Agenda

Over the last decade, the use of the term “multistakeholder” has proliferated in the context of diverse projects, initiatives, and organizations focused on Internet governance and digital policy. And yet different lines of effort seem to understand and apply the concept of “multistakeholderism” differently. Recognizing this, the NETmundial+10 conference was convened in April 2024 to bring together “relevant stakeholders to deliver concrete, non-binding recommendations on how to strengthen the multistakeholder approach as the basis for consensus-building and democratic governance, including in existing multilateral and other relevant decisional fora.” The Multistakeholder Statement issued as the outcome of that event articulated the São Paulo Multistakeholder Guidelines for multistakeholder consensus-building and decision-making. 

This session will provide a comparative look at various Internet governance and digital policy processes and examine the ways these processes attempt to address the criteria for effective multistakeholderism as set out in the São Paulo Multistakeholder Guidelines. The session will feature speakers representing different stakeholder groups who have participated in and can speak from first hand experience about engagement in several critical initiatives, including GNI, the WSIS +20 review, the Global Digital Compact, and ICANN.