Technical community coalition urges stronger commitments on IGF funding, coordination and openness in WSIS+20 Revision 1

The Technical Community Coalition for Multistakeholderism has issued detailed feedback on WSIS+20 Revision 1, describing the updated text as a balanced and constructive draft that reflects meaningful engagement with the multistakeholder community. Representing operators and organisations responsible for critical internet infrastructure worldwide, TCCM welcomes the co-facilitators’ openness to stakeholder consultation and views the current trajectory of the negotiations as broadly positive. The coalition strongly supports Revision 1’s reaffirmation of multistakeholder cooperation, its explicit acknowledgement of the technical community, and its reference to the NETmundial+10 guidelines for collaboration and consensus-building.

At the centre of the coalition’s recommendations is the future of the Internet Governance Forum. TCCM backs the proposal to make the IGF permanent and commends the emphasis on strengthening the IGF Secretariat. It also supports the call to advance work on long-term funding, emphasising that financial arrangements must be stable and diverse to ensure the IGF’s continued independence. The coalition urges that paragraph 101 be revised to require the UN Secretary-General to conduct this funding work through meaningful consultation with all stakeholders, including existing funders.

TCCM also highlights the need for deeper coordination across the internet governance ecosystem and reinforces the view that the IGF should serve as the central platform for that cooperation. For the IGF to remain inclusive and effective, the coalition argues that intentional connections must be strengthened between the IGF and national, regional and youth IGFs, as well as institutions such as ICANN and the IETF. It calls on Revision 1 to commit to ongoing improvements in coordination, reaffirm the IGF’s central role, build on its agenda-setting function, and require better integration of IGF outcomes across the broader ecosystem.

The coalition also emphasises the importance of maintaining a strong stance against internet fragmentation. It supports Revision 1’s warning that fragmentation would undermine the internet’s role as a global facility for inclusive digital development and notes that the Zero Draft contained clearer language identifying the risks posed by state-controlled or fragmented architectures. TCCM encourages negotiators to reinstate this wording and to preserve firm commitments to keeping the Internet open, global and interoperable.

The submission closes by reaffirming that effective cooperation among all stakeholders remains essential for sustaining an Internet that supports resilient, inclusive societies. The written input is endorsed by a wide range of regional and national technical community organisations, including APNIC, NIC.br, CIRA, JPNIC, SIDN, LACTLD, Nominet UK, InternetNZ, and many others.