Poland Hosts 15th IGF in November 2020 

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IGF_Rio_2007The government of Poland will host the 15th annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF), which is scheduled to take place in Katowice, Poland, between November 2 and 6, 2020 with the overarching theme: Internet United.

The theme captures the real obligation and challenge for the whole Internet society, comprising representatives of governments, the private sector, academia, civil societies and technical organizations.

The recurring message from the Polish government is that: “the Internet is our global, public resource, which we can influence and benefit from as long as we stay united globally. We are looking forward to meeting you in Katowice on 2-6 November 2020.”

“As we are all human beings, the Internet is united through us. It is the human spirit that drives the global network. Our dreams, ideas and actions make sure the network is constantly in motion. In this respect, the multi-stakeholder approach gives all of us a chance to openly present the broad perspective and in due course enable mutual understanding between different positions of participants on the future of Internet debate. Surely, we agree upon far more issues than differ about – we perceive shared values as a foundation for mutual trust and consensus’’, it added.

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) brings people together from various stakeholder groups as equals, in discussions on public policy issues relating to the Internet. While there is no negotiated outcome, the IGF informs inspires those with policy-making power in both the public and private sectors.

Stakeholders at the annual meeting will exchange information and share good practices while the IGF will facilitate a common understanding of how to maximize Internet opportunities and address risks and challenges that arise.

Under paragraphs 72 to 78 of the Tunis Agenda, the discussions at the 15th IGF will raise and deliberate on issues of public policy issues related to key elements of Internet governance in order to foster the sustainability, robustness, security, stability and development of the Internet.
The meeting will also facilitate discourse between bodies dealing with different cross-cutting international public policies regarding the Internet and discuss issues that do not fall within the scope of any existing body.