Modern, global society is increasingly dependent on economic, political and social benefits that hinge upon the availability and stability of the Internet. Understanding the complex matrix of relationships, organizations, principles, protocols, economics and policy behind management of the Internet is key to contributing meaningfully to its progress, and key to governing the Internet.
Navigating Complexity
The potential of the Internet as a force for social and economic good is now beyond question. The Internet as a platform has ushered societies into an unprecedented period of innovation, knowledge sharing and social networking—all on a global scale. But the power of the Internet as an agent for positive transformation seems matched by its capacity to facilitate and amplify less desirable aspects of modern society. Cybercrime, online vice, cyber-bullying and other acts of hatred and discrimination have defined the digital age as much as the Internet’s many benefits. Defending against these ills is a challenge that is particularly acute for developing countries and resource-constrained states.
Multistakeholder Key
Fortunately, groups exist around the world to address the complex, cross-sectoral challenges and opportunities of managing the Internet. These groups include stakeholders drawn from sectors as diverse as industry, academia government and civil society. These so-called multistakeholder groups meet at fora specially dedicated to demystifying the mysterious-sounding organizations, jargon, technical operations and nuanced philosophical underpinnings of the global Internet.
Such Internet governance fora encourage what is called a bottom-up approach to the development of regional Internet governance (IG) policy. Participants can draw upon the expertise and experiences of policy makers, regulators, service providers, content providers, consumer groups, academia, the technical community and other interest groups. This model is in contrast to the “top-down” approach more typical in international policy development fora.
Caribbean IG Champion
One such forum is the Caribbean Internet Governance Forum or CIGF. The annual event was established by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) in 2005 to support development of policies and engagement of stakeholders for IG in the Caribbean.
The CIGF emerged out of the Caribbean’s participation in the World Summit of the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva in 2003. The Caribbean was the first region in the world to stage a regional forum to specifically discuss Internet governance issues. The international Internet Governance Forum formally began in 2006, one year after the CIGF.
In the decade since its inception, the CIGF has delivered tangible benefits to the region and to the global Internet community. Perhaps the highlight of its work is the Caribbean Internet Governance Policy Framework. When issued in 2009, the document was a first of its kind on the international Internet Governance scene.
In the ensuing years, the forum has pioneered in other areas, including strongly advocating for the proliferation of Internet exchange points; facilitating collaboration among regional Country Code Top-Level Domain operators; fostering development of the regional technical community through training and capacity building programs; and assisting in the establishment of the Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG).
The CIGF has also brought local attention to global issues such as deployment of critical Internet infrastructure; strategies for the transition from IPv4 to IPv6; broadband infrastructure access and affordability; cybersecurity, privacy and online child safety; intellectual property protection; electronic payments and open data. Much of this work has been done in collaboration with other regional governments, Internet service providers, non-governmental actors and international Internet organizations such as the Internet Society (ISOC), the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN), the Latin America and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry (LACNIC) and Packet Clearing House (PCH).
Perhaps most importantly, the CIGF has been able to mobilize regional stakeholders to participate in national and global Internet policy formulation. Over the years, a growing number of Caribbean participants have shared their local experiences at international IG fora and influenced global Internet policy. Such sharing has provided important models for global Internet Governance, particularly as it relates to small-island states. Participation in international fora has also brought important global perspectives back into local debates.
Internet Governance – A Collective Responsibility
“Development of the Internet in the Caribbean, as in the rest of the world, is a collective responsibility,” says Bernadette Lewis, Secretary General of the CTU and the driving force behind the CIGF.
Navigating the multi-layered world that lies behind administration of the websites, online services and applications is a complex challenge. This is why decisions taken regarding the administration and development of the Internet have evolved using a bottom-up, multistakeholder model.
Governments, the private sector, civil society, academia and other stakeholders must work in concert to ensure that the Internet is governed in a manner that takes into account varied national and international objectives. The bottom-up approach guarantees that all views can be aired and considered in the decisions that directly impact the evolution of the global Internet. This is no easy feat and it certainly cannot happen automatically. People have to participate.
Participation in the multistakeholder model requires investment in time, money and human resource; but participation has its rewards. In contrast, non-participation is an abdication of an available opportunity to influence global Internet policy.
Thankfully, there is a growing understanding that neither individuals nor nations can afford to blindly leave the task of defining Internet policies to chance, or to others. Every voice has a right to be heard. Every opinion has a chance to be shared. Every contribution can have an impact on how the Internet is governed.
This is why Internet governance fora are so much more than talk shops. They are crucial facilitation points for strengthening the human connections that drive growth and development of the Internet.
The philosophical debates, knowledge exchanges and policy experiences shared at Internet governance events highlight local issues and priorities to a global audience. At the same time, global perspective emerges out of the matrix of local conversations. It is this unique process of local conversations shaping global perspectives that defines the beauty and power of the global Internet community. This process is also the cornerstone of global Internet governance.