On September 11, the 24th annual Conference "State and Prospects of Development of ICT Infrastructure" began its work in Moscow. It is held by the public-state association Russian Association for Networks and Services (RANS). The Conference traditionally brings together industry leaders and organizations working in the field of ensuring trust and security in the use of ICT, experts in the field of information and communication technologies, representatives of public organizations, IT companies, and the research community.
The Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ became the general partner of the Conference and held a round table "Internet Governance in the Digital Future". The round table began with congratulations: on August 30, 2024, the Russian Association for Networks and Services turned 30 years old, and the Director of the Coordination Center Andrey Vorobyev presented a commemorative souvenir to the President of the RANS Arkady Kremer and the Chairman of the RANS Executive Committee Alexander Ivanyuk. "Over the years, RANS has done a lot to develop the industry, becoming one of the most famous and respected professional industry associations. The path taken from the moment of the creation of the Russian Association for Networks and Services to the present day is a clear evidence of commitment to innovation, high level of professionalism and active development of the country's digital ecosystem. We wish the Association further development, prosperity and inspiration," Andrey Vorobyev congratulated his colleagues.
During the round table, Andrey Vorobyev presented the evolution of approaches to Internet Governance and spoke about the role of international and regional Forums on Internet Governance. He noted that the Coordination Center participated in the very first World Internet Governance Forum, which was held in 2006 in Athens, and subsequently also regularly provided support to the IGF Secretariat. In 2010, the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ became the initiator and organizer of the first Russian Internet Governance Forum, and today RIGF is one of the oldest national IGFs and the largest regional platform for discussing Internet Governance issues. Andrey Vorobyev noted the importance of maintaining the leading role of the technical community in Internet governance.
"Unfortunately, in the latest documents, the technical community was left out of the discussion. We are confident that it is impossible to manage the Internet without those who make it and thanks to whom it works stably every day. And we raise this issue on all platforms available to us," he said.
Chairman of the Youth Council of the Coordination Center Andrey Aleinikov spoke about the progress of the preparation of the youth track of IGF 2024, which will be held in December 2024 in Saudi Arabia. He noted that the Youth Coalition, which unites young people from different countries of the world, submitted about 40 applications for sessions of various formats at IGF. Of these, about 10 sessions were included in the program, and 2 of these sessions are sessions for which applications were submitted by the Youth Council of the Coordination Center jointly with the School of International Information Security of the Institute of Current International Problems of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry. The topics of these sessions will be personal sovereignty on the Internet and digital twins.
"We are participating in the Forum with a simple and clear goal - to talk about our educational projects and initiatives, for example, such as the Russian Summer School on Internet Governance, organized by the Coordination Center jointly with St. Petersburg State University. The school is part of the international movement of Internet Governance Schools. We believe that it is important to exist not in isolation from colleagues from other countries who, like us, are engaged in educational projects. By participating in the main forum on Internet governance organized by the UN, we strive to exchange best practices with colleagues and develop friendly relations with representatives of other educational initiatives,” Andrey Aleinikov said.
The topic of holding various events related to Internet Governance was continued by Vadim Glushchenko (Center for Global IT-Cooperation). He also spoke about the preparations for the adoption of the Global Digital Compact, which will take place at the Future Summit on September 20-21, 2024, especially noting that the very process of forming the text of the GDC and its transparency raise a lot of questions not only among Russian experts, but also among specialists from other countries. Natalia Babekina (Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation) noted that 2025 will mark 20 years since the Second World Summit on the Information Society, where Russia and developing countries raised the issue of internationalization of the Internet. She said that the development of a universal document for regulating the safe functioning of the Internet, which includes protecting the rights of users and increasing network security, is the main task of today.
"Modern challenges, such as the militarization of virtual space and the growth of cyber threats, emphasize the need for effective international regulation. It is important that the role of states in the multistakeholder model of Internet Governance is implemented not only on the books, but also in practice," Natalia Babekina said.
Elena Zinovieva (MGIMO MFA of the Russian Federation) in her speech drew attention to how Russia's national interests look from the point of view of the academic community. She noted that today, information security and ensuring digital, technological sovereignty are becoming a priority in national development. Elena Zinovieva also emphasized that changes in the process of Internet Governance should consider not only the message of Western countries, but also the point of view of Russia, China and other countries of the world.
Boris Miroshnikov (Garda Technologies, NAIIS) expressed the opinion that the Internet today has become a new theater of military operations, where there is a competition between monopolies, and Russia has strong personnel participating in the formation of a layer of theses and programs that will support Russia's interests.
Boris Vasilyev (Department of International Information Security of the Russian Foreign Ministry) in his speech emphasized the need to promote the policy of the Russian Federation in the international arena, taking into account Russian interests, including in the field of Internet development.
"Russia's national interests are extremely diverse, it is difficult to talk about them in only one key, they connect and complement each other, and all this diversity cannot be neglected," Vasilyev said.
RANS President Arkady Kremer spoke at the conclusion of the round table "Internet Governance in the Digital Future" and suggested that the topics be discussed further at future RANS conferences, taking into account collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union, the International Organization for Standardization, the Regional Commonwealth of Communications, and other organizations.
During the two days of the Conference, the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ will have a stand at the event website. At the stand, visitors can get information about .RU and .РФ domains, learn about the Center's projects, and talk to experts.
