A call for active participation in the programme development of the Internet Governance Forum 2022 (IGF) has been issued again this year. The IGF is an annual global multi-stakeholder forum with the aim of creating a dialogue on internet governance. The deadline to submit session proposals has been extended until 10 June 2022 11:59pm. These can take place in a variety of formats, including workshops, open forums, lightning talks and networking sessions.

The 17th annual IGF meeting is hosted by the Government of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa under the overarching theme of "Resilient Internet for a Shared Sustainable and Common Future". This year, the IGF programme will be closely linked with the Global Digital Compact, as envisioned by the United Nations Secretary-General in his Our Common Agenda report. Five themes drawn directly from the focus areas of the proposed GDC will structure the IGF meeting:

1. Connecting All People and Safeguarding Human Rights
2. Avoiding Internet Fragmentation
3. Governing Data and Protecting Privacy
4. Enabling Safety, Security and Accountability
5. Addressing Advanced Technologies, including AI

It is important for children’s rights to play a significant role in this year’s programme. Children's rights are human rights and must therefore be considered in the first thematic focus area. The Convention on the Rights of the Child and General Comment 25 can also provide important guidance on the topics of privacy as well as security and protection.

We are looking forward to the active involvement of the children's rights community in the programme design and the development of proposals, as was the case last year. When submitting workshop proposals, it is particularly important to ensure diversity of everyone involved in terms of regional origin, social groups, gender and age. Please contact us at jcroll@digitale-chancen.de if you would like to submit a proposal and need support in approaching international partner organisations or selecting speakers. We are also happy to help with the wording of the information to be provided in the submission form.

Further information can be found here.