Five-point plan for an inclusive WSIS+20 review

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 seven 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 seven days to submit written input.

2. Ensure transparency and accountability:

• Maintain an online platform** centralising 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.
• Livestream 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.

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

List of endorsing individuals:

1. Alexei Marciuc, MIGF
2. Alvin B. Marcelo, UP Manila Standards and Interoperability Lab
3. Ashirwad Tripathy, Educating Nepal
4. Asrat Mulatu (Ph.D), Addis Ababa Science and Technology University
5. Avri Doria, Technicalities
6. Basele Stephen Galgesa, ISOC Kenya Trustee
7. Bilal Mahmood Sulehri, Acumen Financials/ ISOC Pakistan, Pakistan
8. Bokyung Kim, CEO,  Impactus Inc.  Republic of Korea
9. Carlos Vera Quintana
10. Carlos Vera Sánchez
11. Chaewon Song, Korea Employment Agency for Persons with Disabilities (KEAD) Workplace Disability Awareness Instructor, Republic of Korea
12. Charles Mok, Stanford University
13. Cheolwoo Lee, Representative lawyer of Munhwa Lawoffice, Republic of Korea
14. Cheryl Langdon-Orr
15. Concettina Cassa, IGF MAG member
16. Dhruv Dhody, Internet Architecture Board
17. Dr. Adebunmi Adeola Akinbo, President, DNS World.
18. Dr. Florian Martin-Bariteau, Associate Professor of Law and University Research Chair in Technology and Society, University of Ottawa
19. Dr. Konstantinos Komaitis, Resident Senior Fellow, Democracy and Technology Initiative, Atlantic Council
20. Dr. Pari Esfandiari, Global TechnoPOlitics Forum
21. Dr. William J. Drake, Columbia Institute for Tele-Information, Columbia University, USA
22. Eduardo Díaz, Puerto Rico
23. Emmanuel Mfitumukiza,ISOC Rwanda
24. Fiona M. Alexander, Internet Governance Lab, American University
25. IN PYO YEO, CEO, METAFLAG Inc.
26. Iria Puyosa, PhD. Senior Research Fellow, Democracy + Technology Initiative, Atlantic Council
27. Jang-Hie Lee, President, Asian Social Science Research Institute (Asri), Republic of Korea
28. Joung IL JIN, 17jungle Studio, Director, Republic of Korea
29. Karim ATTOUMANI MOHAMED, ISOC Comoros
30. Lito Ibarra . El Salvador
31. Mark Nottingham, Internet Architecture Board
32. Mary Uduma, Chairperson,  NKF
33. Minhae Park, The Policy Network on Artificial Intelligence (PNAI) member, Republic of Korea
34. Miraj Chowdhury, Digitally Right, Bangladesh
35. Nicolas Fiumarelli
36. Paul Wilson, Australia/USA
37. Remmy Nweke, Group Executive Editor, ITREALMS Media group
38. Stephen Dakyi, DABY Foundation
39. Suyoung Lee, chairman, Institute for Policy and Legislative Research (IPLR), Republic of Korea
40. Tommy Pauly, Chair of the Internet Architecture Board
41. Umut Pajaro Velasquez
42. Winthrop Yu – Philippines
43. Wolfgang Kleinwaechter, Professor Emeritus, University of Aarhus
44. Yongho Cho, Transformative Legal Policy Research Center [TLPR], Republic of Korea
45. Mahishaa Balraj, Attorney-at-Law, Director / Co-Founder, Hashtag Generation
46. Nighat Dad, Executive Director DRF, former member of UNSG AI HLAB
47. Santosh Sigdel, Executive Director, Digital Rights Nepal
48. Olorundare Kunle, President/CEO, Jacobian-Sam Care Foundation

Read the joint letter here