26 Mar 2025

Five-Point Plan for an Inclusive WSIS+20 Review 

Please refer to the Eight Practical Recommendations building on the below Five-Point Plan for an Inclusive WSIS+20 Review.

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As engaged stakeholders in the WSIS+20 Review process, we, the undersigned, submit the following recommendations* to help operationalise the WSIS+20 review modalities to ensure transparency, inclusivity, and meaningful stakeholder engagement.

1. Publish a Clear and Inclusive Timeline:

  • Within 7 days of appointing the co-facilitators, publish and maintain a comprehensive timeline outlining key milestones, including consultations and government-only negotiations, with adequate notice of any changes.
  • Provide stakeholders with at least 7 days to submit written input.

2. Ensure Transparency and Accountability:

  • Maintain an online platform** centralizing all input and draft documents, their status, and stakeholders consulted.
  • Publish substantive records of all consultations, including summary reports of main points and how these have been addressed, to enhance explainability.
  • Live-stream government-only negotiations*** and provide post-session transcripts.

3. Facilitate Inclusive and Meaningful Stakeholder Consultations

  • Actively seek stakeholder input at every stage (elements paper, zero / first / final drafts) through written submissions and official virtual/in-person consultations, applying equal participation rules for governments and other stakeholders.
  • Hold official stakeholder consultations at existing forums, including global and regional IGF initiatives and the WSIS High-Level Event, while also inviting Member States to conduct national consultations.
  • Implement a multistakeholder speaking order during consultations by alternating speaking slots among governments and other stakeholder groups, with reasonable time allocation for interventions.

4. Broaden and Diversify Participation: 

  • Build on the WSIS+10 accreditation process, including by broadening the group of eligible stakeholders to participants of national, regional, and global IGFs.
  • Promote diverse participation by offering financial and logistical support for underrepresented communities, particularly from the Global Majority.
  • Ensure accessibility globally by implementing measures such as accommodating different time zones and working days, publishing key documents in official UN languages, and providing low-bandwidth participation options. 

5. Maximise Inclusive Participation in Final Negotiations: 

  • Limit any necessary closed-door intergovernmental negotiations to the final stage of the WSIS+20 process.
  • Ensure meaningful and inclusive multistakeholder participation at the High-Level Meeting.

 

Footnotes

* These draw on existing guidance on multistakeholderism, e.g. São Paulo Multistakeholder Guidelines

**For example, see this OHCHR platform.

***For example, see recent negotiations on the UN Convention on Cybercrime.

 

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List of endorsing organisations:

