[Washington, D.C. and Geneva, Switzerland] – 17 November 2014 – The Internet Society (ISOC) Board of Trustees during its Board meeting 15-16 November addressed recent Internet governance advancements, including the positive momentum of the IGF and the outcome of the ITU Plenipotentiary. Specifically, the Board commended the renewal of the Internet Governance Forum’s (IGF) Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG), and reiterated its support for the IGF as a platform for true multistakeholder engagement and concrete action. In addition, the Board issued a resolution expressing its appreciation for the Internet Society’s work at the recent ITU Plenipotentiary in Busan.
In its nine-year existence, the IGF has proven to be an indispensable element of the Internet ecosystem. It provides a unique opportunity for governments, business, civil society and the Internet technical community to share experiences and identify best practices. The MAG’s renewed leadership will be key to help the Internet community achieve its collective goals. The Board noted positively that members of the Internet Society community are represented on the MAG, including Constance Bommelaer, Senior Director of Global Policy Partnerships for the Internet Society.
“In this especially important period, as the IGF will be considered for renewal by the United Nations, the Internet Society looks forward to continuing to work as part of the broader Internet community towards a reformed and strengthened IGF,” said Bob Hinden, Chair of the ISOC Board of Trustees. “We welcome the opportunity to offer ISOC’s expertise and experience to support the IGF’s important work.”
The IGF has succeeded in expanding the participation of government representatives and other stakeholders, including those from developing countries, in Internet governance dialogues. This is best exemplified by the rapid growth of national and regional IGFs, and the enthusiasm of local communities, including the many ISOC Chapters that are involved.
Just over one year ago, the ISOC Board of Trustees launched a plan to build on these successes and help strengthen the IGF, as well as the local and regional IGFs with the potential to build a network of global best practices organizations. Tangible mechanisms leading to needs-based voluntary policy solutions were initiated, such as IGF best practices on online child protection. ISOC’s Regional Bureaus have stepped up to accelerate the growth of regional and local IGFs. Finally, the IGF Support Association was launched in September 2014 to sustain the IGF’s financial stability, http://www.igfsa.org/.
Next year will be a turning point for the IGF, and ISOC remains committed to working with Brazil, the host for the 2015 IGF meeting. Today, voices are unanimously joining ISOC, calling for the renewal of the IGF’s mandate. With the ten-year Review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the IGF clearly stands out as one of the successes of the WSIS.
During its meeting, the ISOC Board also issued a resolution in appreciation of ISOC’s actions relating to the 2014 ITU Plenipotentiary meeting in Busan. The resolution expressed appreciation to ISOC staff involved in developing policy principles, building partnerships and participating in the three-week ITU Plenipotentiary. The Board also noted the value of the matrix of key issues relating to the draft resolutions for the Plenipotentiary, which served as a valuable resource for participating Internet Society members and many Government delegations to clarify concepts related to maintaining an open, global Internet.
About the Internet Society:
The Internet Society (http://www.internetsociety.org) is the trusted independent source for Internet information and thought leadership around the world. It is also the organizational home for the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). With its principled vision, substantial technological foundation and its global presence, the Internet Society promotes open dialogue on Internet policy, technology, and future development among users, companies, governments, and other organizations. Working with its members and Chapters around the world, the Internet Society enables the continued evolution and growth of the Internet for everyone.
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