The UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2024 is ongoing in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. During the networking session titled Friends for Internet: Create a Better Digital World, representatives from youth organizations involved in internet governance processes shared their insights and concerns. Marko Paloski, IGF coordinator in North Macedonia and a steering committee member at the Youth Coalition on Internet Governance (YCIG), discussed initiatives aimed at involving young people in governance processes, such as organizing webinars and newsletters.
Gabriella Marcelja Sirius, a member of the Chamber of Deputies of the National Congress of Argentina, emphasized the importance and necessity of youth initiatives, noting that they often produce results more swiftly than bureaucratic actions. She also stressed that the development of internet governance principles must account for the realities of specific countries, as the mentality, economic conditions, and legislative frameworks of countries such as those in Latin America and Northern Europe differ significantly.
Session moderator David Okpatuma, a Nigerian activist, entrepreneur, and co-founder of the Organization for the Development and Cooperation in Africa (DevCA), highlighted the significance of discussing whether globalization and localization are mutually exclusive trends.
Supporting this view, Mariana Alves, a representative from the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee's youth program, underscored the importance of developing common standards of governance. However, she argued that these standards must consider the local peculiarities of different countries; otherwise, globalization could become a new form of colonization. Ms Alves advocated for viewing globalization and localization not as alternatives but as two parallel phenomena.
This theme was further explored during the working session Hold On, We're Going South: Beyond GDC, moderated by Vasily Zudin of the Center for Global IT Cooperation. Experts discussed the prospects for achieving the Global Digital Compact (GDC) and the obstacles therein, including the significant disparities in economic and digital development among many countries, primarily those in the Global South. This geopolitical term traditionally encompasses the states of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, previously classified as “developing” countries. Participants deliberated on ways to bridge the digital divide and enhance technological sovereignty for the Global South.
Serbian entrepreneur Milos Jovanovic highlighted the critical importance of the Global Digital Compact for economic progress in the Global South but cautioned about the increasing influence of leading technology companies.
Vadim Glushchenko, Director of the Center for Global IT Cooperation, remarked that implementing the Global Digital Compact will inevitably face resistance from global digital platforms and transnational corporations, as well as challenges related to technological inequality between countries. He added that the Russian IT industry has demonstrated stress-resilience in the face of Western sanctions, which has incentivized the development of independent digital solutions. These solutions could benefit other countries striving for digital sovereignty.
Olga Makarova, Director of the Department of Commercial Resource Management at MTS, highlighted the threat of technical fragmentation of the internet amidst current geopolitical tensions. She noted that for countries like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, Russia is the fastest and most cost-effective route to access the European segment of the global network due to their geographical location. However, sanctions and their arbitrary interpretation could obstruct this path. Makarova called for collaborative efforts to mitigate this threat.
Participants also acknowledged the growing influence of national governments on internet governance and stressed the need to balance interests while preserving the fundamental principles of the multistakeholder governance model. Enhancing digital literacy and combating misinformation were identified as other critical tasks. Participants emphasized that these challenges can be addressed only through active and equitable international cooperation.
