World Telecommunications Policy Forum (WTPF)

What It Is

The World Telecommunication Policy Forum (WTPF) is a place where Member States and Sector Members of the International Telecommunications Union will discuss key issues around emerging telecommunication/ICT policy and regulatory matters that impact people around the world.

What happened in 2013

The WTPF came to a close with robust debate among all stakeholders about the role of government in Internet governance.

"The dialogue at WTPF 2013 was a significant step forward," said Lynn St. Amour, Internet Society President and Chief Executive Officer. "We know that the multi-stakeholder model has served the Internet and individuals across the world extraordinarily well, leading to innovations and infrastructure development that may not have come about with a top-down model. We welcome this open dialogue and hope these discussions continue over the coming months at forums such as the Commission on Science and Technology for Development and the Internet Governance Forum in order that all voices are heard."

Why was this meeting Important?

"Given the challenges of today, and tomorrow, we must be vigilant in promoting and protecting the Internet's principles. We must continue to support the multi-stakeholder model. We all have a stake in preserving the Internet." - Lynn St. Amour, Internet Society President and Chief Executive Officer.

With International Internet-related Public Policy Matters as its theme, it was critical for policy and decision makers attending the 2013 World Telecommunications Policy Forum to keep the many voices of stakeholders at the forefront of their minds.

During the meeting, six opinions were drafted by a WTPF Informal Experts Group and submitted to the meeting, addressing topics such as capacity building, IP addressing, and Internet governance. These Opinions were discussed among all participants: ITU member states and sector members, civil society organizations, and other key international stakeholders.

The inclusion of stakeholders assisted in broadening the discussion to allow for a more inclusive dialogue. As a result, a vigorous debate related to the role of governments in the multi-stakeholder model exhibited the importance of continued discussions in a variety of fora.

We need to continue this simple message across:

The multi-stakeholder model of Internet governance works. let's make it even stronger bit.ly/11Sj4z6 #WTPF

— Internet Society (@internetsociety) May 8, 2013

Help us by sharing, retweeting, the message above: Spreading the word to your friends and political representatives!

Articles:

Remarks to the ITU World Telecommunication Policy Forum 2013, by Lynn St. Amour
Strategic Dialogue discussion
Everyone must work together for a better Internet, by Lynn St. Amour
Multistakeholder Cooperation: Reflections on the emergence of a new phraseology in international cooperation, by Markus Kummer
Many voices makes strong policy, by Joyce Dogniez and Sally Shipman Wentworth

Day by day

See the multi-stakeholder model at work!

A multi-stakeholder Internet is not only open, pluralistic, inclusive - but it brings concrete results, such as:

Here are more real-life examples of the multi-stakeholder approach in action:

Strategic Dialogue session at WTPF 2013 The Strategic Dialogue session discussed the importance of broadband Internet access as a basic platform for progress and explores issues of the benefits.

The Internet Is For Everyone

As we move to bring the world's 7 billion people online, the importance of sound public policies are vital for the future of the Open Internet. The Internet we know today accounts for 2 billion of the world's population. This means over 5 billion voices are still not being heard online.

By bringing together people who play key roles in bringing their communities online, policy makers access the unsurpassed technical, economic, and cultural information with which to make decisions.

The multi-stakeholder approach is the only option

How The Internet Society Can Help

Providing an effective way to achieve results

Guided by the principles of openness, collaboration, and inclusion, the Internet Society works in partnership with people around the world to develop a global, innovative and connected Internet that benefits everyone.

We provide policy and decision makers the tools and knowledge they need to implement local and lasting solutions that work.

We’ve complied a library of tools and documents to help you not only understand the core issues of the Internet, but their impact on people around the world.

We encourage you to continue the process of involving people who play key roles in bringing their communities online in a way that reflects their cultures, economy, and needs.

By working together we can drive change and deliver results.