Update and reporting on global Internet governance processes (GDC, WSIS+20, NETmundial+10) – Pre 04 2024

17 June 2024 | 11:30 - 13:00 EEST | Auditorium |
Consolidated programme 2024

Session teaser

This session is a continuation of EuroDIG’s effort to facilitate stakeholder engagement in global processes and a direct follow up from a session that was held last year in Tampere See details here! In preparation of this session a virtual EuroDIG Extra on the zero draft of the Global Digital Compact (GDC) was organised on 25 April 2024, 14:00 CEST (12:00 UTC) See details

The results of this session, including the virtual meeting in April, will be summarised and submitted as a report to the UN co-facilitators.

Session description

This next 18 months will be a crucial period for global Internet governance as the framework established by the UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in 2003-05 approaches its 20th year in 2025 when the UN General Assembly undertakes a comprehensive review of the WSIS process and decides the future of the IGF’s mandate. This EuroDIG session will provide updates on the current global processes that relate to the WSIS+20 review next year.

• 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.

Format

Presenters will provide updates on the progress of the negotiations and next steps of each of these four processes. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and comment in an interactive half hour segment.

1. Introduction on the importance of stakeholder engagement in these four global initiatives and how these processes interrelate. Presenter: Ana Neves, Vice Chair of the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) (10 minutes)
2. Updates and next steps for each of the four global processes (40 minutes / 10 min each)

   • Global Digital Compact (GDC), Presenter: Mark Carvell, Internet governance consultant; EuroDIG member
   • WSIS+20 Review, Presenter: Ana Neves, Vice-Chair of the UN Commission on Science and Technology Development (CSTD)
   • NETmundial+10, Presenter: Thomas Schneider, Ambassador, Switzerland; President, EuroDIG Support Association
   • Declaration on the Future of the Internet (DFI), Presenter: Esteve Sanz - Head of Sector, Internet Governance and Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue, DG CNECT, European Commission

3. YouthDIG perspectives on global Internet governance and digital cooperation, Presenter: Izaan Khan, YouthDIG 2023 fellow (5 minutes)
4. Moderated open discussion with on-site and on-line participants (30 minutes)
5. Concluding remarks (5 minutes)

Further reading

EuroDIG's stakeholder consultation on digital cooperation since 2019

Global Digital Compact

• The report Our Common Agenda where the proposed Global Digital Compact is described in para 93: https://www.un.org/en/content/common-agenda-report/
• The Office of the Envoy on Technology launched a consultation on the proposed thematic areas for the GDC which concluded on 30 April. The details of the consultation process are accessible at https://www.un.org/techenvoy/global-digital-compact
• EuroDIG's response to the Tech Envoy's consultation is accessible at: https://www.un.org.techenvoy/files/GDC-submission_EuroDIG.pdf
• UN Secretary-General’s Policy Brief 5: A Global Digital Compact https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/our-common-agenda-policy-brief-gobal-digi-compact-en.pdf
• UN's High Level Board on Effective Multilateralism (HLAB) report with recommendations on digital and data governance (pp 39-45) including a proposal to establish a "Global Commission on Just and Sustainable Digitalisation", a multistakeholder coordinating body for addressing in particular online rights, data security and digital inclusion. The full report is accessible at: https://highleveladvisoryboard.org/breakthrough/
• The GDC Zero Draft: https://www.un.org/techenvoy/sites/www.un.org.techenvoy/files/Global_Digital_Compact_Zero_Draft.pdf
• The first revision of the GDC: https://www.un.org/techenvoy/sites/www.un.org.techenvoy/files/Global_Digital_Compact_Rev_1.pdf

The Declaration for the Future of the Internet

• signed by over 70 states and international partners including all EU Member States, Iceland, Norway, Serbia and the UK; sets out the vision and principles of a trusted Internet. https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/declaration-future-internet

WSIS+20 Review

• IGF information on WSIS+20 and IGF+20 Review by the UN General Assembly: https://www.intgovforum.org/en/content/wsis20-and-igf20-review-by-the-un-general-assembly-2025
• Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD): https://unctad.org/topic/commission-on-science-and-technology-for-development

• CSTD roadmap for WSIS+20 Review https://unctad.org/system/files/non-official-document/ecn162023_roadmap_p05_CSTDChair_en.pdf
• UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Resolution 2022/15 - Assessment of the progress made in the implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society: https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/ecosoc_res_2022d15_en.pdf
• ITU WSIS Forum 2023: https://www.itu.int/net4/wsis/forum/2023/en

The NETmundial+10 Multistakeholder Statement

• Strengthening Internet governance and digital policy https://netmundial.br/netmundial-10-multistakeholder-statement-strengthening-internet-governance-and-digital-policy-processes

People

Key participants:

• Ana Cristina Amoroso das Neves, Vice Chair of the 28th Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) of the United Nations
• Mark Carvell, Independent IG Consultant and EuroDIG Associate Member
• Concettina Cassa, Agency for Digital Italy (AgID)
• Thomas Schneider, Ambassador, Switzerland; President, EuroDIG Support Association
• tbc, European Commission
• Izaan Khan, YouthDIG 2023 fellow

Messages

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.

Video record

https://youtu.be/s3gYcWL4hpM

Transcript

Disclaimer: This is not an official record of the session but provided for convenience only. The following transcript is automatically generated by the zoom recording function. Timestamps were removed, else the text is presented in it’s original format, as provided by the zoom system (e.g. including any spelling mistakes). The accuracy of the transcript is not guaranteed.

Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: welcome back.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: announced this session or this entire day in this room will deal with the global Internet governance processes. And basically, this session is a really good follow-up from a session that we had also last year as a pre event which was about the Gdc. But since these processes kind of all interrelate with each other.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: we don't know yet if to the positive or to the negative.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: we would like to organize this session in the attempt. To 1st of all, give an update on where we are. But, secondly, also to answer questions, get into a discussion with you on the interrelationship of these processes.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: A 4th speaker is just coming, and the 5th should be supposed to be online. So we have Michael. Not not so sorry, Markavell. Who will be Michael it that's a good combination, isn't it. So we will have Mark Cavell, who will be speaking on the Global Digital Compact. Give us an update as the chair of the European Stakeholder Consultation. We have Thomas Schneider, who will give us an update on that mondial processes. Anna Nevish is just to arrive.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Anna, please come to the stage. Anna will be giving us an update on the visit process, but also on the visits. We will have a separate session to deal with this one after this one, and then we have also one use. Participant Izan was a U stick participant. Ana, please come to the stage.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Izan was a eustic participant in the last year, and we found out that he was already very knowledgeable last year about these global processes. And since there's always the demand to hear what actually use has to say on it, and there are not too many that have really depth. Dive into this already. We are very happy to have Ezan here
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and then online. We should have Sd stance from the European Commission. Maybe he comes in later and he will be speaking about the Dfi. If if he arrives. If not, then we will deal with the Dfi with the Declaration on the future of the Internet in the opening plenary. And without further ado I would like to hand over to Anna. Anna promised to give us an overview on the interrelation of these processes. Give a short update on the wishes.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and, as said Anna, will be leading the session, which is purely dedicated to the visit afterwards over to you, Anna.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Thank you, Sandra, very much, and
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: good morning, everyone. So we are in an interesting moment of Internet governance, let's say like that.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And this afternoon at 2 Pm. We will have the open consultation. The second regional open consultation on the on the business, plus plus 20,
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and I hope that many of you will will be there, because I think that now we have more meet, let's say, to better understand where we are in the discussions of Internet governance future.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: We are in the middle of the negotiations of the global digital compact. We have to to close this global digital compact until September, when we will have the summit of of the feature.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: we have to link more and more the digital component with the with the Stgs, the the sustainable development goals. And so we are really 2024, 2025 will be
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: really impressive years in the or at worldwide level, on the so in the field of what we will have
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: for the future of Internet governance. Or and if you are talking about
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: infrastructure only, of course not. We are always when we have these.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Of course, we are talking about digital public policies, processes as well, and not only public policies, but the policies, the technical policies, etc. So all these myriad of policies that concern nowadays Internet governance
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and the multistacola approach. And what does that mean? So in 2,003 and 2,005, we had a very optimistic summit on the World Summit, on the information society
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and everybody. Well, we were in a peace environment at worldwide level, more or less so it was a totally different world that we have 20 years after. And so while we are discussing, the future of the wiz is now plus 20, we have to deal with this global digital compact. Is it a process is a 1-off event.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: we will see, but it should fit in the discussions in the wizards plus 20.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So this is the context nowadays, and we have all the geopolitics influencing a lot, all these discussions. And so we are.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Well, it's a personal view, but I think that we are back to square one
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: on what was achieved mainly in the in the Tony's agenda, in 2,005.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So I think that this erodic this time should be very strong on the ideas that will convey through the message of Vilnius, and through the message of Erodic 2024,
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: because we have to discuss and to see what we want from what will be the position of Europe
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: in all these matters, because it matters. And so the Wizis plus 20 was seen, as
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: the most important phase after the 10 years review.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: was something that
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: was already very hard to discuss, and so we stayed more or less like we were before with 10 years, but we adopted that in 10 years we will have a new review, more serious review, and at high level meeting.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: which high-level meeting hopefully a ministerial meeting, because we have to count on the ministers to to change the paradigm and to adopt what we want for the for the digital world
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: with all the things that we have nowadays, and that in a way that can be scary for the citizens in other way. Other citizens, they perceive this digital transformation with good optimism.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: But we know that we are in a different era of the digital world. So global digital compact with this plus 20 review. Here we are, and here we are launching the discussion for this erotic. Thank you very much.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And now I'll give the floor to Mark. Yes, Mark Carvell.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Yes, thank you, Anna, and
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: good morning, everybody. It is indeed a busy time
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: for global initiatives
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: which condition the way we work
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: in multi stakeholder, Internet governance and digital cooperation. It's a great time of change, a great time of focus by the UN. In particular, the Secretary General.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So it's been important for the US. Community to keep track of this and identify opportunities
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: to participate in consultations. And and indeed.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: that is what we have been doing.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So. I that's there's a long history to the global digital compact.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: I won't go into great detail about that.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: But it does go back to the high level panel on digital cooperation, and then through to the Secretary General's report, our common agenda, where we 1st
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: saw some kind of conceptual approach
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: to digital cooperation, improving digital cooperation, as
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: as Antonio Guterres said, through constructing
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: a compact which would set out a framework for objectives.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Based on a set of principles
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: which would then be taken forward through commitments and actions by Member States, but with a great emphasis on stakeholder participation. Our common agenda hit the Secretary general's report in 2,021
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: talked about
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: a technology track involving all stakeholders, governments, the UN. System, the private sector, including the tech companies, civil society, grass roots, organisations, academia individuals, including youth. So that was a very strong steer from the Sector General, that okay, this was
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: primarily an intergovernmental process, but one which
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: would take forward the multi stakeholder
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: approach as set out in the wishes.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Process! Going back to 2,005.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So what is what is the aim. The aim of the compact is to agree shared principles for an open, free, and secure digital future rule, and to set out a series of commitments and actions to implement a set of 12 principles. What are they? Well, the the objectives which were 1st
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: formulated in the 0 draft of the compact which came out
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: at the beginning of April this year.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Those 5 objectives are the following.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: 1st of all, to close all digital divides and accelerate progress across the sustainable development goals. So there's a strong linkage here to the 2030 agenda on sustainable development. So that's the 1st objective, second, one expand inclusion in, and the benefits from the digital economy for all. So a strong emphasis on inclusive inclusivity.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: 3, rd objective to foster an inclusive, open, safe, and secure digital space that respects, protects, and promotes human rights. So a strong linkage across to the human rights
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: aspects of everything in the digital sphere.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: 4, th objective to advance responsible and equitable international data, governance data and privacy. And
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: the coherent international approach to data flows again captured in in this objective for the compact
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and the 5th objective to strengthen international governance of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity. Now this objective
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: has been tweaked a bit in the in the course of the negotiations in in New York, and following the consultations with stakeholders, to move away from an explicit ambition to govern
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: artificial intelligence, which was, what was the phrasing which was the phrasing that was used in the initial draft
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: to strengthening international governance. So this is an example of how the consultations have actually led to some reconfiguration of that particular objective relating to AI, and broadening it to include all emerging technologies with an emphasis emphasis on the benefit for humanity. Of these technologies
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: the principles. Again, there's been some tweaking of the set of principles. Originally there were going to be 10 principles.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: 1st of all inclusive, as I've just discussed, secondly, development oriented so routine the compact in the 2030 agenda, 3rd principle, human rights based anchored in international law.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: fourthly, gender equality and empowerment. So closing the gender digital divide an important principle for this compact.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: this one environmental environmentally sustainable. So leveraging digital technology for sustainability that's become quite a central objective, captured in that principle
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: an additional principle that came out following the 0 drought which is now in the current.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Rev. One draft. That's we've actually put on the Eurodig commented platform
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: that came out
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: in last month.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and that is equitable tackling. And I'm quoting here tackling concentrations of technological capacity and market power.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So that's quite
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: an important development in terms of the text
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: tackling market power.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: continuing through the principles. The next one. I've lost track, 7, th one accessible, and this refers in particular to linguistic and cultural diversity in the digital space.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Next one, interoperability, interoperability of systems and governance. And I think this is kind of referencing.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: tackling the risks of Internet fragmentation. There's not much in the text about fragmentation and what that might happen, what what might happen in the future. So that is important, one to note
