Strengthening civil society participation in internet governance

Thursday, 2 October 2025, 15:00–16:30 CEST

For details, email cade@diplomacy.edu

Background

The CADE consortium, in collaboration with Forus, Diplo Foundation, ECNL, and Expectation State, launched the CADE Mapping Report and Baseline Study – a milestone study examining how civil society organisations (CSOs) participate in key internet governance spaces such as the IGF, ICANN, ITU, and the IETF.

The studies highlight how participation remains uneven despite civil society’s essential role as a bridge between technical governance and the public interest. Engagement is highest at the IGF, while access to ICANN, ITU, and IETF processes remains limited, often due to funding constraints, procedural complexity, and language barriers.

The launch provided a platform for reflection on these findings, offering an opportunity to discuss practical steps toward a more inclusive and sustainable digital governance ecosystem.

Objectives

Presenting key findings
 Participants explored the main evidence from the Mapping and Baseline Study, which identifies both achievements and structural barriers in multistakeholder participation. The discussion focused on improving accessibility, ensuring diversity, and securing long-term funding for CSO engagement.

Strengthening collaboration
 Speakers reflected on how mentorship, regional hubs, and multilingual tools can help broaden participation and bridge existing divides between global, regional, and local levels of governance.

Participation

The roundtable brought together diverse participants from civil society, international organisations, and the technical community. Dr Grace Gitaiga (KICTANet) delivered the keynote address, joined by Verengai Mabika (Expectation State), Anja Gengo (IGF), Adam Peake (ICANN), and Álvaro Retana (IETF/IAB).

Speakers emphasised the need for sustained capacity building, inclusive dialogue, and recognition of underrepresented voices, particularly from the Global South. Discussions also pointed to opportunities for collaboration ahead of the WSIS+20 Review, where many of these issues will shape the future of global digital governance.

Resources

Complete reports and supporting materials:


For more information about the CADE Mapping and Baseline Study, please visit https://cadeproject.org/cade-report-baseline-study/.