APC continues to see the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) – both as an annual global event and national, regional and intersessional processes and events – as the most significant multistakeholder platform for discussing internet governance and a critical piece in the internet governance and global digital cooperation ecosystems for bringing together key stakeholders for policy dialogue, collaboration, coordination, capacity building and networking, and as a platform to raise human rights concerns and contribute to shaping internet policies worldwide.
We want to express our appreciation to all who made the IGF 2021 possible: the Secretariat, the Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG), the MAG chair, the government of Poland, providers of financial support to the IGF, and all those who contributed to intersessional work, national and regional IGF initiatives (NRIs), and the annual global event.
The 2021 edition was the first one held in a hybrid format in the history of the IGF and offered the opportunity to identify high-level and practical challenges related to inclusion and participation, particularly of stakeholders from the global South.
This document summarises APC's reflections on the 2021 IGF in terms of what worked well and what did not work so well, in areas such as the preparatory process, the hybrid format, the programme, logistics, inclusion, diversity and safety. It also offers recommendations for the 2022 IGF.
Read the full text of APC's submission in response to the call for inputs to the IGF process of taking stock of last year's event and looking ahead to this year's here.