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: advancing interoperability of systems and governance
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: next one, and that is a new one, interoperable that came in on the second draft.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: so to
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: add another 2,
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: the other one equitable and interpreting. These are new principles that have emerged. Following the consultations on the 0 draft, the remaining 4 ones responsible
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: responsibility, effective human oversight of technologies.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Next, one innovation friendly, so that societies and businesses can recap the benefits of digitalisation.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Next, one multistakeholder cooperation will involve all stakeholders according to respective roles and responsibilities. So that is a principle that's very important. And one we should cherish. And it's significant that the Secretary General is really championing a multi stakeholder approach with that principle and the final one forward looking.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: it recognizes that the whole technological environment we're working on is is fat evolving. So it should. The the compact should be adaptive to emerging technologies.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So, as I say, there have been some changes to the
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: 0 draft of the text that came out in April, as you see, reflected in the Rev. One, the second draft which we've put on the commenting platform.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: There are 2 additional principles. There is also stronger support for the Internet governance forum. And I quote as the central forum for multistakeholder discussion on public policy issues relating to the Internet
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and support for efforts to increase the diversity of participation in the Igf. So some reference there really to the agenda for strengthening and maximising diversity in the Igf.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: There are also significant changes to the text concerning governance proposals for AI and the role of the UN.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: There is no longer, it seems, the ambition for the UN to establish the foundations of international governance of AI that was in his aircraft that's been replaced by UN supporting. I quote ways that complement international regional national industry efforts and help capacity building to access, develop use and govern AI systems and emerging technologies.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: A potentially controversial commitment is still in the text about establishing a new UN body
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: for emerging technologies is called the
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: International Scientific Panel on a and emerging technologies.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So it's no longer limited to AI, which was the inference in the 0 draft. It's now expanded to include emerging technologies. I think there's going to be a lot of discussion about this
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: as as a new UN entity.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: You'll see also in the in the revised draft, that there are
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: links to all the sustainable development goals in the commitments to action that the the text includes.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: A lot of attention has been paid to how the compact will be followed up. How it will be implemented
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: on this.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: a lot of concern and anxiety among stakeholders that this
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: what was described in the 0 draft is quite a complex array of UN bodies involved in the follow-up.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: so these, these include,
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: the
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: the high level political forum on sustainable development, the Hlpf and the UN. Economic and Social Council.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: which will have the role. A quote of monitoring and reviewing progress of the compact, particularly as it relates to closing digital divides and achieving
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: accelerating achievement of the Sdgs.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: The UN. Human Rights Council will also have a role in tracking progress to foster inclusive, open, safe, and secure digital space and for all.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And how is this all going to be coordinated within the UN. Well, there is a proposal to establish an office within the UN secretariat
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: that is starting to ring alarm bells of
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: of
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: governance moving much more to the centre of the UN. So there will be a lot of discussion about that in the final stages of the drafting and how how will the progress in implementing the compact be reviewed?
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: There is
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: seen there is a role seen for the wishes forum, and also for the Idf. But it's not clear how this actually will roll out in terms of practical proposals.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So we'll have to wait and see about how that will form. And I'm sure a lot of stakeholders see a much more important role for the Igf. In following up the compact in monitoring progress and reporting on it. The Secretary General does say that he would look to the Igf to hold an annual discussion about progress, but actually
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: getting oversight of how progress is actually happening, because there are a lot of commitments in the in the text of the of the compact commitments by Member States commitments expected of stakeholders who's going to monitor that
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: adherence to those commitments and achieving any targets. It's not not really clear. So I've talked quite a lot about, I think. What are some of the key issues? There's a lot more. It's quite a long document, the text.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: but we should all, I think, have an eye to how the next version of the text will appear, and that's coming out later this week. We're expecting it to come out on Thursday. This follows discussions earlier this month amongst the Member States in New York.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and there will be an opportunity to
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: present this to stakeholders on Friday, if you go to the tech end. Sorry if you go to the Global Digital Compact page on the UN website, you'll get the link to register to participate in the
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: open stakeholder
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: presentation and discussions on Friday this this week. So watch out for that. I have tried to take part in those discussions on behalf of Yuri. When when the cofacilitators for the Gdc. Process, the ambassadors for Sweden and Zambia have held these open
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: consultations. And I've got recognition in the text
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: from one of my interventions that the Igf is not just the Igf, the global Igf. There are also all the national regional. Igf, so there is now recognition in the second text about regional and national itfs. So the role they play. They have a role to play in implementation. Let's see how those discussions go and contribute to those discussions.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: we're almost there.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: with the final finalization of the compact and the text.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: There's going to be some more consultations, but of course it it'll all be tied up ready for the summit of the future in September.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: in in New York.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Will stakeholders have the opportunity to take part in those discussions at the summit? I'm not sure yet how that's going to be facilitated. Maybe there are people here who know. Maybe Thomas knows.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So that's that's
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: that would be the next step. And then we have to follow on. Of course, the implementation of the compact
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: over the next year or so following the summit.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: I'll stop there. I've taught a lot I purchase of that. But
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: who do I hand over to now to to you, Thomas or
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Thomas. Okay, just plenty.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Oh, I noticed it awesome.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: There's more of these. Yeah. Good morning, everyone. I'm happy to be here in real news after 14 years after the Igf. To 2,010, which was a very nice experience, so very happy to be back
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: about the stakeholder participation. Well, I don't think that there is a direct inclusion, but I mean, there may be some consultations and some things. But yeah, it's an intergovernmental process. And talking about governmental processes versus
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: multi-stakeholder government multi-stakeholder processes. Actually, that makes a good link to the net Mandela conference that was held, which I'm gonna talk a few minutes about now that was held in Sao Paulo in April this year, 10 years after the 1st so-called net conference that was held at the same venue at the same hotel in Sao Paulo, 10 years ago.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: in 2,014, we had a big discussion about the unilateral control of the Us. Over the domain name system over Ican. These were the issues where most of the so-called at that time called Internet governance discussions were focusing on.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And then we had, of course, Snowden. And that raised the, let's say, dissatisfaction among many about, let's say, uneven impacts or uneven controls over many aspects of Internet governance.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And what then happened was this conference that the Brazilians, Brazilian government, under Rousseff, organised with the support of Icann and its CEO. At that time fadi jihadi. And they developed some Internet governance principles and the roadmap to implement these principles.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: In a
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: new way of process where governments were not like we see in the Gdc. Were not negotiating on their own with more or less serious or regular consultation with others, but actually the actual negotiations on the outcome before and during the conference was happening with all the stakeholders on equal levels.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and it was a little chaotic because there was no blueprint for this, but it worked, and most of the governments, most of the civil society and other institutions were actually happy with the result.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And of course, there's always. It was like a rough consensus on the result.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And now, 10 years later, as we've heard, we are again at the crucial moment. But a different crucial moment on Internet governance.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and also in a fairly short time the Brazilians decided that it would make sense to have a net mandel plus 10, and instead of fighting within these processes, have a discussion about how these processes should look like. So what the conference did was adopting the so-called sapphire stakeholder guidelines.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: About.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Actually, they are not just about multistake of the processes, but also about multilateral process, and they are actually quite a refreshing document, which was again
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: elaborated and agreed on in a slightly chaotic again, but also in quite an inclusive process, definitely more inclusive than other processes, and it does a few things. It does a few things. It resolves
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: one, a big discussion today, the terminological confusion between Internet governance and digital governance, which is something that some people are trying to tell us that Internet governance is the thing that about domain names, critical Internet resources and digital governance is something completely different. And we like AI and data policy, and we need new institutions for this.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: But if you look at the whisky's documents at the Tunis agenda, the mandate of the I Jef, and at the working definition on Internet governance from, was it 2,003 or 2,005? I think it was 2,005. And you actually see that already, then. And if you look at the issues, this custard, all the I, Jeff.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: new technologies, new applications, new tools, have been constantly coming into the discussion in the wishes. Since 2,003 we've been having AI at discussed at Igfs and Eurodix for many years now, so
