The Internet Governance Forum, IGF 2023, has concluded in Kyoto, Japan. At the closing ceremony, the forum participants expressed their gratitude to the people and government of Japan for their hospitality and excellent organization of the event. They also highly praised the results of the work.
At the same time, there was also constructive criticism. For example, Brazil’s representative, Teresinha Alves Brito, noted that she did not see adequate diversity and equal representation of all stakeholders at the forum meetings. She emphasized that only an inclusive approach to developing solutions would create a truly inclusive internet.
Member of the National Assembly of South Africa Cedric Frolick noted the important role legislators played in the fight against digital inequality. He stated that the progress of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, should not create even greater gaps between countries and nations. Mr. Frolick called on all stakeholders to strengthen communication and work together, citing an African proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.”
For her part, Silvia Cadena, acting head of the Asia-Pacific Network Information Center (APNIC) warned against excessive politicization in decision-making and emphasized the importance of the role of the technical community in internet governance.
At the end of the ceremony, two video messages were shown to the participants. Permanent Representative of Trinidad and Tobago to the UN, Dennis Francis, elected President of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, once again recalled the problem of digital inequality, for example drawing attention to the fact that only 57 percent of women in the world can use the internet. He also warned against uncontrolled development of technology, pointing out that misinformation and lies can spread like wildfire on the global network. Mr. Francis called for a clear regulatory framework, taking account of the interests of all parties involved in internet governance to the maximum extent.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Li Junhua summed up the results of the forum in his address, calling it a record-breaking event in history. IGF 2023 was attended by 8,500 participants from more than 170 countries, while over 100 ministers, members of parliament and heads of large companies took part in forum meetings. All this has made IGF 2023 extremely
busy, and now it is up to the community to ensure that the decisions made and ideas expressed there are translated into action.
