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2024: A Pivotal Year for IGF In 2005, the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) was created as a global platform to continue and build upon the important work of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). In 2015, the IGF’s mandate was extended for another ten years, and in 2025 - 20 years on from the second WSIS event in Tunis - a decision will again be taken on the future of the IGF and our collective response to the challenges of digital cooperation. Before we reach that point, however, this year's Summit of the Future will convey the UN’s agenda for at least the rest of this decade and deliver a Pact for the Future that will include a Global Digital Compact of great relevance to the IGF. Truly, we live in interesting times! The key term in all of these efforts is action. Secretary-General Guterres has consistently and persistently reminded us that words are worthless without action. The IGF has always served as a catalyst to action, and over the years, it has evolved its focus on tangible outcomes via a wide-ranging ecosystem of 168 national, regional and youth initiatives (NRIs), 29 Dynamic Coalitions, and annually established Best Practice Forums and Policy Networks. We intend to continue in that spirit as we prepare the 2024 slate of intersessional work, strengthen synergies across the network of NRIs, and plan the annual IGF event, which will take place in Riyadh and online. A key challenge for all of us in the IGF community will be to link our discussions and debates to concrete actions. The IGF Leadership Panel (LP) presented its preliminary ideas on “The Internet We Want” at IGF 2024; we imagine that the next version might be titled, “The Internet We Want, and How to Get There”. Among our objectives for the year is outreach to people and groups not yet represented (or under-represented) in the IGF dialogue. In addition, the Leadership Panel will be looking for significant financial support for the operation of the IGF Secretariat. And we look forward to conveying the observations and conclusions of IGF 2023 and its predecessors to broader audiences - work in which we hope all IGF participants will join us! As 2024 dawns, it is apparent that the Internet and the World Wide Web are, more than ever, part of daily life for billions of users. The reach and quality of Internet access continues to grow, capitalizing on expanded LEO satellite coverage, new subsea fiber optic cable systems, and improved wireless access with 5G, 6G and the new WiFi-7 - all of which reinforces the need for us to continue working to make that Internet access available to all. The digital community will surely focus on digital safety, security, and privacy; legislators are working hard to codify domestic and international policies for the use of the Internet, and proposals for handling cybercrime will likely be agreed soon, most notably on an international basis. We must continue discussing the implications of these developments for the basic and fundamental human rights of people online. Meanwhile, 2023's hot button issues - including the use and regulation of Artificial Intelligence - will persist, meaning that all told, 2024 will be a year of challenge and hard work. As we strive to make progress toward the Internet we all want, the role of an open, inclusive, and active IGF is more important than ever. We look forward to a collaborative year, aligning the efforts of the LP and MAG and reinforcing the value of the IGF into the future. Vint Cerf, Chair, Leadership Panel Carol Roach, Chair, Multistakeholder Advisory Group
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