5 February 2025
Japan Network Information Center
JPNIC signs the statement submitted by TCCM regarding ITU Council WG on WSIS & SDGs' Call for Inputs on the WSIS+20 Review
In response to the call for input from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Council Working Group on WSIS and SDGs (CWG-WSIS&SDGs)*1, a Technical Community Coalition for Multistakeholderism (TCCM) has submitted a statement. JPNIC agrees with the contents of this statement and has signed it.
The full text of the statement can be found at the
following link:
https://www.tccm.global/tccm-response-to-itucwg-on-wsis-and-sdgs-call-for-inputs-wsis-20/
The summary of the comments is as follows:
The submitted comments refer to the achievements, issues and recommendations of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process over the past 20 years and emphasize multi-stakeholder governance and its impact on the Internet. TCCM emphasizes the importance of the multi-stakeholder approach to Internet governance and states that it has fostered technological progress and the expansion of global connectivity. Key achievements include:
- Multi-stakeholder governance: enshrined in the Tunis Agenda, enabling cooperation between governments, civil society, academia, the private sector and the technical community.
- Internet Governance Forum (IGF): an important global dialogue platform that promotes inclusiveness, knowledge sharing and policy development.
- Impact of WSIS action lines*2: Examples include expanding infrastructure (C2), improving access to knowledge (C3) and supporting digital transformation (C7).
Challenges include the limited policy impact of WSIS outcomes, the instability of IGF funding, and the risk of redundancy of multilateral organizations. The ITU has made important contributions in promoting affordable Internet access and fostering multi-stakeholder cooperation, but there is a need to continue to support inclusive and transparent governance mechanisms.
The draft submission includes proposals for permanently hosting the IGF and ensuring stable funding, strengthening the alignment of WSIS principles with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and multi-stakeholder cooperation in addressing emerging digital trends such as artificial intelligence (AI).
*1 https://www.itu.int/en/council/cwg-wsis/Pages/default.aspx
*2 According to the Tunis Agenda*3,
one of the outcome documents of the WSIS Geneva
meeting, the WSIS implementation mechanism at the
international level should be organized in
consideration of the themes and action policies of
the Geneva Action Plan, and since ITU, UNESCO, and
UNDP should lead the implementation of the action
plan, these organizations host the WSIS Forum every
year to evaluate the implementation status of each
action line.
https://www.itu.int/net/wsis/implementation/
