A Technical Community Coalition for Multistakeholderism (TCCM) congratulates UN Member States on the adoption by consensus of the WSIS+20 Outcome Document at the High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Overall Review of the Implementation of the Outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
This is a significant win for all those who support an open, free, global, secure, resilient and interoperable Internet, and the multistakeholder governance that underpins it.
TCCM extends its sincere gratitude to the co-facilitators for the transparent and inclusive WSIS+20 process, for their proactive engagement with all stakeholder groups, and for their leadership and innovation in establishing the Informal Multistakeholder Sounding Board (IMSB) to enhance multistakeholder engagement.
TCCM appreciates the careful balance the Outcome Document strikes between different interests and commends Member States for their willingness to compromise to find common ground and achieve consensus.
TCCM was established in early 2024 in response to the perceived threat that the WSIS+20 review (and 2024’s Global Digital Compact) could weaken multistakeholder Internet governance. As a coalition of members of the Internet technical community, we have worked since then to engage – and support others to engage – in these processes to advocate for a strengthened multistakeholder Internet governance approach. We believe that this form of collaborative governance and dialogue between all stakeholders — governments, the private sector, civil society, academia and the technical community — is the only way to ensure that the Internet’s benefits as a driver of innovation, progress, and development, are realized by all.
As organisations that operate the Internet’s core technical infrastructure, we strongly support the WSIS vision as reaffirmed once again in the newly-adopted WSIS+20 Outcome Document. Realising a truly inclusive Information Society, where people everywhere can thrive, relies fundamentally on the effective functioning of the Internet’s technical infrastructure. Ensuring that all stakeholders can contribute meaningfully to the governance of the Internet is not optional; it is essential.
TCCM advocated for a WSIS+20 outcome that recognised multistakeholder Internet governance and the technical community’s distinct role in that, strengthened an improved and sustainable IGF with a permanent mandate, retained the WSIS Action Lines as fit for purpose, discouraged duplication of Internet governance structures, and promoted ongoing cooperation between all stakeholders. We are delighted that these outcomes were achieved.
TCCM looks forward to continuing our work to defend, evolve and strengthen multistakeholder Internet governance, and we stand ready to work with the Secretary General and UN DESA on ensuring a viable, diverse and sustainable funding model for the Internet Governance Forum.