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: there is no such thing as something completely different between Internet governance and and digital governance. And what name? Yaldasi talks about Internet governance and digital policy, which is an elegant way. And we hope that that may help to to basically end this discussion, that we need new new.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: that there's a separation between these 2. Of course there are many issues, but that doesn't mean that they should take place, that the dialogue should take place in different worlds.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and also something that the the net Conference has shown is that those present and there were more more than 700 people, basically, these guidelines that were supposed to help
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: to improve
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: a fair participation
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: in in all governance processes, to make sure that all voices are heard, not just the ones, not just governments like in multilateral processes, but also not just the ones that have the resources, big companies or other representation groups that have the resources to participate, but actually that also others should be able to participate through making sure that information is spread, that fair participation that is representative, at least to some extent, is supported, and so on and so forth.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: This is basically the essence of the guidelines, and they are not just applying themselves to multi stakeholder processes like Icann, for instance, or others where we know that we have the problem of
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: of a proliferation of work streams that is difficult, for, let's say, vulnerable groups or groups with limited resources to make their voices heard. It is actually these guidelines are also applicable to governmental, to multilateral processes, equally, because also there are so called multilateral processes where you have more or less inclusion and processes to hear voices from all stakeholders
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: depending on the institutions depending on the issues. And you can actually use these guidelines also to see to what extent multilateral processes are inclusive beyond governance governments.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And so, and of course not. Everyone likes this, that multilateral and multi-stakeholder processes are seen as
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: not opposing each other, or mutually excluding each other, but actually as a coexisting and mutually that have the potential to mutually fertilise each other. This, let's say, embracing approach. To combine also multilateral and multi-stakeholder processes, is something that most of the people
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: think makes sense. Of course there are some that those that hate their governments or hate governments per se, like, for instance, a professor in the Us. Of course they were deceived.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: The governments were not, as usual, like being presented as the bad ones, and the multi stakeholder processes and the stakeholders as the good ones. But I think I would consider it as a good development that we see these processes as complimentary, mutually
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: inspiring each other, and that we have now. And this is the big achievement of the some power guidelines. We have a blueprint
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: that we can use to look at all the processes and say, are they inclusive?
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Do they allow stakeholders to make their voice heard other processes to make sure that the voices are not only heard, but actually also reflected in the outcomes. So this is really something that is new. At least the number of people have been waiting for. So we are very happy that this exists. Now we just need to make sure that this is also applied and used. So if any non governmental organisation like those that watch.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: I don't know them. Do rankings on freedom of expression or human rights or other things. If anybody wants to use the multi-stakeholder principles, the guidelines of netmundial, and look into different processes, and judge them accordingly to how they fulfill these guidelines and these principles, I think that would be an interesting tool to have. So yeah.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: something to think about. And in addition. And finally, also.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: the net model recalls that the Igf
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: is an important process.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: but that it still has a potential, that it hasn't been allowed.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: or it hasn't been, let's say, developed to use its full potential when it comes to providing for more tangible outcomes. We do have since the Igef in Geneva 7 years ago. We do have this outcome of messages that actually Eurydic had from the beginning. And then the Igf took it over the global Igf.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: But actually, in the mandate there is still a provision that the Igf could develop recommendations policy recommendations, for instance, on emerging issues, such as what used to be AI and data, and maybe quantum, or whatever new technology in the future. Then the question is, of course, if this is supposed to be representative of the discussion, and you have 200 sessions at an Igff. How do you make sure? How do you develop a process that would give such recommendations a legitimacy?
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: But fortunately we have AI that we can actually use for these things. So it would not be fully impossible to monitor all the discussions held at an Igf and then basically have a, of course, absolutely in transparent and manipulatable AI system to propose a policy outcome which could then be reviewed
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: as ideas. So there's room for for development also there for the phase for the future phase in making the idea stronger. And again, I don't stop here.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: The net money out provides for for useful tools that we can actually use to improve our processes, be they multilateral, be they multi-stakeholder and use our concentration. And this is also what it says. Let's try to make existing processes better instead of inventing new ones
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: that may risk to not be better, but actually worse, because if they don't learn from the weaknesses of the existing process. This, why should new ones be better just because they are new? Thank you very much.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Can I? Can I ask if Esteve is on online to speak about a Dfi.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: No? Then I would suggest, we immediately give the floor to the youth perspective and then enter into a discussion with the audience. And for this discussion I suggest, or Ana is.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: yes, I'm from the program.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Okay. I thought that was covered in the 1st part. Then let's go to the visits first.st Sorry for that.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Okay, so, Anna, on the wizards.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: But when you are not in the room yet, I was announcing that we have that with the session as coming next. So we will be very brief on. But, Anna, I don't want to take that chance to say a few words about visses, because it will relate to the overall discussion. Of course. Yes, only for you to take into account that it will be very nice to have you on the open consultation that will be held at 2 Pm.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Because we will have formally for the UN. The second regional open consultation. So the 1st one was in Dubai in May. It was for Western Arab
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Arabic countries. Sorry, and this second one will be for Europe, and there will be a 3rd one for Asia, and so on and so forth. So it will be very important for to have you on the this afternoon at 2 pm, thank you.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Okay. And then hand over to Izan.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Hello.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: hey, Luke, okay, cool. Thank you.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: I'd like to thank you, Sandra and Nadia, as well for inviting me once again to speak at Yurodig in the Eurodig Wiki. It mentioned that I was supposed to talk about the youth dig perspectives on global Internet governance processes.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: however, the youth are not necessarily a monolith in this space. There's a lot of diversity of opinions amongst all of us, and the messages that we came up with last year, particularly on global digital governance. Processes were formed on the basis of rough consensus. After a lot of discussion and debate, after which we came up with a certain set of principles that we could all unanimously agree on, that we found were quite important.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and the one thing that underpinned that which was also mentioned in the Consultation Response last year by the Internet Society's Youth Standing Group and the youth coalition on Internet governance
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: was a commitment to multi-stakeholderism, and if you will recall, last year there was a bit of concern after, for example, the policy, brief, was released from the unacc envoys office with the introduction of yet another organization like I think it was called a digital cooperation forum. There was a potential concern about marginalisation of in particular youth voices because of an emphasis that might have been placed
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: on multilateral processes over multi-stakeholder processes. There were a few positive strides, and we had discussed last year things, for example, like the declaration for the future of the Internet. But, as we mentioned in the youth, take messages last year, these are relatively anodyne statements that need accountability mechanisms in order for them to actually truly be effective.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: In recent times, and these have all been covered by, you know the speakers. Prior to me we have seen some positive strides and things that reaffirm effectively the multi-stakeholder commitment to Internet governance. And in particular, for example, if we look at the Sao Paulo, multi-stakeholder guidelines, a self-awareness and an understanding that even if you have multi-stakeholder processes, there is sometimes
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: an asymmetry in the distribution of power amongst those different stakeholders, and there are ways that you can try to make them more equitable and more equal, and it provides a yardstick that I agree with Thomas, we didn't necessarily have in such lucid terms before. For how we should measure different Internet governance processes.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: In particular, the global digital compact 0 draft.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: The 1st revision of that includes a lot of things that weren't there before, that we find, as the youth, I would imagine, to be particularly positive in this space, for example, in the objectives. And Mark mentioned this very, very explicitly and with force. There is a commitment to human rights that wasn't actually there in the 1st version. But that
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: wasn't there in the original version. But that was there in the 1st revision, which we, as the youth, would consistently emphasize. If there's 1 strand that you can find in all of the previous youth messages or all of the different consultation responses that have come out of the Internet Society's youth standing group or the youth coalition on Internet governance. It has been a commitment to human rights principles, particularly in Internet governance processes.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So, seeing that in the objectives was a good sign, and I think Mark also mentioned the necessity to have interoperability involved in the actual text of the document. And as that being one of the ways to combat Internet fragmentation, Internet fragmentation hasn't necessarily been mentioned at length.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: But one of the things that we have seen, which again is a positive development from the intercessional work of the Igf, particularly, the policy network on Internet fragmentation is an explicit understanding of the harm of Internet shutdowns which have been mentioned in one of the commitments, namely, that States would not shut down the Internet, and any restrictions that would be placed on access to the Internet would be done
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: in accordance with principles of legitimacy, of the aim that they intend to pursue, as well as proportionality off the actual restriction, which was something that was indeed covered at length in the policy networks, discussions, and at the Eurodig session on fragmentation last year. So I think there's a lot of positive developments that could come out of this one of the things that, as the youth we definitely do want to see.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: especially as part of the wisest outcomes in with Sis plus 20 would be a renewal of
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: the mandate of the Igf. And I think this is something that most, if not all, people within the Internet governance community can agree on, even if we disagree on a lot of other things. And this is something that
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: the youth in particular are focused on mainly because it is one of the key vehicles for getting youth voices heard. There's an Igf track that is dedicated to the youth. There are also a number of sessions that are also largely organized by the youth with youth participants as speakers and as panelists. And and it's not something that is only for the youth to be involved in. There are numerous other stakeholders who take part in those discussions
