From Principles to Practice: Operationalizing Multistakeholder Governance


Global Network Initiative (GNI) and Global Partners Digital (GPD)

Session 207

Thursday, 10 July 2025 15:00–15:45 (UTC+02:00) Physical (on-site) and Virtual (remote) participation Room G, Palexpo Interactive Session

Over the past two decades, the governance of digital technologies has evolved significantly. The increasing ubiquity of these technologies has embedded them in broader policy discussions, from economic development to security. Internet governance has also become more politically charged, as societies grapple with addressing digital harms and inequalities. This evolving landscape makes it crucial to examine how governance structures can be effectively implemented, particularly in ensuring that multilateralism and multistakeholderism work in tandem rather than in isolation.

While frameworks such as the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process and the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) have established a foundation for a multistakeholder approach, the focus must now shift from principles to practical implementation. The NETMundial+10 Multistakeholder Statement offers clear guidelines on operationalizing this approach, but real-world application varies depending on context. During the WSIS+20 review, there is both an opportunity and a risk: while stakeholders can reinforce and enhance multistakeholder governance, there is also the possibility that existing structures may be weakened, undermining progress toward an inclusive, people-centric information society.

This session will explore how multistakeholderism is being operationalized in practice. It will focus on concrete experiences of how stakeholders have engaged in governance processes, highlighting what has worked, what challenges remain, and how different sectors can collaborate effectively. Speakers will address the following key policy questions:

  • How has the multistakeholder approach evolved in practice since WSIS first began, and what are the critical lessons learned from past implementations?
  • How have governments engaged stakeholders in WSIS+20 preparations and what more can done?
  • What are effective strategies for embedding multistakeholder principles—openness, inclusivity, transparency, and accountability—into digital governance frameworks more broadly?

 

Panellists
Mr. Carl Gahnberg Director of Policy Development and Research Internet Society

Mr. Ian Sheldon Director of Internet Governance Section Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts (DITRDCSA), Government of Australia

Ms. Jhalak Kakkar Executive Director The Centre for Communication Governance at National Law University Delhi

Ms. Thobekile Matimbe Senior Manager, Partnerships and Engagements Paradigm Initiative

Ms. Ellie McDonald Global Partners Digital

Topics
Capacity Building Global Digital Compact (GDC) Human Rights WSIS+20 Review
WSIS Action Lines
  • AL C1 logo C1. The role of governments and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development
  • AL C4 logo C4. Capacity building
  • AL C6 logo C6. Enabling environment
  • AL C11 logo C11. International and regional cooperation

This session directly supports C1 by exploring the roles of different stakeholder groups, governments, civil society, the technical community, and the private sector, play in governance processes. It critically examines how these roles have evolved since the beginning of WSIS and how they are being embedded in ongoing policy efforts, particularly around WSIS+20.

It also relates to C4 (capacity building) and C6 (enabling environment) by identifying practical strategies for building inclusive policies that support rights-respecting digital development.

Finally, the session speaks to C11 (international and regional cooperation) by fostering dialogue between stakeholders across regions and sectors, with a specific focus on how WSIS and other multilateral frameworks like the Global Digital Compact can be better aligned to reinforce shared digital governance goals.

Sustainable Development Goals
  • Goal 10 logo Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
  • Goal 17 logo Goal 17: Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

Partnerships are key to achieving the SDGs, particularly when it comes to digital technologies. This session explores examples of effective collaboration and cooperation between different stakeholder groups. Through showcasing concrete examples and strategies to embed multistakeholderism in national, regional, and global processes, the session demonstrates how rights-respecting governance models can be used to close digital divides and address structural inequalities. By emphasizing the alignment between the WSIS framework, the SDGs, and international human rights law, it contributes to a vision of sustainable development where digital transformation is people-centred and equitable.

Links

https://www.gp-digital.org/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-wsis20-review/

https://www.gp-digital.org/wsis20-will-decide-the-igfs-fate-are-we-ready/

https://www.gp-digital.org/five-point-plan-for-an-inclusive-wsis20-review/

https://www.gp-digital.org/wsis20-five-point-plan-follow-up-eight-practical-recommendations/

https://www.gp-digital.org/a-call-to-action-for-an-inclusive-wsis20-review/

https://www.gp-digital.org/news/shaping-wsis20-gni-gpd-and-partners-promote-multistakeholder-internet-governance-with-icann-support/ 

https://www.gp-digital.org/global-digital-rights-coalition-for-wsis/