The Internet Governance Forum facilitated by the United Nations in Hyderabad, India, Dec. 3-6, 2008, was聽the third in a series of five planned global events. It attracted stakeholders from all walks of life who gathered to discuss issues tied to the future of information and communications technologies.
This web page offers links to more than 100 video clips聽and dozens of links to PDFs and other information derived from the UN’s official reporting from the third meeting of the IGF. The video was recorded in the United States as image captures from the live webcasts that took place during IGF 2008. Representative portions of a few key sessions were captured; while the video content on this site includes valuable documentation of the event, it does not represent a complete picture of IGF 2008 highlights. The Forum was expected to include as many as 2,000 participants, but violence in Mumbai just days before caused some people to change their travel plans. An estimated 1,300 participated in more than 40 panel discussions and workshops.
Daily IGF-Hyderabad Events
December 3, 2008聽–聽REACHING THE NEXT BILLION(s)- Each day there were two morning panels tied to the primary theme for the day. The themes on Day One of IGF 2008 were “Realizing a Multilingual Internet” and “Access.”聽The internationalization of standards and processes is a work in progress, as most software, hardware and content is still rooted in English. People must be able to send and receive content in their native language. Software, including manuals and training must be localized to meet local needs. The domain name system must be internationalized. Improving access to the Internet is a matter of supply, demand and development, so these three areas were covered in selection of panelists for the “Access” session. No video of this first day’s events is available.
PDFs
December 4, 2008聽–聽PROMOTING TRUST AND CYBERSECURITY聽– The first panel of Day Two of IGF 2008 was “Dimensions of Cybersecurity and Cybercrime” and the second was “Fostering Security, Privacy and Openness.”聽The panels mapped out categories of online threats, illegitimate behaviors and attacks and also described the existing groups that are addressing these issues. They reviewed some of the activities, cooperative arrangements, resources, and tools now in use to combat crime and security problems on the Internet. They also addressed potential future directions in regard to legal contexts, prevention and forensics. Members of the panels will also discuss the tension between security, privacy and openness.
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December 5, 2008聽–聽MANAGING CRITICAL INTERNET RESOURCES聽– The first panel of Day Three of IGF 2008 was “Transition from IPv4 to IPv6” and the second was “Arrangements for Internet Governance.”聽Critical Internet Resources encompass the Internet infrastructure (the actual physical structure, routers, hardware and software that make it work) and the management of key Internet resources, including administration of the domain name system and Internet protocol (IP) addresses, administration of the root server system, technical standards and peering and interconnection. Conflicts over control of the architecture of the Internet that arise due to its international and cross-border nature were a driving factor behind the founding of the World Summit on the Information Society in the early years of the 21st century. Public policy issues and the management of the technical components of the Internet are generally inseparable.
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December 6, 2008聽–聽EMERGING ISSUES and THE WAY FORWARD聽– The first panel of the final day of IGF 2008 was devoted to “Emerging Issues” and the second was titled “Taking Stock and the Way Forward.”聽People familiar with politics and the UN are aware that this global organization has focused attention across many of its initiatives on developing the idea and the ideal of enhanced cooperation. The people discussing the topic at IGF-Hyderabad were also taking note of the other global discussions now taking place surrounding this topic. They were trying to figure out how they should proceed in order to prepare for the next IGF – in Egypt in 2009 – and thereafter, as the mandate to hold these meetings concludes as of the session in Lithuania in 2010 unless there is an extension.
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Related documents of interest
More than 40 panel discussions and workshops were held at IGF 2008 on numerous related issues, such as Internet accessibility for people with disabilities; freedom of expression in cyberspace; online privacy; mainstreaming human rights in the work of the IGF; effective digital education; Internet as a goal of national information policy; public participation in Internet governance; child protection; global measures to fight cybercrime; and environmental sustainability of the Internet.
Best-practice forums concentrated on child online protection; international cooperation against cyber-crime; Internet governance capacity building; delivering public service and innovation; equal access and equal opportunity; and self-regulatory approaches to data security and privacy.
Several initiatives emerged from the Forum鈥檚 two previous meetings in the form of “Dynamic Coalitions” 鈥� partnerships dealing with specific issues. In Hyderabad, Dynamic Coalition meetings covered accessibility and disability, child online safety, access to knowledge, linguistic diversity, freedom of expression and the media, privacy and an “Internet Bill of Rights.”
The Internet Governance Forum is an outcome of the Tunis phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, which took place in 2005. In the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, governments asked the United Nations Secretary-General to convene a new forum for policy dialogue to discuss issues related to key elements of Internet governance in order to foster the Internet’s sustainability, robustness, security, stability and development.
The Forum will hold its 2009 session in Egypt. The 2010 session is slated for Lithuania.
To find out more about IGF and see details on upcoming activities,