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: as well. So it is a time of caution, but it is also, in my view, a relatively optimistic time in light of the developments that we've seen, for example, coming out of net mondial plus 10, and also coming out of the 1st revision of the Gdc draft that we have seen.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Thank you.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Okay, thank you very much. I think we can now enter into a discussion, and we would like to introduce now a timer, so that every intervention that comes from the audience, and also from the speaker on the panel, should not be longer than 3 min.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and we would, of course, also like to invite all online participants to raise their hand and take the floor.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and since I know the rows are pretty tight, we will keep continuing with this catch box.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: so whoever would like to take the floor. I will throw
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: that box to you, and then you have to move it around the
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: the room. So let me know
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: out.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Amazing catch. I hope it still works. Thank you very much. Olivia Clap. I'm the chair of the Uk chapter of the Internet Society, and it's really great to have all of the updates in under one roof, as as one would say. But my question is, there's been a lot of discussion on digital governance and Internet governance. Are these 2 going in the same direction, or are they going in different directions, especially when it comes down to multi-stakeholder systems, etc?
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Who would like to take that
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: muffy?
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: I think it's a pretty straightforward question, so possibly it's good to answer this, and
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Sebastian wanted to answer what we have nowadays is multistakeholder.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: multi-stakeholder in multilateral process.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So what we want to achieve with net mondial and why we were so, and when I'm talking on, we
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: it's at least European governments. I think, that we were so supportive of net mondial plus plus 10 was exactly to understand what we are talking about when we are talking about multistakeholder in 2,024,
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: because when we it was, it was the the wizards summit in 2,003 and 2,005. They were held in a very peaceful.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: more peaceful than today. World!
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And but it was very difficult to swallow the community, the technical community and the civil society and the academia to have a role in Internet governance.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Nowadays. I think that it's very difficult for any government to say that the technical community, the academia, the civil society, and the private sector, of course, that they don't have a role. They have a major role, and I think.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: at least, that perception is something that we agree. The thing here is the power. Where is the power? And so we have different governments. Some governments think that they have the power to do everything, and other governments
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: consider that they have to hear and to work with all the other stakeholders to have a proper decision-making process.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So I think that we are in a very interesting era for the discussion of the multistakeholder, because, personally, I think that even the war should be, the decision on the war should be, and the development of the war should be taken on the basis of a multi
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: stakeholder process, and not to leave that one governments alone. So because we see that all the civil society and academia, they are very against all these movements of war, and there is something that will be interesting to see in the upcoming years
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: is to see whether, if more women is in the leadership of the world, if there will be so many wars as we have in this century. So it's really something very bad. At least.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: multistolar is totally important for these global issues and climate Internet digital. We have to have this multistolar approach definitely. And we have multilateral processes. We have to have them as well. And the key thing here is how to work and develop, negotiate, and perform in the multilateral arena in a multistaller way and net
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: work that helped a lot on that.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: I don't know if you would, I would think we should. Yeah, okay.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: thank you very much, Sebastian. Chair of Yorolo. Thank you for having us here. And following the question of Olivier. It's not just about the question of
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Do we go from Internet governance to digital governance. But also I get the impression, even with intervention this morning that we are going to have the multistakeholder to help the multilateral decision.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And and therefore I
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: I'm very thankful with the
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: what's happened in Sao Paulo, but I hope that differently to 10 years ago we will not
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: forget about net mondial
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: during 10 years, and just come back in 10 years. Therefore we need to find a way and not just asking the President to do something. But we need to find a way to keep the momentum on what has happened in net, and I must admit that when I came to net
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: in Sao Paulo I came with different opinion on what was the final document, but I am very happy with the final document. Therefore I think it's important. This discussion between the multistake or the discussion. The last part is that
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: not 2 points more. One. It's regarding war.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: We don't need multistakeholder. We need to stop war everywhere. We don't need to start any war, therefore we don't need any process to start a war. We just need a process to stop all the war in this world.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: My last point is just marketing purposes. We, as euro made across
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Conference Telephony Conference about the anniversary at Ted Mondial
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: 10 years after the recording is available, and we have made a smaller
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: summary of that as well as a summary of net. Munjal
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: plus 10 in Sao Paulo. That sounds your other website. You have 2 newsletter about that. Thank you very much.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Thank you, Sebastian.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: You can slowly throw the catch box to Adam, and but but before we give the floor to Adam we see the red lights and the red lights are our sign that there is an intervention from the chat.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Yeah, at this point the conversation is also quite interesting in the in the virtual room. But there is a question indeed from Bufuno and it is, and I will read. I'm not sure understood the distinction between the Igf and Vcs processes. It seems that they are both tackling the same thing like some clarification, please, for the speaker before Mrs. Anna. I'm sorry, did not get his name correctly. I think it's for Olivia.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And then there are another topics I could summarize, but I think it's better if we give the floor back.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Okay? So I would say, Adam.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: or is there an immediate reply to that?
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Okay, then just an immediate reply. I tried to not use 3 min. Just a brief reply on wishes. And I, Jeff, I mean historically, these things were 2 different things. The Wishes Forum was initially called the Wishes action line implementation meeting, whatever facilitation meeting supposed to look at the progress of the implementation of the action lines of the 2,003 Geneva Action Plan
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and the Itf was set up as an open and inclusive multistakeholder forum, by the way, by a Swiss diplomat that had a key role in setting it up that way. Others may have done it differently, and then, of course, the It and Unesco learned that the format of the Itf is very dynamic, and they basically were inspired by the forum of the Igf.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and adapted the wishes forum in the same way. But the wishes forum is now also very much inclusive, very much multi-stakeholder driven. But there's still more impact of the government because it is run by UN special agencies. So there's overlap in the discussions. But there's a different history, and the purpose initially was different, and the setting is still slightly different. Thank you.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Thank you, Adam, and after Adam, please pass it
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: carefully to yawn. But don't hit the camera. I'll try to break something, Adam Peake. I work for Icann, but this is just a couple of general questions. Really one very simple one. We talk a lot about challenges of all these processes, challenges to the Gdc. Changing things and threats. What are the opportunities that you see, we should be thinking about opportunities for us in the room
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: to engage in these, and of course Icann is concerned about threats to the multi-stakeholder model. But there's much more than this. We're talking about opportunities of
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: the digital world. So I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on that. And the second is really about process. So we know we have the global digital compact feeding into a process in September this year, the summit of the future, which will produce a pact of the future or something, and then, sometime towards the end of next year, we will have the Wizis plus 20 review, and that will be an outcome document.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: What will that outcome? What do you envisage that outcome document to be? And from the end of September, when we have the pact, what do you see the process to be? There'll be an appointment of cofacilitators.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: What's their starting document to reach that end document in October, or whenever it is 2025. So we're going to have a negotiated document at the end of next year. What's going to happen for that year process from New York at the end of September? Where are our entry points as multi-stakeholders? Will there be a starting document at chairs? 0 statement, or what are we going to be looking at.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Thank you.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Well, I think that one will be for me. Perhaps so. The open consultation that I was talking before that will be held at 2 Pm. It's part of this review.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So let me be more formal about this process because we need these formalities, otherwise it will be a bit chaotic, and we need to understand what is
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: the different steps. What will come up from the Gdc. I have no idea, but it will influence definitely the review of the business, plus 20. But for the time being it has been requested by the UN.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Economic and Social Council echo to collect inputs. So it was being requested by Eczoc to the Cstd. So Cstd is the Commission on Science and Technology for development of the United Nations. It's a functional body that responds to Ecuad.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and since 2,006, after the second phase of the visis
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: it was asked to the CST to do a follow-up of the implementation of visits, both the 2 processes, 2,003 action lines of Geneva, and 2,005 with the Igf.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and so, since 2,006 the Cstd. Has didn't change its name. It's about science and technology, but it's about the whizzes as well. The whizzes follow up.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and to see how the implementation has been. So far
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: so
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: it. It was been asked by Kozoc to collect inputs from all wiz's implementation for these outcomes for discussion at each 28th annual session to be held from 7 to 1120, 25 in Geneva, so in CST. From 7 to 11 April
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: there will be a report of the the review, and this report is being elaborated, is being produced through the open consultation that started with a questionnaire
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: that ended on the 31st of March this year, and it is continuing with open consultations. We had a 1st open consultation at worldwide level in Kyoto during the Igff in October, and we had another one in Geneva
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: during the digital days of Ankhtar.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And now we have these regionals. So the 1st one I mentioned in Dubai, the second one during Erodig, and the others will be others, I mean in Africa, in Asia, Pacific, and the Grolax region
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and America. So there will be different regions, and with these different open consultations, and they are all informing
