NETmundial+10

General Information
Date:	29-30 April, 2024
Location:	São Paulo, Brazil
Web:	Event Page

NETmundial+10 was a global multistakeholder forum for debating on the global challenges surrounding the issue of digital world governance, was held on April 29 and 30, 2024, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, in São Paulo, Brazil. There were more than 400 participants registered for the event, from more than 60 countries. .

Context

The initiative for NETmundial+10, which took place ten years after NETmundial, had the intention of being an opportunity for the national and international community to discuss how to improve governance processes in a context of accelerated digitalization and the rise of new technologies. In 2014, the multistakeholder community convened and issued consensus-based principles and a roadmap for a free, open, safe, and more inclusive Internet. Instead of being a revival or a celebration of the first one, NETmundial+10 seeked to address how to improve governance processes to cope with issues arising from the accelerating pace of digitalization and disruptive technologies. Rather than discussing the details of specific policy issues, the focus of the new event was on bolstering the governance architecture, bringing together key stakeholders to deliver concrete recommendations on how to strengthen the multistakeholder approach as the basis for consensus-building and democratic governance, including in existing multilateral and other relevant decisional fora .

Organization

The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br), along partner organizations and individuals, brought together the NETmundial+10. (https://netmundial.br/statement/joint-statement-of-the-netmundial10) The NETmundial+10 High-Level Executive Committee (HLEC) was responsible for the organization of the event, shaping details such as the program, modes of participation, and expected outcomes. The HLEC chair was Renata Mieli .

Themes and Program

The aim of NETmundial+10 was not to duplicate efforts in discussing specific issues of Internet governance and digital cooperation but to create an arena that would allow the community to jointly build concrete political messages and commitments on the multistakeholder approach.

On the first day, two themes were part of the program: “Global Challenges for the Governance of the Digital World”, which aimed to be an overarching debate tackling pressing issues related to the main goals of the event; and “Results from the Consultation and the NETmundial+10 Draft Outcome Document”, which, in turn, was the motto for the members of the event's Executive Committee to briefly discuss the possibilities and listen to comments from the public. Also on April 29, two working sessions delved into specific aspects of the final document, considering the contributions received from the consultation process.

On April 30, in addition to a working session, there were debates on three topics: “Process Coordination: GDC (Global Digital Compact), WSIS+20 (World Summit on the Information Society), IGF (Internet Governance Forum) and others”, which reflected on the fragmentation of spaces and the opportunities for more collaboration and coordination; “Follow-up to NETmundial+10 and Implementation of Outcomes”, which had the goal of gathering opinions from the community on how the results of the meeting would be taken forward and how they would be implemented in relevant forums; and finally, the “Closing Plenary: Multistakeholderism for the Governance of the Digital World”, to present the NETmundial+10 outcome document and hold a brief discussion on possibilities and means of outreach to the global audience .

Outcomes

The NETmundial+10 meeting delivered an outcome document, reaffirming the continued relevance of the 10 principles for Internet governance processes adopted in NETmundial in 2014, offering operational guidelines to help the implementation of these principles in a diversity of situations, and providing input into ongoing processes regarding the evolution of the governance architecture for digital issues.

The NETmundial+10 High-Level Executive Committee had prepared a preliminary version of this outcome document, published on April 25, 2024, which is strongly based on contributions that were submitted by the international community to an online consultation. This preliminary document served as one of the main inputs to the multistakeholder debates that were held in São Paulo. A final version of this document was produced as a result of these debates .

The final version was published on April 30, 2024 under the title “NETmundial+10 Multistakeholder Statement: Strengthening Internet governance and digital policy processes” . In summary, the document says that the 2014 NETmundial meeting established essential Internet governance principles, including ten Process Principles emphasizing multistakeholderism and inclusivity in decision-making. Despite rapid changes, these principles remain vital and require full implementation to ensure meaningful participation from all stakeholders, particularly in multilateral digital policy mechanisms. Effective Internet governance should avoid fragmentation, leverage diverse perspectives, and adapt to evolving technologies while ensuring transparency, accountability, and respect for human rights. The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) plays a crucial role in fostering coordination, sharing information, and involving underrepresented groups, particularly from the Global South. Strengthening the IGF is necessary to address challenges, achieve consensus, and implement outcomes, contributing to the Global Digital Compact and the Sustainable Development Goals. Also, enhanced cooperation, innovative strategies, and capacity-building efforts are essential for inclusive, democratic, and effective digital governance .

Criticism

Academic Milton Mueller criticized the event in his article “The Disappointing NETmundial+10”. From his point of view, the first NETmundial was a transformative moment in Internet Governance, because “it represented the triumph of a globalized Internet governance that ratified the power of nonstate actors to govern themselves”. He proceeds to say that NETmundial+10 "lacked the spontaneity and openness of its predecessor” and that CGI.br “selectively invited people they liked (and ignored people they didn’t) to its executive and drafting committees.” He also pointed out that participation was not open as it was in 2014, considering an “expression of interest” had to be made and approved. About the consultations, Mueller wrote that they “consisted of filling out a very lengthy, badly designed survey instrument that asked repetitive questions and required answers that did not always reflect the views or agendas of the respondents.” He followed the thought by saying that the survey “played no apparent role in the outcomes, as there was no compilation of the results and no reference to it in the final document.” The author’s conclusion is that “the NM+10 outcome document makes it clear with finality how empty and played out the concept of “multistakeholder governance” is as a guide to the future of the digital world.” .