Cross-community statement from civil society, the private sector and the technical community on WSIS, the IGF and the GDC – Association for Progressive Communications

As the 2024 Internet Governance Forum (IGF) concludes, we, the undersigned organisations and individuals from civil society, the private sector and the technical community, call on all governments, institutions and organisations to affirm the vision of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) of a people-centred and development-oriented inclusive information society. 
As we confront the challenges of increasingly rapid digitalisation, climate change-related uncertainty and persisting economic, social and political inequalities and divides that are mirrored in digital divides, this vision and its emphasis on people and inclusion is even more relevant now than it was 20 years ago. 
Multiple sessions at the 2024 IGF addressed links between the Global Digital Compact (GDC) and the WSIS 20-year review. The IGF 2024 messages summarise the emerging consensus on the relationship between these two processes:
The work of the WSIS needs to continue, and the mandate of the IGF must be renewed. Resources must be allocated to strengthen the IGF’s capacity to continue as the foremost multistakeholder platform for digital cooperation. It is also clear that the Global Digital Compact complements the global and collective vision and agenda built by the two-phased WSIS process 20 years ago. 
The value of WSIS lies in its track record and the ongoing engagement of governments and others in using its implementation framework in country-level actions. The Compact’s value lies in its powerful statement of principles and objectives and its connection with the broader vision of the Pact for the Future. 
We believe that the implementation of the GDC must be integrated into the next phase of the WSIS process to draw on and bring together their complementary strengths. 
The GDC, on its own, does not provide a concrete and clear implementation framework that can be used by governments and other stakeholders. Conversely, WSIS, through the Geneva Plan of Action and the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, provides a clear path for the actions that need to be taken. The WSIS system also identifies actors that have to be involved and the collaboration that needs to take place to achieve the WSIS vision. The WSIS emphasis on a decentralised implementation structure has contributed to the meaningful inclusion of all interested stakeholders. By integrating the GDC’s follow-up into the next phase of the WSIS process, its principles and objectives can be used to update and enrich the ongoing interpretation and implementation of the WSIS vision, using a ready-made action-oriented framework understood and used by states and other stakeholders worldwide. 
A key benefit of this integration would be to allow member states to continue to explicitly link the WSIS framework to the SDGs. Drawing on the GDC in the next phase of the WSIS process can help provide a practical framework for utilising digitalisation to achieve the SDGs without creating new frameworks or duplicating existing efforts. Another benefit is that the GDC can rely on the trusted processes established through WSIS at national, regional and global levels.
As the Geneva Declaration of Principles stated unequivocally in 2003, “Building a people-centred Information Society is a joint effort which requires cooperation and partnership among all stakeholders.” 
As a group of diverse non-state actors, we recognise that we have different approaches and perspectives, and different priorities. At times these interests diverge, and may even conflict. However, we share a commitment to this vision and principle: the vital importance of cooperation and partnership among all stakeholders articulated so clearly in the WSIS outcome documents. This can only be achieved if we ensure the appropriate participation mechanisms for all non-state actors to not just join but have an active voice in shaping this conversation. There is no more effective way of achieving evidence-based digital policy and implementation that is robust and feasible, complies with international human rights, and protects and promotes the power of an open, global, secure, resilient and interoperable internet. 
We have also learned that multistakeholder collaboration is not easy – applying this principle effectively requires continued commitment, collaboration, critical reflection and evolution. The NETmundial+10 Multistakeholder Statement: Strengthening Internet governance and digital policy, known as the São Paulo Guidelines, provides concrete suggestions that are of value to both multilateral and multistakeholder digital governance processes.
That is why the continuation of the mandate of the IGF, as the foremost multistakeholder platform for digital cooperation and governance, is vital. So is strengthening its capacity. “Looking ahead, strengthening the IGF model and ensuring its sustainability may require greater institutionalization of the IGF. The WSIS+20 review will be an opportunity to have these discussions and strengthen the position of the IGF in relation to the rapidly shifting and developing landscape of relevant actors, bodies, and organizations. In practical terms, it is essential to look for ways to build on the current model of financing the IGF through voluntary contributions, ensuring a more predictable financial basis for the future evolution and sustainability of the IGF ecosystem.” (From the IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group’s Vision of the IGF Beyond 2025, released in late 2024).
We call on the UN Secretary-General, the President of the General Assembly, all other parts of the UN system, including the co-facilitators of the WSIS+20 review resolution, member states, and all other agencies and institutions participating in the review to: 
Signed by the following organisations and individuals:
Association for Progressive Communications
Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC)
au Domain Administration Ltd (auDA – .au)
Blacknight Internet Solutions Ltd (Blacknight)
Center for Democracy & Technology
DENIC eG
Derechos Digitales
Global Partners Digital (GPD)
Global Network Initiative (GNI)
Identity Digital Inc
Japan Network Information Center (JPNIC)
Japan Registry Services Co., Ltd. (JPRS)
Paradigm Initiative (PIN)
Search for Common Ground
Taiwan Network Information Center (TWNIC)
Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET)
.PT
Dr. Konstantinos Komaitis, Resident Senior Fellow & Global Governance and Democracy lead, Democracy and Tech Initiative, Atlantic Council (signing in individual capacity)
Ebenezer Dare: Executive Board Member of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) .NG
Eduardo Bertoni, Director of the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, American University WCL
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 2024. 
Unless otherwise stated, content on the APC website is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

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