Internet governance
What is the value for Africans in international internet governance processes if the approach towards internet governance on the continent has not fully embraced the multistakeholder model? This was among the concerns heard during debates at the 11th Internet Governance Forum (IGF), as some participants questioned the applicability of the global internet governance agenda to Africa. At a global level, the IGF, an initiative of the United Nations, discusses public policy issues related to the...
Coming from Africa, and especially Nigeria, where access to the internet is characterised by different layers of exclusions and where development challenges are also layered with various deprivations, I had specific expectations on how the processes of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) could help deepen access to and democratisation of the decision-making processes with respect to how the internet is evolving as a global process in which Africa is still a marginal space in terms of use and ...
Thanks to travel support from APC’s Member Exchange and Travel Fund (METF), I was able to attend the IGF and its related events from 4 to 9 December in Guadalajara, Mexico. Though I had worked closely with APC on numerous occasions in the past, this was the first time that I attended the IGF since Point of View had become an APC member. And as has been the case on numerous occasions since the...
In January 2017, the IGF Secretariat organised a public consultation, inviting IGF stakeholders to submit inputs related to the following questions: A) Taking stock of 2016 programming, preparatory process, community intersessional activities and the 11th annual IGF: What worked well? What worked not so well? B) Suggestions for improvements in 2017? (programming, preparatory processes, communit...
The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) welcomes the opportunity to provide our input into the work of the Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation on Public Policy Issues Pertaining to the Internet (WGEC). Our view is that enhanced cooperation should aim to improve and democratise the governance of the internet at all levels, not only to establish more equitable influence for and amo...
Pangea, a Barcelona-based independent non-profit organisation that promotes the strategic use of communication networks and ICTs for development and social justice, has been an APC member since 1995. Pangea’s Leonardo Navarro participated at the 2016 Internet Governance Forum, and shared the following insights: Community Networks have emerged at IGF as “the other” way to develop connecti...
National and regional Internet Governance Forum initiatives (NRIs) play a key role in internet governance. They are organic and independent formations that discuss issues pertaining to internet governance from the perspective of their respective communities, while acting in accordance with the main principles of the global Internet Governance Forum (IGF). On 7 December, during a plenary session...
Almost three years ago, I published a blog post on CircleID titled “Internet Governance: Why Africa Should Take the Lead”. I argued that African internet stakeholders use a “wait and see approach” in matters as critical as internet governance, and that African voices are missing in key internet governance discussion fora. Additionally, I suggested some reasons for this approach, includi...
The 11th annual Internet Governance Forum took place in Guadalajara, Mexico, between 5-9 December 2016. Internet governance stakeholders from all over the world gathered around the overall theme of “Enabling Inclusive and Sustainable Growth”. [View the story "IGF 2016 in Guadalajara, Mexico" on Storify]
With the annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF) kicking off this week in Guadalajara, Mexico, we developed a guide for participants from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), identifying sessions on themes relevant in the region: human rights, security, trade, and the internet economy. Human rights: Threats to human rights online are ever growing and expanding. MENA governments are using any...
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 2017
Unless otherwise stated, content on the APC website is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)