[{"_1":2,"_97":-5,"_98":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":56,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6514170,"mediaKeyId","5054702-2bf7a44a3f5d383035f23712d3d3c192","parentId",5054702,"title","IGF opening highlights digital inclusion gap: 2.6 billion still offline, goal of universal connectivity by 2030","audioSeconds",208,"startMs",3170000,"endMs",3378000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5054702-2bf7a44a3f5d383035f23712d3d3c192&start=3170&end=3378","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5054702-2bf7a44a3f5d383035f23712d3d3c192/thumbnail_3170000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6514170/IGF-opening-highlights-digital-inclusion-gap-26-billion-still-offline-goal-of-universal-connectivity-by-2030","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6514170-68b28e67d27f3179a17c711fce2237c4/orig.mp4?Expires=1770704974&Signature=ZQQrbXUeIA88pZWunq0RVALGMfNZ1U0rlOb~FKrpSGqIoOqVJwdn1TJoVjx3YQQ6MLVY92GPDCga-NHuUQRv~4oyiol4OITWuAS-uLYNNs7UgFSg9GfZajR2XxfgVbtZ848-irMB6CoP07KEcVwkZrpFv6z9X7jSnqdyi-g7pU2ZiNyrTFZTeMgPbw5eWwAE4vYpvRROkIfgls4X1cHeuDuOhLBtsxZR7D2T7~SdMPv2DZkTzoqJegFinnIVXymfNVynZP0ukWkfxLd9VPmQH253AWNCs2DVIonbLNPTH8YGvIrdP5NFOJGJNcmBrWXwuVzPqO1TF4PNhvhQ31nb3Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-06-24T10:34:21Z","article","Speakers representing the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), UNESCO, national leaders and technical bodies used the Internet Governance Forum opening to underscore the persistent digital divide and to press for concrete steps toward universal connectivity.

Doreen Bogdan‑Martin, Secretary‑General of the ITU (speaking by video from Geneva), said two‑thirds of the world was connected but \"2,600,000,000 people are still completely offline,\" and called for urgent action to expand \"affordable, meaningful Internet access\" and to make connectivity \"safe, affordable, and empowering.\" The UN Secretary‑General referenced a related objective: bridging the digital divide to achieve universal connectivity by 2030.

Speakers from ICANN described the technical and coordination role of internet infrastructure, including unique identifiers and root zone functions, and urged continued investment in coordination and capacity building to extend reach and resilience. The president of Mauritius noted digital transformation plans for his country and framed connectivity as central to development; he also said a recent agreement had expanded Mauritius’s economic zone to over 4,000,000 square kilometers and cited a per‑capita income figure of about US$13,000 while describing his country’s digital strategy.

UNESCO emphasized capacity building for public sector digital skills and noted 40 countries are using UNESCO’s Internet universality indicators for national digital assessment. The European Commission representative described EU international digital partnerships and investment programs aimed at trusted connectivity and digital public infrastructure.

Speakers repeatedly linked inclusive technical standards, financing and local capacity building to closing the access gap. While the opening set priorities and framed the problem, it did not announce new global funding commitments; delegates signaled the IGF should feed into WSIS+20 and the policy work of UN agencies and regional partners.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Opening Session: Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2025 | United Nations","oneSentenceSummary","ITU, UNESCO and other speakers at IGF 2025 stressed that meaningful and affordable internet access remains out of reach for billions; speakers urged capacity building, funding and technical standards to close the divide.","taxTitle","United Nations","taxId",77382,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":56,"_72":56,"_73":56},6514177,"Speakers at IGF 2025 push for stronger AI governance, human‑centered safeguards",149,1062000,1211000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5054702-2bf7a44a3f5d383035f23712d3d3c192&start=1062&end=1211","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5054702-2bf7a44a3f5d383035f23712d3d3c192/thumbnail_1062000.jpg","/articles/6514177/Speakers-at-IGF-2025-push-for-stronger-AI-governance-humancentered-safeguards","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6514177-941474be526b6e549cbe944f3102e237/orig.mp4?Expires=1770704974&Signature=UDV~rTSK4FGdysvw-hk7V9O-sqKK2zbqN2RH9km-c9aPQR~9hvFFmLuGXWobRkfsYr1HSrZDrGyHuGNoyC1Z6PlNDslpCu-2wmZxUdQbPgoL-eF-S1E4sXyWrhwy-LIFugCU0dYSLr6pSlIsrlitvz~hhIJpvyP55jyV0fmlGctrA1GhittC6NVrrFgcX2fP~PCTDuF6pNI-habGagBbJsQLshladQmvF1ivcWKlG2Dbd4eX5vn56YmJKHVX9KqJewygKwS07DMX-jpRjgUisk7p91QZb6Zdnexkh2zoqK76zif7HiyHCAbQzebN-aUY0SLw6GM4J3WlbneiuHSNDg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Speakers at the Internet Governance Forum opening highlighted artificial intelligence as a central governance challenge and urged concrete international action on ethics, transparency and human rights.

United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres said negotiations in New York were underway to establish \"an independent international scientific panel on artificial intelligence\" and a global dialogue on AI governance within the UN framework. He linked those negotiations to the Global Digital Compact and said broader participation—particularly from developing countries—must be supported by voluntary funding.

Actor and producer Joseph Gordon‑Levitt told delegates that governance must accompany innovation. \"Your digital self should belong to you,\" he said, arguing that data created by people and the economic value it generates should be shared with the individuals who produce it. