IGF 2024 - Day 3 - Plenary - Internet We Want

>> LISE FUHR: Good afternoon, and welcome to this session on the Internet We Want. We have two online speakers.  Today we're represented by the Leadership Panel, by a few people. We have our Chair, Mr. Vint Cerf, the Chair of the Leadership Panel and also a co‑designer of TCP/IP protocols and architecture of the Internet.  And he's Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist at Google. I know he doesn't need a lot of presentation, but I like to do it anyway.

We should also have Mr. Hatem Dowidar, CEO of Eand. And we have in the room Ms. Maria Fernanda Garza,, the CEO of Orestia and also the International Chamber of Commerce Honourary Chair. We have Mr. Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative. I'm Lise Fuhr, also CEO for Gigabit European Academic Network, GÉANT, the pan‑European data network for the research and education community, and I'm a member of the Leadership Panel.

I can see we have Vint Cerf online now to do his opening remarks of this session. Over to you, Vint. We don't have the sound yet. Anyone can help with the sound?  We are still not hearing anything, Vint. Can you hear us?  Okay. But ... anyone in IT can help us?  This is the Internet we're trying to test.

(Chuckling)
Let's give it a minute. They're working on the issue, Vint. Let's hope they solve it very quickly. It looks like Hatem Dowidar and Vint can hear each other. You can have your own little conversation on the Internet We Want.

(Chuckling)
We have the opening remarks, but that is a bit ‑‑ okay.

>> (Off mic)

>> LISE FUHR: Okay. Good. I'm told that the transcription is recording what you are saying. So you can start speaking, and then we can read your overview. Our opening remarks.

>> VINT CERF: I can do that. You're hearing translations coming through Arabic audio online.
     >> TRANSLATOR: Russian.

>> LISE FUHR: You should start your opening remarks.

>> VINT CERF: The Internet is not a static thing. It is not like a problem, and it is done. The Internet is a very dynamic and evolving system. It is to believe well aware. The fact that the Internet, it hits the IGF is essential as a continuous process for observing the Internet and seeing what it has in all of its dimensions.

The legal Governance will have the policy really ‑‑ and of course, the Internet has brought substantial social and economic benefits around the world, and we recognize that about a third of the world's population doesn't have direct access and it that is why the Global Digital Compact was discussed, debated and adopted not long ago.

The thing we're looking for more than anything is a robust and reliable Internet that is safe to use and which has boundary conditions on behaviors that might be harmful, we need accountability in this environment. And we need for all of the countries of the world that are hosting portions of the Internet to have an understanding of how well or how poorly the Internet is serving the needs of their population.

So we need measures of performance. You will find from the Leadership Panel and the Internet We Want, considerations that we are looking for ways to measure our progress in making the Internet a safer and more functional place for everyone.

The ecosystem is very broad in the Internet. It ranges from the technical community to standards to operating companies that are on various parts of the Internet's infrastructure all the way up to applications of which there are literally now millions.

And all of those need attention and the last point I will make and I will ask you to attend the stock taking session coming up tomorrow in the Internet Governance Forum to persist. Lise. Those are my opening remarks. I hope those of you attending will come away appreciating there is important work to be done by the IGF and national and Regional IGFs and Leadership Panel and Multistakeholder Advisory Group and we invite all of you to engage in making this Internet the Internet we all want. Thank you for your time.  Lise, back to you.

>> LISE FUHR: Thank you. Vint. I would like to remind all of us, for terms of reference, as a Leadership Panel we had full responsibilities. One was to provide strategic input and advice and promote the output and support high‑level and stakeholder engagement and IGF and fundraising and also the exchanges of IGF output from the Forum with other stakeholders.

So I think this is part of the strategic input we would like to give to IGF, and to all stakeholders.

And to the Internet community and the world as such. I think we should be ambitious with this. I hope you will take it in that spirit.

With us, we have the Leadership Panel members, and we have set four areas ‑‑ no, five areas for the Internet We Want. And one of the first areas I will give the floor to Hatem Dowidar to present what we mean with "whole and open."  Over to you Hatem Dowidar.