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: this document that will be produced for the Cstd. And will be discussed in Geneva from the 7th to 11th of April.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: The results of the Cstd. Will be submitted through Ecosoc to the UN General Assembly for its overall review of the implementation of the Wizi's outcomes in 2025.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: there is this formal and official roadmap.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and it will end formally in April next year, with the presentation of this with this plus 20 review.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and then we will have the formal discussions in Kozoc and UN. General Assembly. So for the time being we have to be very, very active and dynamic.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Thank you.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: I see the red light is on. So in the interest of remote participants. Let's give the floor to drow, and then I see a hand raised from Jim Mark. But before is yearn any
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: we have hands raised from Wolfgang benerec. I asked for cam on, but I'm asking to unmute and have the floor for users.
Wolfgang Benedek: Thank you very much for the very interesting presentations
Wolfgang Benedek: my question would be, the criticism of the Igf leadership panel of a possible agency dealing with artificial intelligence, and also your assessment of the future role of the Igf leadership panel
Wolfgang Benedek: in a few just ranked itf. Thank you.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Anyone who takes that question.
Wolfgang Benedek: They must.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: I tried to be short, the Swiss Government was among those that that pushed for a leadership panel because we were trying to do something against the criticism that the Igf has not enough political impact, and we thought it would be helpful if
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: there was like a high level body that would not have a
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: would have the role of an ambassador, of bringing the voices from the Igf to other decision making bodies. Let's put it that way.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and I think it more or less works. But what the role of the Igf leader, Japan, I mean, it's not really defined somewhere in in a law. It is something that the Igf and the stakeholders agreed that they would give it a chance.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: I think we'll have to see what the role of the itf will be in general in the process that Anna outlined
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and and then also what the leadership panel's role will be, how we would, how we can still further strengthen, let's say, the political weight of the Igf.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And again, in our view.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: having some
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: some higher level people than us here, for instance, may help that some other people that may not listen to us may listen to others, but they should not have an agenda of their own, but should actually portray the voices heard at the Igf to to decision makers. So that's still our idea. And and if that would derail if that did derail, then I think we should correct it. So far, I think it has again, more or less worked.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And and yeah.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: that's my
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: answer for the time being thing.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and now the floor is yours to join.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Hello, yeah. Thank you for your for your interventions. I've got one question regarding the shift to multilateralism. I got the impression that it also a shift to politics.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So why we we used to have Internet governance as guard rails.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: trying to, of course, prevent bad things, but to leave as much freedom as possible in the middle.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: We now have a tendency at least, that's my impression. Maybe you have a different view on it which would interest me that governments are trying to implement politics.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: be it good policies like the UN. Saying they want to implement as the HD 20 thirties, or equity, or Chinese politics, or whatever, but that we are no longer talking about the necessary guard rates of technology that we want to just prevent the bad, but that we
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: want to enforce the good using technology. And of course, this means that we will have a loss of freedom.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And I see this as critical, because what is good is often disputed and might not be, there might not be an agreement on what should.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: what the purpose of
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: regulation should be.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Thanks yon. I would ask you now to throw it to Jim. But be careful with the cameras.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and I was just reminded that I should remind everyone to state your name and affiliation for the record, and also that others recognize you.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So then, then, after
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: too late, too late!
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So thanks, Sandra Jim Pranagh with the Galway strategy group. And Anna, thanks for the high, level overview of the process. I think that's helpful. If I could ask you to maybe
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: expand upon it a little bit for the benefit of those
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: who aren't as familiar.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: What are the avenues for people to engage with their Member States and delegations
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: leading up to the Cstd meeting. And then, once that document does go to New York.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: is it set in stone, or is it still open in negotiation. And again, what can we, as the community, do to help inform our Member States in New York
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: as part of that process?
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So the community is being heard. So we are trying our best for everybody to, for every every stakeholder to talk and to, and to say and to write what they envisage for the future of of doing this review. But of course everybody is a bit.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: I don't know if concern means that the best word. But
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: People are not understanding very well these different events. Well, let's say like that, because I don't want to call the Gdc. A process, but it will be so. All the community is already working for the Gdc.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: The Wizis plus 20 had more time, and we had all the guests. So we had the questionnaire. We are having all these open consultations to hear the community, because the governments they can use other channels to influence the process.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: even if well, I can tell you that we don't have so much. Government so so keen in all these these processes. It's like, only at the end of the process. They are very keen, and
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: we have governments discussing things that they are not aware of. So all this process, it's very important, more and more that the different stakeholders engage with their governments to send papers to inform them, because they are not aware
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: so.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: We have this horizontal problem at different regions of the world. So we have a community very interested and very engaged. But then, when we have to have a decision, a final decision, the problem is that governments that are discussing and negotiating. Maybe they are not so engaged, and they are not so aware of what is being discussed.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And so in the Cstd. At least we will try to have governments involved in that discussion that they are aware of what the discussion is.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: but of course there will be then a discussion in ecosoc level, and then will be a new discussion at the General Assembly's level. So it will be a whole process throughout 2025.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So what I'm asking to everyone is to
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: to inform their government to send documents to send notes to send their position papers, because it's very important because they
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: it it is. And another way to engage governments in all this process. I don't know if I respond to your question, but
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: worse.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Okay, no. I think that's helpful. I think there's a wealth of knowledge outside of governance about these issues, and just more opportunities for us to engage with
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Member States is is important, particularly with Member States who are involved in the Cstd process. And then, obviously, as it moves to New York. So what I'm hearing from you about. When the Cstd resolution does go to New York
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: they could still change. It's not set in stone so absolutely. We have to remain engaged through December of 2,020. Absolutely. Yeah, don't worry, thank you.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: because some governments cannot.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: cannot. Well, maybe they will be not so aligned with with this report, but the report is from the open consultations and from the customer. So it's it will be very, I think, very fair for the community.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Just just one sentence about expectation management.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Not all the governments are the same, and not all the UN. Processes are the same before you spend energy in writing documents and papers
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: check whether your government, or whether a particular UN process will actually look at it. And if it doesn't.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: before you write the paper, make a fuss about the process and use the net Mandela principles, because some some process they are still just ignoring. They pretend they ask you to write papers and papers, and then we'll just put them aside, so that also exists. So find out how this works, and if you think you can't trust it then protest before writing the substantive papers. Thank. And we have a whole cycle of regional Igf in 2,025 to get those messages across as well.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Jim, I would ask you to pass it slowly to loose a vis.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: But in the meantime, in the meanwhile Mark was asking for the floor, and I see a gentleman in the back
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and as well.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Nigel
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and I know we have also another. Oh, sorry
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: over here.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: But okay.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Jana, was it right? Got it? Okay? So I go first.st Yeah. Thank you. Sandra. Marc, Cavell, Internet governance consultant. UK, member.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: 1st of all, just to pick up Adam Peake's reference to the
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: pact for the future. This is the principal outcome document from the summit
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: for the future. In September
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: there is a text of the packets has been negotiated is continuing to be negotiated.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: There have been opportunities for for stakeholders to hear the progress of that and and to non government stakeholders. I mean to to hear about the progress of that and
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and offer comments. It's in 5 parts. And there's there's
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: one of the parts is science, technology and innovation and digital cooperation.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And the focus of that part is on
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: the opportunities of technologies and also managing the risks and also development aspects, and so on.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And then that provides the link to the global digital compact. It's actually referenced in the pact as providing all the
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: actions and commitments in support of what's in summarized in in the pact.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And while I've got the mic, I just want to say, you know, we, as I said, we've got the the revised draft of the compact on the Uid commenting platform.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: I've put on the platform some guiding questions to help you sort of focus on some of the issues that
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: crop up
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: as a result of the text. And, as I say, there is another text, another version of the text about to come out.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So if you have comments about the compact, what's not there, or what's not right, or what's undesirable in the body of the compact, and also in crucially in the follow up process.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Have a look at the commenting platform and get get your comments on on, on there.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and then we do aim to submit to the Co facilitators
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: a pan-european
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: input reflecting the comments received.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: What people have said in the Eurodig consultation so far, including our webinar back in April.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: on the on the 0 draft. Okay, I'll stop there. Thank you.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Lucas Grace. You are next week.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Bernard, is this on
