| APrIGF 2025 Session Proposal Submission Form | |||||||||||||
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| Part 1 - Lead Organizer | |||||||||||||
| Contact Person | |||||||||||||
| Mr. Adrian Wan | |||||||||||||
| Organization / Affiliation (Please state "Individual" if appropriate) * | |||||||||||||
| Internet Society | |||||||||||||
| Designation | |||||||||||||
| Senior Manager, Policy & Advocacy | |||||||||||||
| Gender | |||||||||||||
| Male | |||||||||||||
| Economy of Residence | |||||||||||||
| Singapore | |||||||||||||
| Stakeholder Group | |||||||||||||
| Technical Community | |||||||||||||
| List Your Organizing Partners (if any) | |||||||||||||
| Joyce Chen, Senior Advisor for Strategic Engagement, APNIC (joyce@apnic.net) Angela Wibawa, Government and IGO Engagement Director, APAC, ICANN (angela.wibawa@icann.org) Amrita Choudhury, Director, CCAOI (amritachoudhury@ccaoi.in) |
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| Part 2 - Session Proposal | |||||||||||||
| Session Title | |||||||||||||
| Internet Governance at a Crossroads: Asia-Pacific Priorities for WSIS+20 and Beyond | |||||||||||||
| Thematic Track of Your Session | |||||||||||||
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| Description of Session Formats | |||||||||||||
| Panel Discussion (60 minutes) | |||||||||||||
| Where do you plan to organize your session? | |||||||||||||
| Onsite at the venue (with online moderator for questions and comments from remote participants) | |||||||||||||
| Specific Issues for Discussion | |||||||||||||
| By the time the APrIGF 2025 is taking place, the UN Member States will be in the midst of negotiating the WSIS+20 review, which could affect the foundational principles that have kept the Internet open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy for two decades. At stake is a fundamental question: Will the Internet remain guided by inclusive multistakeholder collaboration, or shift toward state-centric models with risks of fragmentation? This session will convene experts from technical, governmental, and policy communities to examine what is at stake for the Asia-Pacific region. It will explore how regional actors can meaningfully participate in global processes to protect and shape a resilient digital future. Drawing on recent perspectives on the WSIS+20 Zero Draft, the discussion will unpack Asia-Pacific priorities and strategies for engaging in and contributing to the process. The session will also serve to urge stakeholders to stay informed, engage in discussions effectively, and advocate for the preservation of an open, secure, and interoperable Internet. Key issues to be discussed include: - The implications of WSIS+20 for digital transformation and development in the Asia-Pacific - Views on the WSIS+20 Zero Draft - The role of the technical community in promoting multistakeholder governance through collaborative coordination for resilient Internet operations - Strategies for inclusive regional participation in global processes - The enduring role of IGF and its potential for post-2025 |
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| Describe the Relevance of Your Session to APrIGF | |||||||||||||
| This session is directly aligned with the tracks on Access and Inclusion and Sustainability: Access and Inclusion: Global digital governance decisions affect access and equity—especially in developing and underserved areas. By shaping inclusive regional responses to WSIS+20, the session supports pathways to ensure all communities in the Asia-Pacific, particularly those from the Global South, are not left out of global Internet policy-making. Sustainability: The session highlights the sustainability of governance framework —emphasizing the need for resilient, interoperable, and inclusive digital infrastructure. It reinforces how long-term digital sustainability depends on effective and inclusive collaboration across borders, sectors, and stakeholder; and on upholding the open Internet model that has, and will continue to, enabled innovation and development across the region. The session contributes to APrIGF 2025’s overarching theme by empowering and equipping stakeholders from the Asia-Pacific to participate meaningfully in shaping and contributing to global digital cooperation frameworks. It facilitates shared understanding, promotes collaboration, and encourages inclusive digital governance that reflects the diversity and needs of the region. The session also addresses risks to openness, interoperability, and multistakeholderism—key tenets of an equitable digital future. |
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| Methodology / Agenda (Please add rows by clicking "+" on the right) | |||||||||||||
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| Moderators & Speakers Info (Please complete where possible) - (Required) | |||||||||||||
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| Please explain the rationale for choosing each of the above contributors to the session. | |||||||||||||
| Moderator: Amrita Choudhury, CCAOI - She serves as UN IGF MAG member, Chair of Asia Pacific regional IGF (AprIGF), Chair ICANN Asia Pacific regional AtLarge Organisation (APRALO), Chair IGF Support Association (IGFSA). She is currently one of the coordinators of the MAG Working Group on IGF Strategy and the Policy Network on AI . Panelists: Joyce Chen, APNIC – On the technical community’s role in governance and capacity building Veronica Deutrom, Australian Government, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts – On Australia’s engagement in international digital policy and Indo-Pacific digital cooperation Angela Wibawa, ICANN – On ICANN’s engagement in WSIS+20 and the significance of the multistakeholder model Adrian Wan, Internet Society – On risks to Internet openness and regional coordination needs |