>> Hatem Dowidar: Hello everyone. Wish I could be there with you. It means we want it accessible to people across the globe when we want it whole and open.

This is multistakeholder work that needs to be done between the Private Sector, companies that build infrastructure, ISPs, telecom companies and Governments and regulators to ensure first, that their ability to connect people also to make it affordable and in many countries, we see Programmes now like universal service funds that help connect the people and provide what we call social tariffs that allows everybody to connect.

And also to have the Internet as open as possible while of course preserving safety of children and other things that also is part of the discussion that we have at the Internet Governance Forum and other Forums that are related.

It is very important because the Internet now has become so essential to the life of everyone around the globe.

So it is in the current geopolitics, it has become more and more hard to keep it cold as we see a lot of countries have put walls on the Internet there.

As part of this policy we urge the world that we have one open and whole Internet, but at the same time preserving safety online for children and, you know, safety from bullying otherwise.

So I hope that, you know, I was asked to only speak for two minutes. We can speak for a lot more, I hand over to my colleagues to continue the discussion.

>> LISE FUHR: Thank you, Hatem Dowidar. Over to Gbenga Sesan to talk about universal and inclusive.

>> Gbenga Sesan: Thank you. I think that builds naturally on what Hatem Dowidar was saying in terms of being we need everyone to have access. And I think the numbers speak for themselves. You know, 2.5 + billion people are still not connected. And out of the number who are connected, there are some who have been disconnected either because there is an Internet shut down or infrastructural challenges that prevents them from getting access.

I think the good news is now we have the Global Digital Compact, which has set a target of 2030. But this is the end of 2024, so we have six years to connect a third of the world.

There are many ways to do that. It is also important to know that there is a price to pay for either being unconnected or disconnected. I always use the example of what happened during COVID. As the world began to recover, some people went back to school online, some people went back to remote work, some people went online to connect with different people, even during the lockdowns, but those who didn't have Internet access were waiting for the world to start again. And that was a sad place to be. Because others had resumed school, but you were waiting for schools to open physically.

Others have gone back to businesses but you are still thinking maybe the world will come back again and we can trade in person. So this is a challenge. I think that period, you know, showed us also, it is not just about education. It is not just about businesses. It is also about healthcare services. There are many places across the world, especially the majority of the world, where we don't have doctors and may never have enough doctors per a thousand people.

In that case, you need digital connectivity so people can have access to life‑saving opportunities.

So I believe that the reason why we say this must be universal and why it must be inclusive is because we have a lot of work cut out for us and now we have an end date. December 31, 2030. 2.17 billion people to connect.

>> LISE FUHR: Thank you, Gbenga Sesan. I will hand over to Maria Fernanda Garza to discuss the free flowing and trustworthy Internet.

>> Maria Fernanda Garza: This highlights that the cross‑border flows are the lifeblood of the modern digital economy. Driving from Cloud services to remote work to telemedicine, distance learning, even the fight against cybercrime. Data flows also hold an immense potential for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals enabling activities that range from fraud prevention to the management of the global supply chains. This potential can only be realized if trust is at the core of how we govern the data flows. A growing lack of trust is undermining the cross‑border transfers. Concerns about privacy, national security and industrial competitiveness are driving a rise in localization and sovereignty measures.

This approach threatens the scale, efficiency, and innovation that the free flow of data enables. At the same time, they create barriers that risk hampering Global development and economic growth. To reveal the trusts, we must prioritize international collaboration across Governments, businesses, and all multistakeholders' communities.

And this means adopting a human‑centric policies that protect privacy and consumer rights at the same time they enable data to flow freely for societal and economic benefit.

So policymakers must ensure that privacy laws are risk‑based, transparent, and proportional. While at the same time, embrace privacy‑enhancing technologies like end‑to‑end encryption. The IGF offers a vital space to build consensus. Share practices and establish interoperable frameworks that facilitate data flows without compromising the open, Global nature of the Internet.

So by countering data privacy and human rights in the policymaking and fostering trust through collaboration, we can unlock the immense value of data for Sustainable Development.

>> LISE FUHR: Thank you, Maria Fernanda Garza. Over to Gbenga Sesan again to discuss safe and secure Internet.

