IGF 2024

Our objective for the session is to reinforce the importance of the multistakeholder approach to tackling digital threats, including Internet shutdowns, exploring and showcasing ways in which inclusive multistakeholder collaboration (countries, civil society and the private sector) can facilitate and effect positive change. We will also use the session to wrap up the UK country chairship of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC)’s Task Force on Internet Shutdowns (TFIS) showcasing learning, progress and achievements from our two-year leadership on this work. The session will feature a panel discussion and Q&A, bringing together experts to look at the ways in which an inclusive multistakeholder approach can effectively tackle digital threats, including Internet shutdowns, the challenges, and practical ways to safeguard and further develop this collaborative approach. Speakers will represent governments, civil society, international organisations, academia and the private sector. The session will aim to look at country case studies to identify both challenges and effective collaborative approaches. During 2024, the UK is chairing the FOC’s Taskforce on Internet Shutdowns (TFIS) alongside Freedom Online Coalition Advisory Network (AN) members Access Now and the Global Network Initiative. TFIS serves as a multinational and multistakeholder coordination and response mechanism on Internet shutdowns. Through TFIS, we are working to improve coordination among like-minded countries, civil society, and the private sector to anticipate and respond to Internet shutdowns and restrictions. As the biggest multilateral, multistakeholder forum dedicated to internet governance, the UN IGF is the ideal platform to bring partners together to progress this work.
The session will follow a Town Hall style format, with an aimed balanced representation of both online and onsite speakers and participants. The event will have an onsite moderator, chairing the discussion, and an online moderator to manage online participation, for example questions and comments in the online chat. The onsite and online moderators will be working closely together during the event to ensure a fluid and smooth conversation and interactions between participants onsite and online, supported by Google Meet/Zoom/etc and onsite AV equipment. The event will begin with an introduction and welcome from the moderator, followed by 3-5 minutes of speaking time for each speaker, which will take up the first part of the event. The second half of the session will be for an open discussion with attendees. During this time, the onsite moderator will chair the conversation and contributions from both online and onsite participants, ensuring equal opportunity of speech. The online moderator will source questions from the online audience to the onsite moderator, who will intertwine the online queries and comments with questions from the onsite audience. To maximise engagement, we will consider using social media and/or interactive polling (1-3 poll questions) on relevant issues throughout the event to 'read the temperature in the room'. The poll will use Slide/Mentimeter, which will allow onsite attendees to quickly access it using their mobile devices. The poll questions will also be pasted on the chat box by the online moderator, so people can respond to the poll questions in the chat box if they are not able to use Slido/Mentimeter. The online moderator will be responsible for collating insights from social media, the polling tool and responses in the chat box, to feed these to the on site moderator to announce and provide comments in designated moments throughout the event.