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| If you need assistance to find a suitable speaker to contribute to your session, or an onsite facilitator for your online-only session, please specify your request with details of what you are looking for. | |||||||||||||
| N/A | |||||||||||||
| Please declare if you have any potential conflict of interest with the Program Committee 2025. | |||||||||||||
| No | |||||||||||||
| Are you or other session contributors planning to apply for the APrIGF Fellowship Program 2025? | |||||||||||||
| No | |||||||||||||
| Upon evaluation by the Program Committee, your session proposal may only be selected under the condition that you will accept the suggestion of merging with another proposal with similar topics. Please state your preference below: | |||||||||||||
| Yes, I am willing to work with another session proposer on a suggested merger. | |||||||||||||
| Brief Summary of Your Session | |||||||||||||
| This roundtable session brought together representatives from CCAOI, ICANN, APNIC, the Australian Government, and the Internet Society to discuss how Asia-Pacific stakeholders can shape and influence ongoing global digital cooperation processes—particularly the WSIS+20 review and the Zero Draft. Speakers reflected on the implications of these processes for Internet governance in the region, highlighting both the opportunities to advance inclusive digital access and the risks posed by emerging state-centric or fragmented approaches. Participants discussed how to ensure that Asia-Pacific perspectives are effectively represented in shaping global frameworks that support the sustainability, openness, and interoperability of the Internet. The 60-minute session combined short presentations with an interactive discussion and audience Q&A, both onsite and online. |
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| Substantive Summary of the Key Issues Raised and the Discussion | |||||||||||||
| 1. The Stakes for the Asia-Pacific Region Speakers agreed that the WSIS+20 process represent pivotal moments for the global Internet governance ecosystem. Asia-Pacific countries—diverse in their development, geography, and policy priorities—face the dual challenge of expanding meaningful access while preserving the open, interoperable Internet that underpins innovation and growth in the region. 2. Views on the Zero Draft Panelists noted that the Zero Draft contains positive language around universal connectivity, capacity building, and multistakeholder participation. However, there were concerns that it remains vague on the roles of technical communities and civil society, and that it could inadvertently open the door to more state-led, centralized governance models. The technical community representatives emphasized the need for recognition of the operational and governance roles that keep the Internet stable and secure, while civil society participants stressed the importance of accountability and inclusion in global policy processes. 3. Inclusion and Representation Participants highlighted that access and inclusion must go beyond connectivity to include meaningful participation in decision-making. Several discussants pointed out that Asia-Pacific voices—especially from small island states, Indigenous communities, and youth—remain underrepresented in global forums. Strengthening regional coordination mechanisms and supporting participation from developing economies were identified as key priorities. 4. Regional Coordination and Next Steps Speakers and audience members stressed the need for greater coordination among Asia-Pacific stakeholders ahead of WSIS+20. The region’s technical organizations, governments, and civil society groups were encouraged to share insights, align positions, and contribute collectively to global dialogues to ensure Asia-Pacific perspectives are adequately represented. |
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| Conclusions and Suggestions of Way Forward | |||||||||||||
| Strengthen Regional Collaboration: Participants agreed that more input from Asia-Pacific voices were needed to amplify regional voices in global processes like WSIS+20. Promote Inclusive Participation: Governments and regional institutions should invest in supporting participation from underrepresented groups—especially small island states, rural communities, women, and youth—in global and regional Internet governance forums. Protect and Reinforce the Multistakeholder Model: All stakeholders should advocate for maintaining an open, interoperable, and multistakeholder Internet governance ecosystem. The Asia-Pacific’s diversity makes it uniquely positioned to demonstrate how collaboration across sectors can work in practice. Get involved in the WSIS+20: Stakeholders were encouraged to continue engaging in the WSIS+20 process, including its revisions to the Zero Draft, ensuring that the final text reflects regional priorities, supports open standards, and recognizes the indispensable role of the technical community. |
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| Number of Attendees (Please fill in numbers) | |||||||||||||
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| Gender Balance in Moderators/Speakers (Please fill in numbers) | |||||||||||||
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| Consent | |||||||||||||
 I agree that my data can be submitted to forms.for.asia and processed by APrIGF organizers for the program selection of APrIGF 2025. |
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