>> Gbenga Sesan: I think those words are very, they speak for themselves, we are trying to connect people to the Internet and we're trying to get people to get opportunities. But at the same time we're not ignorant of the fact that there are bad actors and there are things that especially because it is a Global Internet. There are things that are across borders that happen and things within borders. There is an important task ahead of us to make sure that different countries, different Regions, and across the world we talk about Cybersecurity and making sure when people go online that you are safe, especially children.

I have two children 6 and 9. Every time they go online, I definitely make sure that it is not the day they're going to come in touch with something that would change the trajectory of their lives because it is a bad actor. You prepare them for that. This is in family units. We need to do it on a larger scale for safety and security.

That means there are legal provisions to consider and various countries need to look at existing laws to make sure the laws are up‑to‑date.

This is 2024, if the law was made in 2011, you may want to look at it again. Because then it will be up‑to‑date. But also practices, we need awareness for people when they're going online for them to understand of the practices that can keep them safe.

But I think even way beyond all of that is the need for, you know, various countries to understand that we have ‑‑ we must have cooperation across boundaries in terms of transnational cooperation in areas where there are cybercrime activities. If we are trying to get everyone to get online and take advantage of the opportunities, then we must make sure it is safe and secure.

Activities and practices like online gender‑based violence are things we must address and make sure when people come online that they're safe, secure and get benefits and opportunities.

>> LISE FUHR: Thank you, Gbenga Sesan. You cannot talk about the Internet without talking about it being rights respecting.

So over to you Maria Fernanda Garza.

>> Maria Fernanda Garza: Absolutely right, Lise. The fifth and last characteristic aims to underscore that human rights are universal and that they apply equally offline as online.

And they're not just a fundamental necessity, they're also a driving force for Sustainable Development.

Achieving the objectives of the 2030 Agenda depends on realizing human rights effectively in the digital space.

However, this requires action. Governments must avoid practices like Internet shutdowns and ensure that any restrictions on access are lawful, are necessary, are proportional, and nondiscriminatory.

Businesses and digital services providers also bear responsibility to respect human rights by promoting transparency, accountability, and due diligence throughout the life cycle of digital technologies.

We know that the Internet can amplify behaviors that harm societies. But the Internet that we envision is one that protects us from such harms.

A human rights‑based approach to Internet Governance is essential to harness the Internet benefits for all while safeguarding humanity, dignity, privacy and security.

Standards development organisations should also integrate human rights considerations into their processes to create technologies and frameworks that are inclusive and rights compliant. Human rights and environmental sustainability are crucially interconnected.

So as we strive to connect the next billion users, we must embed human rights and sustainability into the policies, standards, and practices that shape the Internet. This includes ensuring ethical and responsible use of emerging technologies like AI and implementing safeguards to mitigate risks such as online harassment and exploitation.

To build a truly rights respecting digital space, multistakeholders' collaboration is essential. We must include perspectives from all, particularly from Developing Countries, Civil Society, independent media and marginalized Groups.

Together, we can work toward a common understanding of how to integrate the human rights framework into Internet Governance and ensure it is fully implemented online. Achieving the Internet We Want will take collective effort. By centering human rights in the digital policies and practices, we can create a safe, inclusive, and sustainable Internet for everyone.

>> LISE FUHR: Thank you. That was a short presentation of the areas of the framework, the Internet We Want. And the intention with this framework is to formalize a bit the input that has been given over the years into exactly a framework.

And that means that it is a condensed version of what has been discussed in IGF over the years.

And we see this as respecting way of the multistakeholder model because we have looked into what have the national and Regional and the international IGFs done and discussed over the years.

And we think this is a very important vehicle to discuss issues around the Internet.

But we would like us to show how we progress every year. How we can measure that we're moving forward, that we're changing as both a community and also hopefully on connectivity, on freedom, on safety, on all the things that has been mentioned.

So what we would like to do is together with the community, to discuss how we best measure this progress.

We know there are frameworks out there already and that UNESCO has measures on the indications of the national and Regional IGF on progress.

