The IGF is a multistakeholder, inclusive and transparent forum, which facilitates discussions on public policy issues related to Internet governance. The IGF is organised under the aegis of the United Nations. Dr. Anja Kovacs from the Internet Democracy Project will be speaking in several workshops on issues relating to gender, development, cybersecurity and Internet governance. She is also co-moderating the main session on human rights.

The IGF welcomes all stakeholders in the Internet ecosystem, including all entities accredited by the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), as well as other institutions and individuals with relevant expertise, experience and interest. Taking place for the eleventh time, the main theme of IGF 2015 was ​‘Enabling Inclusive and Sustainable Growth’.

In addition to co-moderating the main session on ​‘Human Rights: Broadening the Conversation’ on Thursday 8 December, 10.00−13.00 hrs, Dr. Anja Kovacs from the Internet Democracy Project will be speaking at the following sessions: 

WS14: Asia and the Next Billion: Challenges in Digital Inclusion Tuesday 6 December, 12.00−13.30 hrs

The Internet is today a community of over 3 billion users, and concerted efforts are on to bring in the Next Billion users to this community. Asia-Pacific, which is home to almost two-thirds of humanity, will likely provide a majority of the next billion Internet users, mostly from regions such as East Asia and South Asia, but also from very small communities, such as those in the Pacific islands. Despite its size, Asia-Pacific faces special challenges in enabling digital inclusion. These challenges include social, demographic, geographic, economic, and technological factors. At the same time, there are some mitigating factors that may ease the process of digital inclusion.

The proposed BoG session will take stock of the situation in a cross-section of countries in Asia-Pacific, including Pacific Islands, China, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Armenia and China, and propose a set of strategies to address the issue of Digital Inclusion in the region, with the intention of strengthening community action towards equitable inclusion. The session will follow up on action items evolved at the APrIGF as well as national IGFs in different countries in the region.

WS 132: NetGov, Please Meet Cybernorms: Opening the Debate Thursday 8 December, 16.30−18.00 hrs

The purpose of this round table is to build a bridge between the Cybernorms discourse and Internet governance debates. At present, the two conversations have rarely intersected, but just as decisions on Internet Governance impact the security and stability of cyberspace, so too can the GGE’s adoption of cybernorms or other recommendations impact Internet Governance in significant ways. This Roundtable will include experts on both communities to create an open exchange of information, present the evolution of both debates, and ask deep questions about collaboration.

WS82: Networks & Solutions to Achieve SDGs Agenda — Internet at Play Friday 9 December, 12.00−13.30 hrs

Internet amplifies the capacity to understand, communicate and serve communities getting out of poverty. The session will focus on the Internet Community and organizations actively involved in IG roles to achieve SDGs agenda, and how networks and concrete solutions are key to achieve desired outcomes.

The session will use the following framework:

▪ Understand: Internet solutions allow to collect, survey, map and analyze data at a scale not seen before. The challenge still remains to deploy computer power and robust networks in developing economies to access data and applications needed for better services in real time.

▪ Communicate: Internet solutions changed how communities engage in political processes, journalism and science. Challenges remain to reach productive dialogue, in-depth analysis and meaningful participation linked to outcomes.

▪ Serve: Internet based solutions allow service delivery, simplify processes and share responsibilities, by enabling the provision of online services, access to information and education, access to government, jobs, facilitating SMEs to reach global markets, among other benefits. However, many communities are not yet connected, or their connectivity is too expensive, precarious or unreliable, or lack the necessary technical and/​or commercial skills are required for opportunities to be capitalised upon.