  1. .au Domain Administration Limited (auDA), technical community, Australia
  2. .Daily Nawa-I-Ahmedpur Sharqia, Pakistan
  3. .hn – Red de Desarrollo Sostenible Honduras (NIC.HN) – ccTLD HN
  4. Access Now
  5. ACLIS, Burundi and Rwanda
  6. Activate Rights
  7. Africa Gen AI Lab
  8. Africa ICT Alliance (AfICTA)
  9. Alfa-Redi
  10. ARTICLE 19
  11. Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC)
  12. Asian Social Science Research Institute (Asri), Republic of Korea
  13. Asociación Colombiana de Usuarios de Internet
  14. Asociación SVNet (SV Top Level Domain)
  15. Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
  16. Association of Freelance Journalists
  17. Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC)
  18. Bolo Bhi (Pakistan)
  19. Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA)
  20. CCAOI
  21. Center for Democracy & Technology
  22. Center for Studies of Freedom of Expression (CELE)
  23. Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA)
  24. Colnodo
  25. Computer & Communications Industry Association
  26. Comunitatea Internet Association, Moldova
  27. Cooperativa Sulá Batsú, Costa Rica
  28. Council of European National Top-Level Domain Registries (CENTR)
  29. COYEDI, Burundi
  30. CyberPeace Institute
  31. Data Privacy Brasil
  32. DENIC eG, Technical Community, Germany
  33. Derechos Digitales
  34. DigiSphere Centre for Digital Creativity
  35. Digital Action
  36. Digital Empowerment Foundation
  37. Digital Rights Foundation
  38. Digital Rights Nepal
  39. DigitalSENSE Africa
  40. DNS Africa Media and Communications
  41. DotAsia Organisation, Technical Community, APAC
  42. eco – Association of the Internet Industry
  43. EngageMedia Collective
  44. European Center for Not-For-Profit Law Stichting (ECNL)
  45. Feminist AI Research Network
  46. Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD)
  47. Global Network Initiative (GNI)
  48. Global Partners Digital (GPD)
  49. Hashtag Generation
  50. House of Africa, Chad
  51. Huaira Foundation Ecuador
  52. ICANNWiki
  53. ICC BASIS
  54. Identity Digital
  55. IFEX
  56. Institute for Policy and Legislative Research (IPLR), Republic of Korea
  57. Instituto de Estudios Internacionales, Universidad de Chile
  58. Instituto para la Sociedad de la Información y Cuarta Revolución Industrial (Universidad La Salle, Perú)
  59. International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL)
  60. Internet Australia
  61. Internet Infrastructure Coalition
  62. Internet New Zealand Incorporated (InternetNZ), technical community, New Zealand
  63. The Internet Service Providers and Connectivity Providers Constituency of ICANN
  64. Internet Society
  65. Internet Society Argentina Chapter
  66. Internet Society Belgrade, Serbia Chapter
  67. Internet Society Brazil Chapter
  68. Internet Society Catalunya Chapter (ISOC-CAT)
  69. Internet Society Chad Chapter (ISOC-TCHAD)
  70. Internet Society Comoros Chapter
  71. Internet Society Costa Rica Chapter
  72. Internet Society Dominican Republic Chapter (isoc-do)
  73. Internet Society DR Congo Chapter
  74. Internet Society Ecuador Chapter
  75. Internet Society El Salvador Chapter
  76. Internet Society Ethiopia Chapter
  77. Internet Society Gender Standing Group
  78. Internet Society German Chapter (ISOC.DE e.V.)
  79. Internet Society Malawi Chapter
  80. Internet Society Nepal Chapter
  81. Internet Society Nigeria Chapter
  82. Internet Society Philippines Chapter
  83. Internet Society Puerto Rico Chapter
  84. Internet Society Singapore Chapter
  85. Internet Society Tanzania
  86. Internet Society UK England Chapter
  87. Intervozes – Coletivo Brasil de Comunicação Social
  88. Japan Registry Services Co., Ltd. (JPRS)
  89. Jokkolabs Banjul
  90. KICTANet
  91. Media Matters for Democracy, Pakistan
  92. Media Monitoring Africa
  93. Nabeel Yasin Training and Consulting Centre – nabeelyasin.net
  94. NetMission.Asia
  95. Nominet UK
  96. Open Data Charter
  97. Paradigm Initiative (PIN)
  98. Pastoralist Girls Foundation
  99. Public Interest Registry (PIR)
  100. Puerto Rico Top Level Domain (NIC.pr)
  101. R3D: Red en Defensa de los Derechos Digitales
  102. Research ICT Africa
  103. RNW Media
  104. Rudi International
  105. Rural Media Network Pakistan
  106. Software Freedom Law Center India (SFLC.IN)
  107. SMEX
  108. Taiwan Network Information Center (TWNIC)
  109. Tech for Good Asia
  110. Tech Global Institute
  111. Tech4Peace
  112. TEDIC Paraguay
  113. Telecommunities Canada (tc.ca)
  114. The Korea Game Users Association, Republic of Korea
  115. Tierra Común Network
  116. Transformative Legal Policy Research Center [TLPR], Republic of Korea
  117. Usuarios Digitales Ecuador
  118. Virtual School on Internet Governance (VSIG)
  119. Wikimedia Foundation
  120. Wikimedia Germany
  121. Women@TheTable / A+ Alliance for Inclusive Algorithms
  122. Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET)
  123. World Association for Christian Communication (WACC)

List of endorsing individuals:

