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26 Mar 2025

Five-Point Plan for an Inclusive WSIS+20 Review 

Add your signature to the letter here.

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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. 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. DigiSphere Centre for Digital Creativity
  32. Digital Action
  33. Digital Empowerment Foundation
  34. Digital Rights Foundation
  35. Digital Rights Nepal
  36. DigitalSENSE Africa
  37. DNS Africa Media and Communications
  38. DotAsia Organisation, Technical Community, APAC
  39. eco – Association of the Internet Industry
  40. EngageMedia Collective
  41. European Center for Not-For-Profit Law Stichting (ECNL)
  42. Feminist AI Research Network
  43. Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD)
  44. Global Network Initiative (GNI)
  45. Global Partners Digital (GPD)
  46. Hashtag Generation
  47. House of Africa, Chad
  48. Huaira Foundation Ecuador
  49. ICC BASIS
  50. Identity Digital
  51. IFEX
  52. Institute for Policy and Legislative Research (IPLR), Republic of Korea
  53. Instituto de Estudios Internacionales, Universidad de Chile
  54. Instituto para la Sociedad de la Información y Cuarta Revolución Industrial (Universidad La Salle, Perú)
  55. International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL)
  56. Internet Australia
  57. Internet Infrastructure Coalition
  58. Internet New Zealand Incorporated (InternetNZ), technical community, New Zealand
  59. The Internet Service Providers and Connectivity Providers Constituency of ICANN
  60. Internet Society
  61. Internet Society Argentina Chapter
  62. Internet Society Belgrade, Serbia Chapter
  63. Internet Society Brazil Chapter
  64. Internet Society Catalunya Chapter (ISOC-CAT)
  65. Internet Society Chad Chapter (ISOC-TCHAD)
  66. Internet Society Comoros Chapter
  67. Internet Society Costa Rica Chapter
  68. Internet Society Dominican Republic Chapter (isoc-do)
  69. Internet Society Ecuador Chapter
  70. Internet Society El Salvador Chapter
  71. Internet Society Ethiopia Chapter
  72. Internet Society Gender Standing Group
  73. Internet Society German Chapter (ISOC.DE e.V.)
  74. Internet Society Malawi Chapter
  75. Internet Society Nepal Chapter
  76. Internet Society, Nigeria Chapter
  77. Internet Society Philippines Chapter
  78. Internet Society Puerto Rico Chapter
  79. Internet Society Singapore Chapter
  80. Internet Society UK England Chapter
  81. Intervozes – Coletivo Brasil de Comunicação Social
  82. Japan Registry Services Co., Ltd. (JPRS)
  83. KICTANet
  84. Media Matters for Democracy, Pakistan
  85. Media Monitoring Africa
  86. NetMission.Asia
  87. Nominet UK
  88. Paradigm Initiative (PIN)
  89. Pastoralist Girls Foundation
  90. Public Interest Registry (PIR)
  91. Puerto Rico Top Level Domain (NIC.pr)
  92. Research ICT Africa
  93. RNW Media
  94. Rudi International
  95. Rural Media Network Pakistan
  96. Software Freedom Law Center India (SFLC.IN)
  97. SMEX
  98. Taiwan Network Information Center (TWNIC)
  99. Tech for Good Asia
  100. Tech Global Institute
  101. Tech4Peace
  102. TEDIC Paraguay
  103. Telecommunities Canada (tc.ca)
  104. The Korea Game Users Association, Republic of Korea
  105. Tierra Común Network
  106. Transformative Legal Policy Research Center [TLPR], Republic of Korea
  107. Usuarios Digitales Ecuador
  108. Virtual School on Internet Governance (VSIG)
  109. Wikimedia Foundation
  110. Wikimedia Germany
  111. Women@TheTable / A+ Alliance for Inclusive Algorithms
  112. Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET)
  113. World Association for Christian Communication (WACC)

 

List of endorsing individuals:

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