The Internet underpins modern life by enabling access to education, healthcare, commerce, and civic participation, raising critical questions about how it is governed and who ensures it remains open, secure, and inclusive. The Internet Governance Forum (IGF), convened by the United Nations, addresses these questions by providing a global, multistakeholder platform where governments, civil society, the private sector, and technical experts discuss public policy issues related to the Internet. Although the IGF does not produce binding regulations, its collaborative model influences policy, builds partnerships, and amplifies voices that are often underrepresented in digital governance debates.
National, Regional, and Youth Internet Governance Forum Initiatives (NRIs) extend this multistakeholder model to local and regional contexts, acting as entry points into global Internet governance processes. By adapting discussions to local realities, NRIs ensure that community priorities and perspectives feed into international debates. Support from the Internet Society Foundation, through its IGF Event sponsorship program, has enabled these initiatives worldwide, with insights drawn from dozens of NRI applications between 2024 and 2025 highlighting their growing contribution to the Internet governance ecosystem.
Evidence shows that NRIs play a meaningful role in shaping policy discussions by translating open dialogue into practical recommendations. Their forums have informed national and regional debates on issues such as cybersecurity, online safety, and digital inclusion, helping policymakers carry new insights back into formal decision-making spaces. Even without legislative authority, NRIs act as bridges between public consultation and policy development, strengthening the quality and relevance of digital governance.
NRIs also demonstrate the value of multistakeholder collaboration by bringing together governments, businesses, academics, and civil society to jointly design agendas and identify shared priorities. This cooperative approach has led to consensus-based regional positions on complex topics like data protection and net neutrality, while also ensuring that diverse local voices contribute to global policy consultations and monitoring processes.
Capacity building is another core contribution of NRIs, particularly through youth-focused initiatives that combine training, mentorship, and leadership opportunities. These programs equip young participants with technical and policy skills, often leading them to take on leadership roles in Internet governance at national or regional levels. In this way, NRIs transform learning into sustained engagement and long-term influence.
Inclusion and accessibility are central to NRI practices, with deliberate efforts to engage women, people with disabilities, youth, and marginalized communities. By adopting multilingual access, live captioning, and hybrid or virtual participation formats, NRIs reduce barriers and create more equitable spaces for dialogue. These approaches emphasize that meaningful inclusion depends not only on representation but also on the systems that enable active participation.
Through regional coordination and engagement in global processes, NRIs strengthen linkages between local experiences and international decision-making. They facilitate consultations, submit collective inputs, and present regional perspectives in global forums, ensuring that higher-level policies remain grounded in community realities. At the same time, their work on digital rights, literacy, and emerging technologies promotes innovation while reinforcing human rights, privacy, and ethical considerations.
Overall, NRIs demonstrate how locally led, inclusive initiatives can build capacity, foster collaboration, and influence Internet governance across multiple levels. Their collective efforts highlight the power of grassroots engagement in shaping a digital future that is open, secure, and responsive to the needs of diverse communities.
