WSIS Turns Twenty: Implications for the Media Development Community

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) built the framework that shapes today’s international norms on Internet governance. With the twenty-year anniversary of WSIS approaching (in May 2024), the WSIS+20 review will assess the progress made towards implementing 2005’s Tunis Agenda for the Information Society.

The review is set against a backdrop of growing concern about fragmentation of the global Internet, and policy innovation within the UN system seeking to strengthen multilateral institutions for the 2030s and beyond. Ultimately, what is at stake with WSIS+20 is the extent, if any, to which non-state actors should have a say in the future of the Internet. The potential implications of a shift towards more government control over the Internet could be detrimental to media freedom.

What was WSIS?

WSIS was a convening of world leaders and sectoral experts held in two phases with the objective of building the framework for a “people-centered, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society, where everyone can create, access, utilize and share information and knowledge.” The second phase ended in 2005 with the adoption of the Tunis Agenda.

The Tunis Agenda defined Internet governance in a way that opened the door for academics, civil society, individual advocates, and small businesses to be able to formally feed into UN processes pertaining to technology policy matters. In addition, it created the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) as a space for “multistakeholder policy dialogue.” The IGF began as an annual event, however it has evolved into a flourishing ecosystem of global stakeholder engagement, with replication of the IGF model at the regional and national levels, and year-round global intersessional activities focused on specific issues, opportunities, and challenges.

What is WSIS+20?

In 2016, the UN General Assembly resolved to hold a high-level meeting on the outcomes of WSIS in 2025, “preceded by an intergovernmental preparatory process that also meaningfully takes into account inputs from all relevant stakeholders.” The review is being led by the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development.

Why is WSIS+20 important?

WSIS+20 is an opportunity to reaffirm what the Tunis Agenda got right. Some stakeholders also see it as an avenue to promote a new vision for the future of the Internet.

Because the WSIS+20 outcome report will be presented to the UN General Assembly, it can direct further UN action on different topics. As a result, WSIS+20 may prove to be a pivotal moment in Internet governance: it could foster renewed support for the multistakeholder model that permits non-state actors to input into digital policy making processes, or it could lead to a push for a more multilateral, government-driven structure. With the Russian Federation hosting the IGF in 2025, and a leading critic of the multistakeholder model (along with China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia), it cannot be assumed that the IGF’s current mandate will be renewed. Moreover, statements from various governments make clear that even if the multistakeholder model of Internet governance continues, there is a belief that reform is needed to increase the ‘weight’ given to the perspectives of nation-states. This could extend well beyond the IGF.

What are the risks associated with a more government-driven Internet?

The risk to a multilateral approach to Internet governance is that the Internet could become a vehicle to restrict freedom of expression and other fundamental freedoms. Governments may push for restrictions on online content that they consider to be sensitive or harmful. This may include currently lawful speech related to political dissent, social movements, or religious minorities, for example. Furthermore, a multilateral approach could potentially lead to a fragmentation of the Internet, with different regions or countries adopting different standards for online content and behavior. This could make it more difficult for people to access information and communicate across borders, and could ultimately lead to a less open and free Internet.

The news media depends on an interoperable, global Internet to disseminate timely and important news to the public. The media development community should encourage states to re-affirm the importance of the multistakeholder model of Internet governance. While it may be tempting to view WSIS+20 as a platform to discuss the adverse impacts that digital technologies are having on news-gathering, business models, and journalist safety; the likely ‘solutions’ that would be proposed to these legitimate issues by some governments may be unsatisfactory.

How is WSIS+20 linked to other UN processes?

In 2018, the UN Secretary-General convened a High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation and later developed a roadmap to advance this theme. This roadmap led to the establishment of a Leadership Panel to strengthen the IGF and the 2022 appointment of Amandeep Singh Gill as Technology Envoy. Ambassador Gill is now developing the Global Digital Compact, proposed in 2021’s Our Common Agenda, which will form a part of 2024’s Summit of the Future, which has the objective of “address[ing] gaps in global governance” and advancing “a reinvigorated multilateral system.” At the same time, UNESCO’s Internet for Trust initiative is focused on digital cooperation and building an inclusive, development-oriented Internet. Heading into 2023, the ITU Radiocommunication Assembly and the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development are likely to explore the linkages that exist between WSIS and the Sustainable Development Goals, which themselves will undergo a “comprehensive review” in 2025 for alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Who can participate in WSIS+20?

The modalities of how non-state actors can participate in WSIS+20 have yet to be published, however WSIS+20 will primarily be a multilateral process led by states, some of whom do not value a free press. The media development community will need to create and sustain its own efforts advocating for its perspectives.

The media, in addition to participating in the WSIS+20 review as a part of civil society, can also report on the WSIS+20 process. In providing near real-time summaries and analysis of intergovernmental negotiations, the media can aid civil society and smaller UN missions in understanding what is happening to inform relevant interventions.