Together with a special companion edition: "Internet governance from the edges: NRIs in their own words".
A groundbreaking report analysing National and Regional Internet Governance Forums will be released at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Geneva, Switzerland, on 20 December 2017.
The latest edition of the Global Information Society Watch (GISWatch) report will look at local Internet Governance Forums (called NRIs), which are now widely recognised as a vital element of the IGF process. In fact, they are seen to be the key to the sustainability and ongoing evolution of collaborative, inclusive and multistakeholder approaches to internet and ICT policy development and its implementation.
To develop this report we asked researchers in 40 countries from contexts as diverse as the United States, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Pakistan, the Republic of Korea and Colombia to reflect on their local processes – or lack thereof. Authors shed light on the diversity and impact of NRIs over the decade of existence of the IGF, and the challenges experienced in making sure they are fully inclusive. GISWatch also looks at how they have influenced national and regional internet policy and governance processes and spaces.
“Whether you are a veteran or a new participant or simply interested in NRIs, we hope that this edition provokes debate, sparks new ideas and affirms our collective commitment to the internet governance project,” expressed Chat Garcia Ramilo, APC executive director.
Apart from the GISWatch annual report with civil society perspectives on NRIs, this year we also worked with the IGF Secretariat and the organisers of NRIs on a special edition based on data gathered from the NRIs themselves. The two publications provide complementary views on the evolution, current situation and impact of NRIs.
Several of the report authors will be presenting their research at the launch event.
When and where will the report be launched?
Wednesday, 20 December 2017, 13:30 hours (GMT+1), at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Geneva, Switzerland, in Room XXV-E.
https://igf2017.sched.com/event/Co1W
Can it be followed remotely?
You can follow the launch through the #IGF2017 and #GISWatch2017 hashtags. After the launch, we will make the report available for download at the GISWatch website.
Meanwhile, follow @APC_News and #GISWatch2017 for teasers and insights on the process, and stay tuned!
For press interviews, please contact Valeria Betancourt at valeriab@apc.org.
About GISWatch
GISWatch is collaborative community committed to building an open, inclusive and sustainable information society. The GISWatch reports are a series of yearly reports covering the state of the information society from the perspectives of civil society, but GISWatch is not only a publication, it is a process. The long-term goal of the project is to build policy analysis skills and “habits” into the work of civil society organisations that work in the areas of ICT for development, democracy and social justice.
This year’s GISWatch marks the 10th anniversary of this project, which represents a significant milestone in a process that has evolved in line with the challenges and tensions of internet rights, generating increased attention to and impact of the GISWatch publications. Previous reports have explored such themes as Participation, Access to Infrastructure, Access to Online Information and Knowledge, ICTs and Environmental Sustainability, Internet Rights and Democratisation, The Internet and Corruption, Communications Rights Ten Years after WSIS, Women's Rights, Gender and ICTs, Communications Surveillance.