Skip to content
Internet Society Foundation
  • About
    • Board of Trustees
    • Our Projects
    • Our Team
    • 2024 Impact Report
    • 2025 Action Plan
    • Transparency
    • Press Center
  • Funding Areas
    • Beyond the Net
    • BOLT
    • Chapter Admin Funding
    • Connecting the Unconnected
    • Encryption Day
    • Internet Governance Forum Events
    • Research
    • Resiliency
    • SCILLS
    • Sustainable Peering Infrastructure Funding Program
    • Sustainable Technical Communities
  • Resources
    • Grantee Eligibility & Compliance Guidance
    • Application Review Process
    • Alignment Requirements
    • Grant Management & Reporting Expectations
    • Grant Application and Project Implementation Guidance
    • Grant Partner Communications Toolkit
    • How to use Fluxx
    • Logo guidelines
  • News & Stories
    • News
    • Impact stories
    • The Bcc podcast
  • Careers
  • The Internet Society
  • Subscribe
  • Languages:ENESFR
FacebookTwitterLinkedinInstagramRssEmail
This content is available in the following languages
The Internet Society English is the current languageEspañolFrançais
  • Subscribe
    Internet Society Foundation
    • About
      • Board of Trustees
      • Our Projects
      • Our Team
      • 2024 Impact Report
      • 2025 Action Plan
      • Transparency
      • Press Center
    • Funding Areas
      • Beyond the Net
      • BOLT
      • Chapter Admin Funding
      • Connecting the Unconnected
      • Encryption Day
      • Internet Governance Forum Events
      • Research
      • Resiliency
      • SCILLS
      • Sustainable Peering Infrastructure Funding Program
      • Sustainable Technical Communities
    • Resources
      • Grantee Eligibility & Compliance Guidance
      • Application Review Process
      • Alignment Requirements
      • Grant Management & Reporting Expectations
      • Grant Application and Project Implementation Guidance
      • Grant Partner Communications Toolkit
      • How to use Fluxx
      • Logo guidelines
    • News & Stories
      • News
      • Impact stories
      • The Bcc podcast
    • Careers
    • The Internet Society
    • Subscribe
    • Languages:ENESFR
    30 July 2025

    Shaping the Digital Future: Understanding the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 

    In today’s world, nearly every aspect of our lives—from communication and commerce to education and healthcare—is shaped by the Internet. But who ensures that the Internet remains open, secure, and inclusive for everyone? One of the key platforms leading this charge is the IGF. 

    What Is the IGF? 

    The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a United Nations (UN) initiative that serves as a global multistakeholder platform for dialogue on public policy issues related to the Internet. It brings together governments, the private sector, civil society, and the technical community to explore solutions and inform policymaking without producing binding decisions. 

    For two decades, the IGF has helped drive tangible progress in the development and implementation of decisions supporting the Internet’s evolution. As a year-round, multistakeholder process, the IGF addresses a broad spectrum of Internet development issues from cybersecurity and meaningful access to data privacy, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies.  

    Why the IGF is Vital 

    The IGF’s multistakeholder model is essential to effective Internet governance. It enables diverse actors to collaborate, share perspectives, and build consensus around digital policy. As a central node in the global Internet ecosystem, the IGF amplifies voices that might go unheard, especially from underrepresented regions like the Global South. 

    Its impact is both direct and indirect: 

    • Directly, the IGF has inspired the growth of local initiatives that deliver tangible impact, such as Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), advanced community connectivity, and helped cultivate the next generation of digital leaders. 
    • Indirectly, it continues to inform the deliberations about pressing issues such as online harms and digital rights, while sustaining long-term focus areas like Internet access and human rights. Notably, it played a key role in enabling the transition of the IANA functions—a major milestone in Internet governance. 

    The IGF model has also inspired more than 165 National, Regional, and Youth Initiatives (NRIs), which provide essential local and grassroots perspectives on Internet governance. 

    Supporting IGF Initiatives Around the World 

    By investing in IGF initiatives, the Internet Society Foundation helps communities everywhere engage in shaping the Internet’s future—one that is accessible to all.  As a vital space for dialogue and exchange, the IGF continues to play a transformative role in global Internet development. Its ability to convene a broad range of voices makes it a cornerstone in the quest for a more inclusive digital world. 

    The Internet Society at the IGF 

    The Internet Society highlights on its website that it participates in the IGF to help safeguard the Internet’s future by protecting what makes it unique: an open, collaborative model that has enabled its growth and success. The organization also engages in the IGF activities to continue advancing its mission to connect the billions who remain offline, provide decision-makers with informed guidance through a strengthened multistakeholder governance model, and empower new generations of Internet champions. 

    Learn the activities where the Internet Society and the Internet Society Foundation are participating: https://www.internetsociety.org/events/igf/2025/our-activities/ 

    Posted in Foundation News, IGF

    30 July 2025

    Recent Posts

    • Shaping the Digital Future: Understanding the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 
    • Critical infrastructure lab launches new report on Internet Governance
    • The Internet Society Haiti Chapter Receives Prestigious WSIS Prize
    • Meet our Grantee Partners
    • Why Trust in the Internet Matters

    Categories

    • Africa
    • Asia-Pacific
    • Beyond the Net
    • BOLT
    • Community Capacity
    • Disaster Relief and Recovery
    • Europe
    • Foundation News
    • IGF
    • Innovation
    • Latin America and Caribbean
    • Middle-East
    • North America
    • Podcast
    • Program Areas
    • Regions
    • Research
    • Resiliency
    • SCILLS
    • Sustainable Peering Infrastructure
    • Sustainable Technical Communities

    The Internet is for Everyone

    The Internet Society Foundation supports the vision of the Internet Society and its work for an open, globally-connected, secure, and trustworthy Internet for everyone.

    Logo de la fondation ISOC

    1551 Emancipation Highway #1506
    Fredericksburg, VA 22401

    1-703-439-2120

    [email protected]

    LinkedIn ISOC Foundation on Facebook ISOC Foundation on Instagram ISOC Foundation on YouTube ISOC Foundation on Twitter ISOC Foundation RSS feed
    Guidestar Platinum seal of transparency 2020

    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Get the latest news and announcements from our projects. Unsubscribe at any time. We won't use your details for anything else.

    Please enter your name.
    Please enter a valid email address.
    Subscribe!

    Thanks for subscribing! Please check your email for further instructions.

    Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again.

    © 2025 Internet Society Foundation | Privacy Policy | Terms of use | Engagement Code of Conduct | Our Governance | DMCA Policy | Sitemap

    Scroll To Top