UNESCO’s Internet Universality Indicators Project aims to elaborate appropriate Internet indicators, which can serve to enrich the stakeholders’ capacity for assessing Internet development, broaden international consensus, and foster online democracy and human rights towards knowledge societies engaged in sustainable development. As part of a yearlong global consultation, the Organization seeks to engage with different stakeholders for their inputs and contributions.

Following delivery of the first draft Internet Universality indicators based on phase 1 consultation during March-October 2017, UNESCO takes a further step to advance the project by kicking off the phase 2 consultation and engaging with Asia Pacific stakeholders and experts to review the draft indicators at the occasion of the 2017 Global Voices Summit in Colombo (Sri Lanka).

UNESCO will present the first draft of Internet Universality indicators, built on the phase 1 consultation which consisted in 25 face-to-face consultation activities across five continents and hundreds of written submissions received in all six UN languages via an online platform.

The moderator will structure the discussion into five slots on Human Rights, Openness, Access, Multi-stakeholderism and crosscutting dimensions and will then invite all participants to take the floor and discuss about the first draft indicators and possible options. The first draft Internet Universality Indicators will be shared and released before the session as a basis for discussion.