India Internet Governance Forum (IIGF’22) Discussed Contemporary Digital Issues

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a multistakeholder platform bringing together representatives from various groups, considering all to be at par to discuss public policy issues related to the Internet. IIGF-2022 is a three-day hybrid event starting from 9^th Dec till 11^th Dec 2022. The closing ceremony is scheduled on 11^th December. To participate - Register at http://indiaigf.in.

The event aims to discuss the roadmap to digitization and reaffirm India as an essential participant on the global stage by highlighting its role and importance in the international policy development on internet governance.

The event is a joint initiative of the Multistakeholder Group. Through an open and inclusive process, IIGF brings together all stakeholders in the Global Internet governance ecosystem including government, industry, civil society, and academia – as equal participants of the larger Internet Governance discourse. India is a big consumer of the internet with millions of people using it every day for a long duration. The digital drive in India is in full swing to bring 100% of the population onto the internet network. This event will focus on the digitization roadmap, opportunities and possibilities, and challenges in India,  besides positioning it as the global leader in the domain by highlighting its role and importance in the International Policy development on Internet Governance.

During the opening ceremony, the IIGF2022 was inaugurated by Ms. Tripti Sinha, Chair ICANN Board who attended the session from United States.

Speaking at opening session Ms. Tripti Sinha, Board Chair, ICANN said “It is an honor to be here today and speak at IGF India, my birth country. It is a great platform for bringing together a variety of stakeholders and discussing public policy issues related to the internet. ICANN's mission is to ensure the stable and secure operation of the internet. The technical pillar of ICANN helps makes it possible for your device or platform to connect to any other device or platform of the internet globally. Next, policy development is the technical aspect of the internet's unique identification governed through the ICANN multiple-state model. Here, model individuals, non-commercial stakeholder groups, industry, and government play important roles in formulating policies.

The ICANN organization monitors and enforces compliance with the obligations if the policies are developed by the global multiple stakeholders of the community. ICANN appreciates the Indian government's support for the multi-stakeholder model of internet governance. We acknowledge the growth of the broader internet ecosystem of India (currently 800 million USPs) projected to grow to over 900 million by 2023 in comparison to just 400 million users in 2018. Developments of platforms UPI and Aadhar are now also worth it. Thus, it will allow rural India to benefit from the Internet and make it a truly digital economy.”

Speaking about the second edition of IIGF, Sh. Anil Kumar Jain, CEO, NIXI, said, “Through, India Internet Governance Forum, we strive to ensure the participation of all stakeholders in harnessing the power of the Internet for economic growth. This event is expected to help the participants to understand the opportunities and challenges in the sector and provide very efficacious insights for the future courses of action.”