So we will look into how we can measure this and hopefully also get input from all of you. What we'll do is send this to all the Member States, this framework, together also and the national and Regional IGFs, hope to spread it out and have it as direction giving into IGF. Over the years we hope to collect data that can be used to show exactly how we progress.

We have now time for some questions if there is. I don't know if there is a mic for any of the participants or any of you listening out there. We're happy to ask questions. I see Vint has his hand up. Vint.

>> VINT CERF: I apologize, I can't resist. Thank you all on the panel for the wonderful words. I hope we capture them and incorporate them into our Documents. They're so appropriate and perceptive. I wanted the audience to give some thought, not only to the Internet we want, but to the Internet Governance Forum we want.

Because as I said earlier, the Internet keeps changing. And as a consequence, the Internet Governance Forum itself has to learn to adapt to the policy needs that the Internet induces. Keep that in the back of your mind as well, especially as we go forward into the WSIS+20 which will consider whether the IGF should continue its work. So thank you.

>> LISE FUHR: Maybe what we can do is because we have another part, segment two of this presentation that is regarding WSIS+20, that is going to be moderated by Maria Fernanda Garza. We can then explain a bit of our thinking around WSIS+20, and then take questions if you have any questions. Over to you Maria Fernanda Garza.

>> MARIA FERNANDA GARZA: Thank you very much, Lise. In this second part of the session we aim to look ahead and focus on the future of the IGF as we approach the WSIS+20 Review process.

The IGF has served as a cornerstone for Internet Governance and digital public policy discussions.

So over the next half‑hour, I hope that we can explore together how it can continue to play a pivotal role in advancing the outcomes of the WSIS+20 Review and the Global Digital Compact. The Leadership Panel firmly believes that the IGF is more than just a platform for dialogue. It is an essential space for inclusive, multistakeholder cooperation.

Over the years, the IGF has fostered invaluable conversations that have informed policy decisions, built trust across diverse communities, and contributed to shaping our collective digital future.

However, as we approach the WSIS+20 Review, it is crucial to demonstrate that the IGF is not only effective but also evolving to meet the needs of today's rapidly changing digital landscape.

The Leadership Panel's main expectation for the WSIS+20 process is a renewal of the IGF's mandate. We aim to make a strong case for this by highlighting the IGF's unique value proposition. At the same time we recognize that the IGF like any institution faces enormous challenges.

Criticisms, whether about its outcomes, its visibility or accessibility must be addressed.

That is why we are committed to bringing forward constructive, actionable proposals to strengthen the IGF's impact and relevance in the years to come. But this process cannot succeed without your input. We're here to listen to the community, to hear your ideas your insights and your recommendations that the Leadership Panel can help to amplify.

We are keen to hear from you on what are the success stories of the IGF that should be highlighted. And also what can be improved for the IGF to meet its full potential? 

I will first turn to my fellow panel members, both online and in person. And then we will open up the conversation to hear from all of you in the audience. Let's make this a dynamic and productive conversation as we look forward to ensuring that the IGF remains a vital part of the Global digital policy system.

So Lise, your thoughts? 

>> LISE FUHR: I don't know if we should start with the online.

>> MARIA FERNANDA GARZA: Maybe start with Hatem Dowidar? 

>> LISE FUHR: Yeah. Sorry. I will take it to you first.

>> VINT CERF: Actually, Maria said what I wanted to say, we need to evolve the IGF we want to go with the Internet We Want. As I look at this, I look for ways to pull together the perspective of the participants in the IGF, not only the annual event, but also the various intercessional activities, like the Dynamic Coalitions and policy networks and also input from the NRIs. We need to commit ourselves to preparing coherent information to share with those who are affected by the Internet and want better.

So we need to work hard on getting our output to the parties that need to hear it in actionable ways.

I will turn it back to Hatem Dowidar, since you wanted to process the online folks, first.

>> Hatem Dowidar: Thank you, Vint.

So actually when we are talking about people going online, there are many ways to do it. We have seen in Africa and Gbenga Sesan mentioned this, about people leapfrogging into using mobile without using Internet while in many other countries in the developed world, the fiber and cable were the initial ways to go to the Internet. But as we find today, there are even in the developed world, there are people who are still not able to get proper access either because they're in rural settings and we see now, some new modes of connection, like satellite for example.

