Not so long ago, we used to refer to two separate worlds, online and offline, virtual and real. Nowadays, both worlds are converging, same rights are called for, and almost all aspects of daily activities and services, from health to education, and from entertainment to business and trading, are being performed online. In parallel, cybercrimes have also developed significantly evolving from hacking and virus dissemination to blackmailing, cyber stalking, trafficking, credit card - frauds and identity thefts. Accordingly, the issues of jurisdiction and how to map national sovereignty in a borderless Internet, that emerged to be part of nations’ critical infrastructures, became serious and pressing matters.

Given how the Internet has developed as an indispensable part of our lives, introducing new opportunities, unprecedented challenges and unintended consequences; and given the accelerated change, continuous evolution and growing reliance on digital technologies; Internet Governance (IG) advanced to be a priority on national agendas. This increased the interest of governments, driving political forces to start shaping the future of the Internet and bringing the role of governments in IG to the core of the debate. Although driving forces converged to foster greater interest and more focus on IG by all stakeholders, from governments, businesses, technical communities, academia and individuals, yet the lack of resources and lagging behind the global agenda are clear disincentives for meaningful and active participation from the developing world.

With the Internet of Things being deployed, interconnecting people and objects equally, and Artificial Intelligence on the road, where we need to remain in control and ready to bear responsibility of all decisions, more Internet Governance challenges are expected to emerge. Likewise, with data being the currency of today used for legal and legitimate requests but also for profiling and invading privacy, we should be ready to protect our personal information and preserve our own privacy.

As we start considering collaborative ways to address digital technologies’ impact – societal, ethical, legal and economic – maximizing its benefits and minimizing its harms, it’s essential and timely to investigate and agree on digital cooperation and governance models that can contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 for the year 2030. Effective Digital Cooperation, mandates the need for a holistically coordinated approach to Internet Governance, respecting and taking into account interdependencies of stakeholders but also of the various sectors described by the main four baskets of the global Internet Governance Ecosystem, namely cybersecurity, digital economy, human rights and technology. This doesn’t necessarily mean that we need to have a unified rigid mechanism rather we need to agree and commit to common principles and goals.

Experience shows that both multilateralism and multistakeholderism would continue to co-exist and should work to complement each other. Additionally, other new innovative models may develop in the future and should be allowed to plug into the overall Internet Governance Ecosystem, expected to be more of a network of networks matching the very unique nature of the Internet. Hence, we need to agree on an ultimate agenda, that is human-centric, promoting peace, future-proof, enhancing the quality of life for everyone, aligned with the 17 global SDGs, and abiding by the 9 values and principles identified by the report of the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation; namely: Inclusiveness, Respect, Human-centeredness, Human flourishing, Transparency, Collaboration, Accessibility, Sustainability and Harmony. At the same time, we need to ensure that such an IG network of networks is inclusive, transparent, accountable to all stakeholders, flexible, dynamic, agile, and open-ended with channels that can accommodate diverse current, evolving or future mechanisms, as far as they align with, are guided by and committed to the same goals, objectives, principles and core values.

The three models proposed by the High-level Panel’s Report all have benefits and drawbacks, and despite being offered as alternatives, they don’t seem to be mutually exclusive. In fact, despite the different approaches, they all share common elements that constitute the basic needs for any successful model. It is important though to secure global commitment to sustainable funding, enough resources and any necessary support needed. In that respect, a hybrid solution would be appropriate and possible with some keen efforts to allow harmonization, funding and a venue for periodical reporting on progress towards agreed values and principles. The IGF could serve to be such a venue.

At the end, unless a model is able to evolve, it will eventually die. Hence, review and evolution of any agreed solution is crucial in order to ensure that it continues to be efficient, effective, productive and future-proof; and the involvement of the relevant community is key for a successful process and a trusted model. A good example here is the ongoing process initiated by ICANN to improve and enhance the effectiveness of its own multistakeholder model, trying to hit the right balance between the increasing need for inclusivity, accountability and transparency and the imperative of being timely, effective and efficient.

No one knows how technology will evolve, and despite the efforts to ensure it enhances the quality of life of those who are benefiting from it, the digital divide seems to be widening with more than half the world’s population either lacking affordable access or has not yet unleashed the full potential of the digital world. With this in mind, we need to focus our efforts to leapfrog the next billions so that they are not left behind, are part of the digital economy and enjoy the Internet, as we know it, or even better, as they need it: safe, trusted, available, affordable and multilingual. In addition, we need to be creative, flexible and agile in governing the Internet to ensure that it flourishes in a healthy way, as one stable, secure, resilient and scalable global public common, not only for those already using it but also for those yet to join or yet to benefit from the full spectrum of opportunities offered by and on the Internet.