Internet standardisation and governance bodies develop policies and technical specifications, and provide spaces for exchange on crucial internet challenges and new solutions. This ranges from improving access, through protecting human rights defenders’ freedom of speech online, to preventing and addressing gender-based violence. Increasingly, these forums shape how people around the world can enjoy the Internet.
As part of the Civil Society Alliances for Digital Empowerment (CADE), ECNL developed practical guidance for engaging in:
- IGF, the Internet Governance Forum, a key global process for discussing and devising solutions to the latest challenges to Internet Governance and human rights;
- ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, a multi-stakeholder body crucial for ensuring a global, interoperable Internet by coordinating the technical infrastructure and developing policies for its stable operation;
- ITU – the Internet Telecommunications Union, a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for international standards for global telecommunications networks and services;
- IETF – Internet Engineering Task Force, an important forum developing voluntary technical standards for the Internet, which are widely adopted by network operators and internet users.
Who is this guidance for?
This guidance is for you if your organisation is considering involvement in one of these four bodies and processes but does not know where to begin. Using an easy to navigate and universal format we explain in simple terms:
- how each body works;
- existing pathways - both formal and informal - for civil society engagement;
- step-by-step tips for accessing specific groups, bodies or constituencies, including eligibility rules, potential fees, and language requirements;
- available guidance and resources for newcomers; and
- where to seek for more information.
With this guidance, we do not aim to repeat information that is explained in detail elsewhere. Rather, we provide an easy-to-navigate guidance and repository of resources to refer to when making the first steps in technical standardisation and governance bodies.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank fellow civil society organisations and experts for reviewing and providing feedback to this guidance. We are especially grateful for previous work conducted by ARTICLE19, the Center for Democracy and Technology, Global Partners Digital and the Association for Progressive Communications, as well as for insights provided by members of the Non-Commercial Stakeholders Group at ICANN. With this guidance, we aim to build on and complement existing resources.
The CADE project is co-funded by the European Union.