In 2025, the 20th Internet Governance Forum of the United Nations (IGF 2025) will be held in Russia. UN representatives sent an official confirmation of Russia’s host status to the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media.
“The fact that Russia was chosen to host the anniversary forum is a great honor to us. It also means that our country has gained recognition in the area of developing the information society and digital technology. Our goal is to make sure that the forum produces practical solutions for the transparency and safety of the internet, taking into account the interests of everybody involved in the online environment,” Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media Maxim Parshin said.
Internet governance was included in the agenda of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva in 2003 and in Tunisia in 2005. The final document of the summit, the Agenda for the Information Society, was adopted in Tunisia. The program focused on the details of internet governance, including the definition of the term and the list of problematic areas; it also contained a decision to establish the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). First held in October 2006 in Athens, the forum represents a new model for international discussion of internet governance issues. It is a multilateral institute established by the decision of the UN Secretary-General. In 2015, the forum’s mandate was extended for another ten years by the decision of the UN General Assembly.
There has been a recent tendency to hold regional and national IGF forums where participants discuss technical, organizational and legal issues regarding internet usage in specific countries and regions.
A number of countries and regions interested in the most active involvement in internet governance are currently organizing regional and national IGF forums to support the global IGF. Participants in these forums discuss technical, organizational and legal issues concerning the use of the internet at the national level. These regional platforms provide for a deeper and more efficient study of internet governance at the local level while the national representatives of government bodies, business organizations and professional internet communities can further communicate the conclusions reached and the proposals made to the global level within the framework of the global IGF.
Russia joined the family of international IGFs in 2010. The first Russian internet governance forum, organized by the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ with the support of the Ministry of Communications and Mass Media, was a landmark event. The forum became the first regional event of this kind not only for Russia but for Eastern Europe as well.
Russian Internet Governance Forum (RIGF) is held annually, with ten of them having taken place so far. The forum is usually held on April 7, on the anniversary of the Russian country-level domain, .RU. The 11th RIGF that was supposed to be held on April 7, 2020, was postponed to a later date due to the epidemiological situation and related restrictions.