Which have become quite popular in some of the, let's say, rural or areas that do not have proper coverage.

I think there is a role there for cooperation between Governments, between providers and also between the context creators that commercially sometimes need people to get connected. Together, I think there is a great room to have connect let's say the next billion that Gbenga Sesan talked about. And a number of Forums that work on this. An Alliance for example, that had the vision to connect 1 billion unconnected.

And it is almost done. This was in the past three years. And there are now more targets that are promising.

Let's also remember that the Internet is not only about access to information and so on, but the Internet sometimes is a Forum for survival.

We have seen recently in a number of environmental disasters that the Internet is a way to create early warning systems, UNDP is working on a number of projects for both disaster warning and disaster recovery.

And this Internet has become an essential part. Tools like the mobile phones and computers have become an essential tool in this, warning people and helping them survive.

It has gone beyond just being a tool for doing business or entertaining or connecting with friends and family or business.

>> MARIA FERNANDA GARZA: Thank you, Hatem Dowidar. Gbenga Sesan? 

>> LISE FUHR: Okay. I'll take it. Thank you. Sorry for touching the first intervention. Listen, WSIS+20 for me is an excellent opportunity to take a step back and analyze what IGF is. And I think if I look at IGF, it is one of the few places where you have the opportunity for all stakeholders to enter into open discussions at the same ‑‑ with the same voice or same strengthen or same ‑‑ they're heard in the same way, all of them.

To me, that is important, it is a part of the multistakeholder model, but it is also a part of a Forum where you can change from year‑to‑year the topics in a way that is it so dynamic and flexible, we haven't seen in many other places.

So WSIS+20 for me should be a way to strengthen IGF, not to dilute it. And it is also important when you strengthen it, you do it by giving it a budget, so it is within the UN budget in the Secretariat.

So money funded from private sponsors can go to do other things than supporting the Secretariat. That can help the community out there. That would be strengthening for me. I think it is also important we discuss the duration of the IGF, but I will leave that to Gbenga Sesan to discuss. Because he was the one bringing it up in our discussions today. Over to you Gbenga Sesan.

>> Gbenga Sesan: Thank you. In 2003, at WSIS, I was a member of the youth caucus. And 20 years after the Tunis meeting we're talking about WSIS+20. The fact that a lot has happened to mow as a person between 2003 and now is a metaphor for what happened to the Internet then and now. We started the Internet Governance Forum as an output from WSIS. And that has discussed many issues around the Internet and issues and emerging technologies.

I believe the IGF is a natural home for many things. Natural home for policy conversations. Become a natural home for updates on what is going on. It has become one of the best examples of what can happen in a multistakeholder process where all partners have access around a Roundtable to contribute to the pie that belongs to everyone.

I think as we go into WSIS+20, one of the major desires and I believe one of the major themes we should see is the things that have grown over the years, the NRI, national and Regional initiatives, which by the way are across more than 100 countries and many are self‑organized through the year.

They demonstrated resilience that the community has come to know strongly. I believe that not only should IGF mandate be reviewed for another five years, I believe that IGF has demonstrated its capacity to be a permanent feature of the UN calendar, of the calendar of experts and all of our calendars. This is something to look forward to not just to have conversations, but because it is probably the best platform where we can analyze, review, and monitor what is going on with the Global Digital Compact.

>> MARIA FERNANDA GARZA: Thank you, Gbenga Sesan, and all the Leadership for your responses. I would like to turn to you the audience the same two questions to hear your points of view. What are the success stories that should be highlighted in the context of the review and what can be done to help the IGF meet its full potential? 

>> LISE FUHR: Very quiet audience.

>> MARIA FERNANDA GARZA: I know it is late.

>> VINT CERF: It is Vint, just jumping in, in the quiet moment, to suggest that the audience ask themselves and tell us why do you come to IGF?  What draws you to IGF?  We want to reflect that as we seek support in permanent status for this organisation.

>> MARIA FERNANDA GARZA: Good question. Why are you here?  No?  Well ... is there any other questions you would like to ask us?  Yes, we have a hand.

