Arab Internet Governance Forum

Background

The Arab IGF is a venue to track progress of the proposed Regional Roadmap for Internet Governance in Arab Countries. It monitors developments related to various Internet issues, identifies member States’ priorities, and voices the region’s concerns at global and regional conferences.

The Arab Internet Governance Forum (ArabIGF) is an annual/biennial meeting based on the global Internet Governance Forum (IGF). It was established by ESCWA and the League of Arab States (LAS) pursuant to a World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) resolution issued in Tunis in 2005.

Our approach

ESCWA, in partnership with LAS, holds regular and inter-sessional ArabIGF meetings to keep pace with internet issues and developments pertinent to the Arab region.

The Arab IGF aims to:

Discuss policy issues related to internet governance, in particular those raised within the global IGF, with a view to promoting access to the internet and ensuring its security, stability and development;
Facilitate the exchange of information, best practices, lessons learned and knowledge, particularly with experts in public policy, technology and academic matters; and disseminate the recommendations and proposals emanating from discussions held at the Arab IGF;
Reach a common understanding of the priorities of internet governance and mechanisms to respond to the specific needs of Arab countries;
Discuss emerging technologies and make recommendations thereon;
Contribute to capacity-building and development in the area of internet governance in Arab countries; and promote the involvement of all stakeholders to fully utilize available knowledge and expertise;
Disseminate the Arab perspective regarding internet governance at the global level and support Arab stakeholders in the formulation of internet governance policies, without assigning oversight functions to the Arab IGF or turning it into a substitute for existing mechanisms, institutions or organizations;
Communicate with regional and international forums on internet governance to facilitate experience sharing and knowledge transfer.