India will host the first Internet Governance Forum starting from October 20, for three days. The Ministry of Electronics and Information and Technology on Monday informed the meeting is themed on Inclusive Internet for Digital India.
With this announcement, the Indian chapter of the United Nations-based forum namely the Internet Governance Forum has begun. It’s an Internet Governance policy discussion platform to bring representatives together from various groups, considering all at par to discuss public policy issues related to the Internet.
This mode of engagement is referred to as the multi-stakeholder model of Internet Governance, which has been the key feature for the Internet’s success. The multi-stakeholder concept is well adopted by IGF (Internet Governance Forum) under United Nations and by Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
“India is the second-largest broadband subscription country in the world and also has the highest data consumption per user per month. Therefore, the aspirations of the Indians should be reflected in International policy formation and stakeholder discussion,” said Anil Kumar Jain, the Chairman of Coordination Committee, India Internet Governance Forum 2021 (IIGF).
“India Internet Governance Forum is the correct initiative for the country to ensure that the growth of broadband adheres to the lifestyle and requirements of the Indian community. IIGF 2021 is adopting the multi-stakeholder concept in organizing the event as per the true spirit of global IIGF. The coordination committee has apt representation from civil society, Government, Industry, Industrial association, trust, and other stakeholders,” Jain added.
Starting from August 2021, multiple Pre-IIGF engagement events will be held at several colleges and universities, as a precursor to the IIGF Inaugural event. The idea behind this is to engage the youth and students for their participation in the October event and prepare the next generation to be part if policy formation. (ANI)