>> LISE FUHR: Can we get a microphone over there?  A brave one.

>> ATTENDEE: I come from an UN Agency. I would like to respond to the question of why we come here and a small reflection on what I think will be useful from the IGF Leadership Panel as a contribution to the WSIS+20 Review process that begins next year in New York.

Why we come here?  We're the United Nations development Programme. We think it is particularly important to bring a development perspective to a lot of the issues discussed here at IGF. In the same way, it is also very important to reflect on how the multistakeholder community, especially the discussion around emerging issues, can then be also taken into account as we look to supporting the Programme countries that we work with. The UNDP is in 170 countries around the world. We're seeing digital as an accelerant and in great demand in many countries.

How do we take a forward‑looking view of the risks and challenges and opportunities posed by digital?  In some ways the IGF has identified the risks and opportunities for us to take back to development programming and think about how we best support the national Governments we work with.

For us, the change, the network, the community, the expertise is really very valuable for us to get out of just the UN bubble and conversations we have too much of with people that are not as practiced and as experiences with technology. That is why we come to IGF and why we think it is valuable in terms of multistakeholderism.

In terms of what is useful to the review of WSIS next year, we heard a lot of conversation about how the Global Digital Compact is perhaps the next evolution of WSIS. But I think it is important for us to recognize, multistakeholderism, the processes that have been developed over the last 20 years, the community that is committed to the implementation of digital cooperation and the use of ICTs through WSIS is the means by which the principles of the GDC can be implemented by practice in Sectors across all society and particularly for us at the country level with direct impact on society.

What is helpful is the Leadership Panel, and the eminent luminaries such as all of you, can see how the WSIS Action Lines and WSIS process can implement the GDC in practice.

Those in the GDC through the Action Lines and the WSIS process in the implementation with the IGF community and IGF itself playing that particularly important role of bringing that to implementation as well.

Really, I think that would be a helpful reflection for the WSIS+20 Review. Again, the UNDP and the UN system stands committed to the IGF. 

>> MARIA FERNANDA GARZA: Thank you very much. Any other question?  Perfect.

>> ATTENDEE: Indeed, she's a brave woman. Yeah.

So if I may add, I think the main reason why we came to this platform and why we think and believe it is really important, having experienced people like you guys and the audience here discussing really important topics and open‑minded session where we bring our thoughts together and bridging the gap that we might have or we might misunderstand each other.

I think it is really the right platform where we shape the way Internet should work.

I believe everybody is in great belief of this kind of platform. Not only IGF but any platform that really bring our ideas together. It means to last forever. This is one.

Second, if I may suggest, what does it take to bring IGF and give it more power?  I think if we could suggest within the workshop, we attended a lot of workshops.

And we heard a lot of great ideas. And practices from everyone. So if IGF could draft a kind of Agenda for other important meetings, in WSIS or other platform and be an informative kind of notes or Agenda to this bigger communities, this might be a watershed to IGF in the future.

Again, thank you very much for giving me the time.

>> MARIA FERNANDA GARZA: Thank you for sharing with us. Any other ... well, if there is no one else?  Yeah? 

>> CAROL ROACH: I've walked the floor, the Village, and a lot of persons approached me and said that what they like about the IGF space is that they feel free to network, to ask questions, get answers, it's not the regular UN‑type environment where you are kind of afraid to approach anyone to ask them anything.

I think the networking, the freedom to ask a silly question and get an answer, because there are no silly questions here at the IGF.

So it is a good comfort zone for persons, I think, to be able to share as well as to get knowledge. That is what I have been getting from a lot of the persons when you walk around and they approach you. So ... it is a nice free space for conversations. Thanks.

>> MARIA FERNANDA GARZA: Thank you Carole for sharing that with us. Any other participation?  You want to comment something Gbenga Sesan? 

>> Gbenga Sesan: Yes, while the next person is trying to make their way to the podium. I think we thank Lise, Lise mentioned something I think it is important. Last night, I had dinner with the Group, the IGF Africa Youth IGF. And I met them in Addis where they were attending the African school on Internet Governance.