  1. Alembe Joseph Lubembela
  2. Alexei Marciuc, MIGF
  3. Alvin B. Marcelo, UP Manila Standards and Interoperability Lab
  4. Alan Alegre, digital rights researcher, Philippines
  5. Aniket Shahi, ISOC Mumbai India
  6. Antonio Medina Gómez
  7. Arinola Akinyemi
  8. Ashirwad Tripathy, Educating Nepal
  9. Asrat Mulatu (Ph.D), Addis Ababa Science and Technology University
  10. Avri Doria, Technicalities
  11. Basele Stephen Galgesa, ISOC Kenya Trustee
  12. Bilal Mahmood Sulehri, Acumen Financials/ ISOC Pakistan, Pakistan
  13. Bruna Martins dos Santos, Former IGF MAG Member
  14. Bokyung Kim, CEO,  Impactus Inc.  Republic of Korea
  15. Carlos Vera Quintana
  16. Carlos Vera Sánchez
  17. Chaewon Song, Korea Employment Agency for Persons with Disabilities (KEAD) Workplace Disability Awareness Instructor, Republic of Korea
  18. Charles Mok, Stanford University
  19. Cheolwoo Lee, Representative lawyer of Munhwa Lawoffice, Republic of Korea
  20. Cheryl Langdon-Orr
  21. Concettina Cassa, IGF MAG member
  22. Dhruv Dhody, Internet Architecture Board
  23. Dr. Adebunmi Adeola Akinbo, President, DNS World.
  24. Dr. Florian Martin-Bariteau, Associate Professor of Law and University Research Chair in Technology and Society, University of Ottawa
  25. Dr. Konstantinos Komaitis, Resident Senior Fellow, Democracy and Technology Initiative, Atlantic Council
  26. Dr. Romella Janene
  27. Dr. Pari Esfandiari, Global TechnoPOlitics Forum
  28. Dr. William J. Drake, Columbia Institute for Tele-Information, Columbia University, USA
  29. Eduardo Díaz, Puerto Rico
  30. Emmanuel Mfitumukiza, ISOC Rwanda
  31. Eric Juang, Ministry of Digital Affairs, Taiwan
  32. Faheem Soomro
  33. Fiona M. Alexander, Internet Governance Lab, American University
  34. Francia Pietrasanta Baldazo, R3D: Red en Defensa de los Derechos Digitales
  35. Giacomo Mazzone, Co-chair of the IGF PNMA – Policy Network for Meaningful Access
  36. IN PYO YEO, CEO, METAFLAG Inc. 
  37. Iria Puyosa, PhD. Senior Research Fellow, Democracy + Technology Initiative, Atlantic Council 
  38. Jang-Hie Lee, President, Asian Social Science Research Institute (Asri), Republic of Korea
  39. Joung IL JIN, 17jungle Studio, Director, Republic of Korea
  40. Karim ATTOUMANI MOHAMED, ISOC Comoros
  41. Lito Ibarra . El Salvador
  42. Mahishaa Balraj, Attorney-at-Law, Director / Co-Founder, Hashtag Generation
  43. Maricarmen Sequera
  44. Mark Nottingham, Internet Architecture Board
  45. Mary Uduma, Chairperson,  NKF
  46. Minhae Park, The Policy Network on Artificial Intelligence (PNAI) member, Republic of Korea
  47. Miraj Chowdhury, Digitally Right, Bangladesh
  48. Mohammed Hamoud
  49. Muswagha KATYA
  50. Nabeel Yasin Amin – Yemen
  51. Nicolas Fiumarelli
  52. Nighat Dad, Executive Director DRF, former member of UNSG AI HLAB 
  53. Olorundare Kunle, President/CEO, Jacobian-Sam Care Foundation
  54. Paul Wilson, Australia/USA
  55. Poncelet Ileleji
  56. Rachel Fagen, former founding Director, Integrity Institute
  57. Remmy Nweke, Group Executive Editor, ITREALMS Media group
  58. Santosh Sigdel, Executive Director, Digital Rights Nepal 
  59. Shoeb Abdullah
  60. Stephen Dakyi, DABY Foundation
  61. Suyoung Lee, chairman, Institute for Policy and Legislative Research (IPLR), Republic of Korea
  62. Tommy Pauly, Chair of the Internet Architecture Board
  63. Umut Pajaro Velasquez
  64. Victoria Maia
  65. Winthrop Yu – Philippines
  66. Wolfgang Kleinwaechter, Professor Emeritus, University of Aarhus
  67. Yongho Cho, Transformative Legal Policy Research Center [TLPR], Republic of Korea