuroDIG recommends simplifying the process of GDC follow up and review of the implementation of the GDC commitments, with a substantive role for the Internet Governance Forum and the WSIS Forum so that non-governmental stakeholders can fully contribute to the process.

On the WSIS+20 Review

EuroDIG recognises the positive linkages between the WSIS+20 Review, the Global Digital Compact and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

EuroDIG believes there needs to be a comprehensive understanding of the process of the WSIS+20 review.

The review should not undermine the achievements of both the 2003 and the 2005 phases of the WSIS. It should instead be primarily an opportunity to enhance the processes of Internet governance, global digital policy and cooperation, by using the Sao Paulo Guidelines as an inspiration for making processes more inclusive, transparent and accountable.

Video record

https://youtu.be/fnA8mjiNP1A

Transcript

Will be provided here after the event.