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Ambassador for the Dutch Internet Governance Forum and member of Isoc Netherlands. I wanted to ask if the panel would reflect, maybe, on the recent political developments, both globally and but especially now here in Europe.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Regarding what kind of impact that could have on the values that we generally hold dear when it comes to to freedom, but also some kind of regulation that we do accept is needed. And you know, when you're saying, Go back to your governments and talk to them, we're going to have a crazy, right-wing government in the Netherlands.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And would you? Then, I mean, maybe I'm looking also at Thomas because of your experience as a civil servant. Does one try to deal with it at the level of the administration, or because politicians sometimes come and go, sometimes are not as involved definitely are freaked out by the technicalities of how the Internet works.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and what would be your very practical advice in how we could do that with those governments that we do think are going to make and have an impact?
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: It goes to the very far.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Should I give a short reply now, or do you want to take another question.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: can someone who wants it raised their hand, and then I'll start passing it again.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: The gentleman just behind the pillow was there with the glasses. I'll give it to you first.st Yeah, none of it.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Shall I go ahead? Or
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Sandra?
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Shall I go ahead? Or, yes, please. Okay, thanks. So yana from the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: I'm attending Erik for the second time. 1, st one was in Tampere, so good to be here.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Many thanks for the insightful presentations and insights.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: maybe few remarks or comments at this point.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: 1st of all, I I do send some sort of
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: frustration among those colleagues who are dealing with
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: the Tdc. Negotiations.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: especially the ones who have been dealing with these topics for a long time.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: I'm quite new to the topic.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: but in a way
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: in the panel. We might have insights on this topic. And how do you see that?
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Should we maybe
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: aim bit lower
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: to the lower low hanging fruit instead of a more holistic approach.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: In in these negotiations.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: I think this is something that that many of the colleagues who have been dealing with this topic for a long time, are wondering at the moment
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: another point. There has been good discussion here about the commitments, and how we
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: he engage the
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: stakeholders and the general public in these discussions and these negotiations.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: I very much feel that there's a lot more that we can do in order to engage the local people, the general public in these negotiations and processes.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: many, to my understanding, feel that these are some
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: processes far, far away from their daily lives.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: I think it's important that we ensure the buy in and the commitment from the local people and populations in these these processes.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and maybe a question that that?
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: How? How could we ensure the buy-in from from the global majority, especially the G. 77
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: to these processes?
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Thank you.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Thomas. You wanted to. I'd I'd like to quickly respond to to both, to to what Lucy says. Ask this depends on your on your local culture, and on the situation of the state of your country, but we know that we're all walking on thinner and thinner ice in terms of stability for processes. So there's some civil servants that actually
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: remain while on top people come and go. But of course, on top, the people take the decisions. So it depends on the case. But again, I mean. And the other thing is, and something I'm witnessing after 20 years in this, it's not necessarily that ministers have more. Know better what the Internet and AI. Whatever is that? The ministers 20 years ago.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: But there are some people around them that know better, and if you find out who to talk to that may help. Let's put it that way, and again be vocal. If you're not hurt on all channels that you have. That's the only thing you need to fight for. We all need to fight for our rights to party. Otherwise. Yeah, we'll hear about that tomorrow evening. But that's something else. And then to my colleague from Finland.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and also what Jeremy Abg said.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Of course, 20 years ago we were talking about technical stuff.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: That was not so impactful to people's lives. It was about we had the dream and the vision that lasted until the Arab Arab spring that the Internet would be good and we could trust each other. We don't need no laws, and everything. Now we're at the different stage, whether that is nice or not or good or not is is something else. But of course there's much more money. There's much more power, not necessarily in the Internet infrastructure, but
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: on what is happening over the Internet. And of course, then you can also do more damage. You can do more good things, and that the people then
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: put pressure on politicians to regulate because they want to somehow
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: have their rights protected. They have fears, legitimate or not legitimate. So there's more pressure.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And I wouldn't say it would be interesting to maybe discuss. What do you mean by lower expectations? The question is, what are the right expectations? And I think Adam made a good point. We are against the elements in the Gdc. That
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: where we think, or my government, for instance, think that it invents new processes where I have existing ones, and the way the new processes are set up will not be better. So that's for us the waste of taxpayers' money and waste of all our time, basically. But the other things that are
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: where there's a need to mention things. There's a need to. Highlight challenges, to highlight opportunities and and show a way. Show a vision where we want to go, which is something different from duplicating processes.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: The mic is with the gentleman in the back, and then I ask the mic to go further down to Nigel.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Are there any other hands raised that I forgot. Martin. Okay. And Mark, can you hear me? Okay, I like the BC boys reference. Thomas. Always a good start. David Fairchild, I'm a 1st secretary mission in Geneva, so I've very excited to be here today. I think just to start and similar to commential.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: There are Member States here to listen to stakeholders. So I don't wanna take the mic for very long. I think when we talk about finding friends in the room and friends to talk to I do encourage Member States to take the time to to ask the question of what are the issues? Because.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: I'm gonna thread a couple of comments together. But really, it is all New York right now. And coming from Geneva. It makes me sad to say that. But the reality is is that the Gdc. Negotiations are very much being led out of New York. And so for stakeholders in the room. As you think about your advocacy as we get to the terminal stage of the Gdc. And the pact.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: I really do, calling you to focus your attentions in that direction.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Geneva has a place to feed information in, but sadly, I think most of the decisions are being taken there. At this point
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: I had the the privilege of listening to the Secretary General. Speak to the Itu Council last week, and if you haven't had a chance to read his speech, it is online
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: a couple of things that struck me, and then I will simply then bridge to quickly some ongoing negotiations to highlight.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: The Secretary General basically said that the Gdc needs is to update and upgrade digital cooperation
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: which take it or leave it suggest that he believes that there is a governance gap and I think the community needs to understand what that means. And I think, Jim's right that we need to look for the opportunities in that things are changing. I I use the word ossification. I think 20 plus years. Things have to change. Things are changing, and I think the most important stakeholder that has probably changed in the in the most recent past is Member States.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: They are a stakeholder. Unfortunately, they also run the game. So there are significant number of Member States who feel something needs to change.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: What? It was interesting from the Sg's speech is, he never used the word Igf, and he never used the word multistakeholderism.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: which I thought was also quite interesting, and only one referenced human rights.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: I think we can appreciate that what is going on inside the negotiations is very much about what is the future of intergovernance, whether it's multilateral or multi-stakeholder.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and I know I'm not there. But I know from colleagues who are in the room. This is the debate human rights.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and how to frame multilaterals versus multi-stakeholderism. And what we're seeing is a massive divide between those who are supporting the multi-stakeholder models and those who want to shift it to a UN centric state centered model.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So I'm going to stop there because I realize I'm now out of time. But I really would appreciate just hearing from the group.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: You know. How do you see advocacy working? Because I think from our stance? You need to find partners, whether the Member States or individuals who are prepared to carry your message.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Now it has to go back in the front. So to Nigel
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and I also understood. We have a remote intervention now from from Estefa.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: so I would like to ask Escofer to
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: stay here for a few minutes, so that we continue the round of
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: participants intervention, because I understood you would like to say something about a Dfi. So first, st Nigel, Martin.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Mark, and then Esther.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Hello, Nigel Hicks in the Uk government. Good to steer, Steve. Yeah, just very briefly a couple of points. And I suppose I was going to start this by saying, Get real.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: This is not going to be a walk in the park, either the Gdc. Or the wishes plus 20 process.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: I mean, many are better students than geopolitics than I am, but I've just learned a little over 40 years, and I would say the geopolitics are more probably challenging in terms of the Internet governance space than they have been for a long time.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So I think I think what people have been saying is is absolutely right. I mean, 1st of all, on the on the global digital Compact.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Rev. 2. Well, let's see what Rev. 2 brings. But we have seen the G 77 and China paper. And that was a significant pushback from what we had seen before in terms of a multi stakeholder approach. So if anything is reflected in that paper in the next revision, then it's going to be less, it's going to be less positive. And this really matters.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And it really matters because what comes out of the global digital compact will influence the wishes plus 20 process.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and we don't influence it significantly.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And so I don't think any of us should be, if you like. Well, I'm not saying we shouldn't be optimistic. I think we should always do our best and put a positive spin on what we can. We should point out the real benefits that have occurred under the wishes process. But indeed, we are going to
