Main barriers to civil society engagement in internet governance
Resource constraints: Financial constraints and limited staff often prevent CSOs from covering travel, accommodation, and participation fees, restricting their involvement in internet governance amid competing priorities.
The deepening exclusion of the digital divide: Limited internet access, especially in rural areas, hurts CSO and grassroots participation in digital policy-making, sidelining even more the perspectives of groups that have historically been marginalised.
The capacity gap: Technical internet governance processes like the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) involve technical jargon and significant time commitments. Limited capacity development opportunities for civil society reduce meaningful participation and close doors for many.
Language barriers: English dominance in internet governance forums limits participation from non-English speaking CSOs. Insufficient and imperfect translation services worsen this exclusion, making contributions and policy influence very difficult.
Power dynamics: Internet governance policy processes generally favour governments and corporations, overshadowing CSOs, especially from the Global South. This imbalance undermines their voice, ownership, and impact on policy decisions.
Lack of information: Limited information, insufficient networking possibilities and weak outreach efforts result in overwhelming struggles for potential advocates for internet rights and freedoms to build the capacity to achieve significant impact on the digital landscape.
Civic space and the political environment as a barrier: Some 72.4 percent of the global population lives under repressive conditions regarding fundamental freedoms. This has a severe impact on civil society’s possibilities of engagement in multistakeholder forums.
