Description: The evolution of what is broadly termed "Internet governance" has historically looked to the distributed nature of the Internet technology itself for inspiration and insight. From relatively early in the Internet's development, technical governance processes, like the Regional Internet Registries, have emphasised a regional approach, allowing local communities to develop policies suited to their specific circumstances and challenges, while maintaining global coordination on essential elements. Following the World Summit on the Information Society and the launch of the Internet Governance Forum, there emerged a vibrant network of national and regional Internet governance initiatives (NRIs) that embody this regional approach to the full spectrum of Internet governance issues. There are now more than 170 NRIs around the world, the majority of them in the Global South, defined by their multistakeholder, bottom-up approach. As explored in the recent 'Net Effects' paper by the DNS Research Federation, these structures provide local communities, whether geographic or linguistic, to discuss issues of priority to them and coordinate to influence governance approaches and decisions (including legislation) at the local, regional, and global level. At the same time, NRIs serve as a vital space to foster and develop new leaders and informed governance participants. As stakeholders have discussed the most recent proposals and developments in Internet governance, including a UN Global Digital Compact and the 20-year review of the WSIS, many have reiterated the importance of regional structures and the need to recognise and support their crucial role in global Internet governance.
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