You know, I sat there and I listened to what they were saying about, you know, from doctors to engineers, all kinds of professions. But they were all connected by one thing.

The fact they had an opportunity to come to the African school on Internet Governance to learn about Internet Governance, to see how the Internet shapes everything that it do.

You know, there are national schools of Internet Governance. There are sub‑Regional, Regional schools on Internet Governance.

I think that by the way, when I listen to all of them, like you applied to get support to come to the IGF, why?  The one reason most of them gave is the fact that they got to learn about the things they had heard about in a very structured way, because it got involved with the IGF.

I never understood it that way, I literally went into the IGF process.

For them it is better structured now. People can get into the IGF process. There is a session for newcomers, there is a school on the Internet Governance, in Europe, Africa or other continents. And there are series and sessions and lightning talks, over the years they get new knowledge to find applicable in the things they do.

>> MARIA FERNANDA GARZA: Thank you, Gbenga Sesan. Hatem Dowidar, Vint, would you like to comment on what we hear from the audience? 

>> Hatem Dowidar: I put my voice with the others. It is important that we all continue to work together to achieve this vision of the Internet We Want, and, you know, 20 years onwards, I wasn't there, in the beginning like some of my colleagues here but 20 years onward, I think it is great to see how the Internet has changed the world and I think, you know, a lot of the new technologies we're talking about like AI and so on, the Internet is the backbone of all of this. It is very important the work that we're doing in IGF is, if anything, becoming more and more important. As more layers are built on top of the Internet. It is not only the one thing. It has become a base for so many things in our lives.

>> MARIA FERNANDA GARZA: Vint? 

>> VINT CERF: I want to echo what Hatem Dowidar is saying. Especially the fact that the Internet seems to grow layers when they're needed. The WWW showed up as a new layer to HTTP protocol over TCP/IP when Tim Berners‑Lee invented the World Wide Web. I see a new AI coming. Many of you have your finger in that pie. The AI agents working together within another layer of the agent space.

What comes to mind when I listen to what many of you said, we hear many voices speaking in the IGF context.

One of the hardest things we face is trying to aggregate and distill and summarize what the voices are saying. And make that available to insight from others who care how well it meets needs, whether it is personal, business or Government needs.

In order to do that aggregation and distillation, we need to rely on more than voluntary labour. All of you that come to the IGF, for the most part are volunteers.

We have a Secretariat, which is overworked and understaffed. But it is through them that much of this distillation has to happen.

So this discussion just reinforces my belief that we need to make the IGF not only a permanent part of the UN landscape but a sponsored supported one with a Secretariat that is worthy of the ‑‑ and has capacity to take the outputs coming from the various IGF activities and turning these into actionable information, the countries of the world can make use of.

Many countries are saying help us understand what we should be doing to make the Internet a better place. And we like to have good answers to that question.

>> MARIA FERNANDA GARZA: Thank you, Vint. Lise? 

>> LISE FUHR: I have two things I would like to comment on. One was to kind of incorporate the GDC into the WSIS process. And we have as a Leadership Panel, looked into and are advocating that the GDC could have a good home in IGF. We think that could be a good place to do and to measure some of the things in the GDC, that is one thing.

The other thing is it's that the space we have in IGF for free conversations and you can ask questions even if you might think they're stupid, back to the point Carol made, I agree with this. There are no stupid questions, only stupid answers.

In a world that is very technical and connecting us also on a social level, it is important that we have this Forum to come together to exchange both Best Practices but also to discuss the difficult issues that are in relation to the Internet.

So that is what I find is the beauty of IGF. You can have the whole pallet of technical and glittery AI techy stuff. It is a Forum that I would really urge everyone to preserve. But of course, we should make it stronger and better IGF.

>> MARIA FERNANDA GARZA: Thank you very much. Listening to all of you, it underscores what we have been talking about, which is a need to have a permanent IGF that has a budget, that can really allow us to fulfill our Mission.

And I want to thank everybody for your participation and invite you to go back to your countries and work on making the Internet we want. The instrument that we need right now to have a world that really is better for humanity. The Internet can be the tool that brings peace and prosperity for all. Thank you.

(Applause)