The first India Internet Governance Forum (IIGF)-2021 will be organised at Electronics Niketan, New Delhi for three days from October 20 this year. The theme of the event is “Inclusive Internet for Digital India”.

This was announced by Anil Kumar Jain, CEO of National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI).

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. India Internet Governance Forum (IIGF) is the correct initiative for the country to ensure that the growth of broadband adheres to the lifestyle and requirements of the Indian community, Anil Kumar Jain said.

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 of policy formation.

UN-based Internet Governance Forum

With this announcement, the Indian chapter of the United Nations-based forum namely Internet Governance Forum has begun.

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) serves to bring people together from various stakeholder groups as equals, in discussions on public policy issues relating to the Internet. While there is no negotiated outcome, the IGF informs and inspires those with policy-making power in both the public and private sectors.  

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. Multi-stakeholder concept is well adopted by IGF under United Nations and by Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

Additional reading:

Understanding the concept of governance

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in its 1997 policy paper, defined governance as “the exercise of economic, political and administrative authority to manage a country’s affairs at all levels. It comprises the mechanisms, processes and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet their obligations and mediate their differences”.

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