IGF Dynamic Coalition on Core Internet Values

What is the Internet? What makes it what it is? What are its architectural principles? What are the core values? And what is happening to the core values in the process of its evolution? What is it that needs to be preserved and what changes are inevitable? What does the Internet Community say about what can’t be changed? How could changes and improvements be brought about without compromising the core values? How would the different positions between stakeholders be reconciled to commit to core Internet values?

These are just some of the questions we seek to define as part of our work as an IGF Dynamic Coalition.

At the IGF 2021 in Poland, we will address the following questions:

Social inequality and the pandemic

1. What can be learned from the COVID-19 pandemic context about the relationship between digital inequality and social and economic inequality?

2. Similarly, what lessons can be drawn with respect to the pandemic and Internet-related human rights? What does this suggest about policy approaches for digitisation and digital inclusion?

Inclusion, rights and stakeholder roles and responsibilities

1. What are/should be the responsibilities of governments, businesses, the technical community, civil society, the academic and research sector and community-based actors with regard to digital inclusion and respect for human rights, and what is needed for them to fulfil these in an efficient and effective manner?

Promoting equitable development and preventing harm

What values and norms should guide the development and use of technologies to enable this?


Defining universal and meaningful access

What are the key elements that constitute universal and meaningful Internet access? How can it be measured?

How is the concept evolving in time and what does this evolution mean for policy?

Digital sovereignty

1. What is meant by digital sovereignty? What implications does it have for the global nature of the Internet, for Internet governance itself, and the effectiveness of the multi-stakeholder approach?

2. From an opposite angle, what are the implications of the Internet and digitalisation for national sovereignty?

Assessing Internet governance approaches and mechanisms and fostering inclusiveness

1. What are the main strengths and weaknesses of existing Internet governance approaches and mechanisms?

2. What can be done, and by whom, to foster more inclusive Internet governance at the national, regional and international levels?

Technical Internet governance

How can the technical governance of the Internet (e.g. the development of standards and protocols, and the management of critical resources) take into account the needs and views of all stakeholders?