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: face significant issues when it comes to the UN General Assembly discussions next year.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: which I suppose finally brings me to you know, what can we do?
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Well, what we can do is we can hold governments to account.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: We have to be more bold, the UK has to be more bold, the European Union has to be more bold, we must hold governments to account. We cannot have a situation where countries engage in multi stakeholder processes, where they get benefits, where they get kudos, where they get applause from multi stakeholder processes, and then put their hand up in the G 77, and say, we want sovereign rights. Mr. Chairman.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: we don't want the recognition of multi-stakeholder bodies that are coordinating the Internet.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: We must not have that situation. We have to be real.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: We have to work with governments. We have to cooperate with governments. We have to ensure that the wishes, plus 20 process, perhaps better, reflects the needs of developing countries, as was discussed at the Wishes Forum, as no doubt will be discussed at the UN. CST. And the report that comes out of that.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: But we have a lot of work to do. And finally, oh, I'm out of time. I do apologize, but stakeholders, yes, follow Mark's advice, take part next week. Sorry on Friday in this process, and stand up and be counted yet again
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: to Martin, please.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: I would have been okay with a throw in this distance, Nigel.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Thank you for your introductions. And yeah, of course I care. Martin Baltimore. I care. I follow this.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And I see the need for
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: multilateral underpinning for everything we do in the Internet, because the Internet has become so important to the world
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: at the same time we also recognised that it may be useful to keep some of the Internet governance out of the hand of political interference and make sure that there is a global good which is an Internet that serves all potentially, no matter what your particular government thinks of it, recognising there is different governance in the world and in different relationship with their people
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and with each other.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So what can we do to make sure that this basic facility, this basic connection to information and communication
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: can be there to serve the world and help us to get closer to achieving the Stgs
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and and matters like that.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: But at the same time respecting the fact that yes, abuse has been made, particularly on the constant and data level, that that will need to have some underpinning and regulations and international treaties.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Simple question.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Maybe.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: maybe, Mark, because you raised your hand as well, could take that question or
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: estimate is going to be the last intervention today. So but I, before we knew that he's online, we had that queue of operation already. So Mark was the last one in this queue. That's why I would like to give him the floor now and then to estimate.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Well, it's a tricky question if I sort of duck it that way. But let's let's take that away. I mean, I just want to echo 1st of all, what what Nigel has said. We may see. Some
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: may well see some pushback
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: on the text of the Gdc. And
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: we have this last window to react to that. So
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: use the commenting platform we've set up for for that for that purpose.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: The the
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: process of
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: consulting widely on the Gdc. Has not been ideal has been pretty challenging.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: There hasn't really been opportunities for
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: active engagement with the cofacilitators
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: in a discussion or way. You know, it's been a matter usually of having the opportunity to make a short statement. And then it's it's sort of
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: relayed in those terms.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: But it's interesting that the pact for the future does look at transforming global governance
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: as the final part of the pact for the future, and that does provide the opportunity to contribute to ensuring that all relevant stakeholders do participate meaningfully in UN processes.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: So I think that is a sort of window, a ray of light, if you like, on the future
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: for UN process and opening up multilateral
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: decision taking to effective and meaningful stakeholder participation by non-government stakeholders.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: And likewise there's a part on youth. I mean, it really is a valuable
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: statement in the pact about
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: in the part regarding youth participation ensuring that youth. Voices are heard at the national and international level. I think that's also another ray of light. Okay, I'll stop there. Thank you.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Sorry, Martin. I didn't really respond to your question. I just like to add one comment. It's about the speech of the Secretary General of the United Nations. Antonio Guterres
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: so read the speech that he made during the Kyoto meeting and read the the one that was addressed to Itu. They are totally different, because he knew exactly
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: to whom your stock was trying to convey his message when he talked to Itu. So he had to measure what kind of words he could use.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Okay, let's finish the discussion here on these several topics and give the floor. Now to estimate sons from the European Commission.
Esteve Sanz European Commission: Hi, Hello, everybody! Thank you so much for inviting me to this event. I'm really sorry you could only join
Esteve Sanz European Commission: later, but I had the opportunity to hear many of the comments that that the community stakeholders have been providing in relation to the Gdc. Confirms about wishes. So I just wanted to start this with reassuring you, that the EU shares many of these of these concerns. The negotiation of the Gdc. For example, is very well coordinated by the EU delegation in New York, and I can, I can tell you that
Esteve Sanz European Commission: we take all these concerns which are shared are almost no brainers, very much into account when we go into into the negotiation table and and discuss with Member States about how to how to handle them.
Esteve Sanz European Commission: And I would, if you allow me, I would.
Esteve Sanz European Commission: despite, of course, many contributions that we see from G. 77, and not like minded part parties
Esteve Sanz European Commission: that are a bit
Esteve Sanz European Commission: farther away of with what we have in mind. We maintain a relative optimism about the Gdc. Negotiations and the Gdc. Text. We think that we are on the right track. But the next session of the negotiations is gonna be it's gonna be crucial, and let's see if we can find acceptable commitments while respecting
Esteve Sanz European Commission: the the red lines that you have as well on on the text. So
Esteve Sanz European Commission: just wanted to start with this. And then, very briefly, we are engaged basically into
Esteve Sanz European Commission: 2 plus 2 global processes that relate directly to different governments. One is this declaration for the future of the Internet. But the other one is the is this notion of the governments of Web 4.0, which I would also like to use this opportunity to announce a forthcoming conference in in 2025, but on the Dfi, the declaration for the future of the Internet. You know that this is a document that was launched in April 2022
Esteve Sanz European Commission: that it has now more than 70 countries who have signed
Esteve Sanz European Commission: on basically to promote an open, free global interoperable human rights based Internet. There are series of commitments that these countries do. This is a this is a very sharp document. There is nothing like that in international politics, and the Gdc. Will certainly not be like that.
Esteve Sanz European Commission: this is a document that of course, we have in mind when we negotiate the Gdc. Especially the human rights, sections, etc. But as a landing point it will really provide very value in the sense that there is a very sharp and and clear commitment of of countries towards not doing and doing certain things in relation to the into the Internet.
Esteve Sanz European Commission: In December 2023, we launched a project that we call a global initiative for the future of the Internet. This is a relatively well funded project that aims at continue promoting the open Internet globally, but also having very much the the Dfi principles in mind. So it's somehow connected to the Dfi, and it aims at the really improving the implementation of the Vfi principles, but also engaging stakeholders.
Esteve Sanz European Commission: We have organized a lot of events with this project already, even though it was once, just a few months ago, you might have come across some of them, for example, events in the wishes plus 20 forum. In the Ican meeting in Kigali very recently in Accra, in April, in Ghana
Esteve Sanz European Commission: we presented a series of reports related to the to the project, but also conference of small island developing states. We have things planned in Latin America, things planned in Florida. And so there are plenty of projects and activities and workshops that relate to this to this project. I think that in relation to these workshops it's important to understand that this we normally organize these workshops in relation to one particular set of the Fi commitments.
Esteve Sanz European Commission: And what this means is that what we are gathering is input on the context, and the way that the Dfi commitments should be implemented by stakeholders, and then the the leaders of the of the project the consultants who are managing it, which is basically the European University Institute will use all this input to provide a series of documents and and reports, etc. That make these Dfi commitments deeper.
Esteve Sanz European Commission: Just really quickly. Just let me announce you to
Esteve Sanz European Commission: things that we were excited about that relate to this project. We are discussing the architecture of what we call Efi tracker, the claration for the future of the Internet tracker.
Esteve Sanz European Commission: which we hope will be an interesting accountability mechanism for the Fi signatories
Esteve Sanz European Commission: that will again involve different inputs from different stakeholders. But it will be systematic.
Esteve Sanz European Commission: So we wanna we wanna trace the commitments of the Dfi, how States are are complying with the Dfi. And this is something that is work in progress. We hope we will be able to present this exercise in rights, conf confidence in Taiwan next year, in 20, in 2025.
Esteve Sanz European Commission: And then the second thing that relates to the gift project is that we are now also excited to think about what we are thinking in terms of. We call Dfi spin-offs.
Esteve Sanz European Commission: so commitments that stakeholders so private companies, but also potentially technical community, etc, can sign up to but mirror or map Dfi commitments. But at the same time they are specific to these different stakeholder groups.
Esteve Sanz European Commission: So these, this Dfi Spinoffs, this Dfi commitments related commitments to support the opening direct by different stakeholders. This is something that we will launch as a as a global conversation very soon as part of the of the give you project.
Esteve Sanz European Commission: Then the 3rd thing that I wanted to tell you very briefly is these,
Esteve Sanz European Commission: Conference that we will organize. It will be a global multi-stakeholder conference that will take place last day of March and 1st day of April.
Esteve Sanz European Commission: on the governance of web 4.0
Esteve Sanz European Commission: this the Commission and the Council at at that time it will be the Polish Presidency will be in the driving seat of the organization of a conference, but it will be a multi stakeholder conference, engaging different actors and different stakeholders.
Esteve Sanz European Commission: and what we aim in that conference is really to have a conversation about the way that Internet governance institutions need to adapt to the Internet of the future.
Esteve Sanz European Commission: So our government institutions ready for that.
Esteve Sanz European Commission: And that's something that we will be discussing in early 2,025. Thank you very much.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Thank you very much.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: Thank you very much, Esther.
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: and is the mic on? Yes, and with this we are slightly over time. Our technical needs to prepare for the next session, and I get a session
Auditorium, EuroDIG 2024: to adjourned. Thank you very much. Next session is about the business process