Session
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: Organized by ICANN and the Government of Finland, senior representatives from the organizers, The ITU, Smart Africa, and a leading academic and commentator on Internet policy and governance will share their views on the WSIS+20 Review and notable achievements of the WSIS process since 2005. The roundtable format will encourage participants to contribute to the discussion and highlight key priorities for the WSIS+20 review, such as the IGF and the importance of the multistakeholder model of Internet governance.
As the WSIS+20 review approaches at the United Nations later this year, the Open Forum roundtable will dive into key aspects in the history of WSIS and explore notable achievements in the WSIS Outcomes. The Open Forum roundtable brings together representatives from ICANN, ITU, UNESCO and Smart Africa, to share their perspectives and insights on WSIS+20. This session seeks to emphasize the significance of multistakeholder collaboration and partnerships, especially between the technical community, governments and intergovernmental organizations. Furthermore, explore the synergies among the WSIS and the SDGs, and also among the IGF, WSIS+20 High Level Event and the Global Digital Compact. The session will highlight ongoing activities and collaborations, as well as potential areas for future partnerships.
Session Objectives:
- Highlight key priorities for the WSIS+20 review such as the IGF and the importance of the multistakeholder model of Internet governance
- Showcase the Impact of partnerships and multistakeholder collaborations in achieving the WSIS Outcomes
- Highlight alignment of the WSIS Outcomes and the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs
- Increase Awareness of WSIS+20 Review through the perspectives Government, IGO, the Technical Community, and other stakeholder groups
- Look Beyond 2025: Discuss opportunities to address gaps and challenges
- ICANN, Adam Peake, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Technical Community, WEOG
- Juuso Moisander, Government of Finland, Government, WEOG
Moderator: Theresa Swinehart, ICANN Senior Vice President, Technical Community, WEOG
Speakers:
- Kurtis Lindqvist, ICANN CEO, Technical Community, WEOG
- Doreen Bogdan-Marten, Secretary General ITU, Government/IGO, WEOG
- Juuso Moisander, Government of Finland (First Secretary, Geneva), Government, Geneva
- Lacina Koné, Smart Africa CEO, Government/IGO, Africa
- Fiona Alexander, American University Distinguished Policy Strategist, Civil Society, WEOG
9.1
9.4
9.c
10.6
Targets: SGDs 9 and 10,building resilient infrastructure and reducing inequalities, are at the heart of our organizations' work. We each strive to develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, both at the logical "technical" layer and physical networks, and to ensure their deployment. The ITU has led work in the UN system that has significantly increased access to ICTs. The multistakeholder approach to governance we practice and promote ensures enhanced representation and voice of developing countries in decision making.
We are each also involved in other SDGs, for example ICANN and UNESCO and their work on Internationalized Domain Names is essential to the evolution of multilingual Internet. Smart Africa's mission includes many topics covered in the SDGs.