CADE at Pacific IGF 2025 – Community engagement in the Pacific

CADE participated in the Pacific Internet Governance Forum 2025, held at the National University of Samoa in Apia from 30 June to 4 July 2025, with two sessions focused on community engagement and digital awareness. Organised under the theme Digital Inclusion and Safety, the forum convened stakeholders from across the Pacific region, as well as participants from New Zealand and Australia, to exchange experiences and address emerging internet governance challenges. A total of 165 participants attended the CADE sessions, including 46 women and 119 men.

On 2 July, Session 5 addressed Community Engagement and Awareness. Sakaio Manoa of the Forum Fisheries Agency presented the organisation’s progress towards ISO 27001:2022 certification, outlining the relevance of information security standards for institutional resilience. Kenneth Katafono of TraSeable Solution followed with a presentation on leveraging private sector innovation to support digital inclusion in Pacific agriculture.

Session 8 Community Engagement and Awareness 2, held on 3 July, continued the focus on community engagement. Speakers from the Fiji National University, Swaran Ravindra, Asutosh Maharj, and Elenoa Naivalu, shared experiences in using virtual reality and digital skills toolkits to strengthen technical and vocational education and foundational digital literacy. Vivian Maidaborn, CEO of InternetNZ, discussed the role of the technical community in supporting multistakeholder cooperation. The session concluded with a roundtable on the WSIS+20 process and its implications for Pacific Island states, with contributions from representatives of the Internet Society and the Australian Department of Infrastructure.

Across both sessions, participants emphasised the importance of localised, community-led digital initiatives, targeted digital literacy programmes, and inclusive engagement strategies. Universities were highlighted as key actors in outreach and research, while discussions on trust and transparency focused on the use of ethical technology and transparent data practices. The forum also featured side events, including the APNIC Technical Workshop, Australian Government internet governance training, the Pacific Multistakeholder IGF, and the inaugural Pacific Youth IGF, all of which reinforced the emphasis on inclusive participation and capacity building across Pacific communities.

Hon. Afioga Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa, Prime Minister of Samoa, Ms Sarai Tevita, PICISOC Board Chair, and Mr Andrew Molivurae, Pacific IGF Chair, with the Pacific IGF 2025 participants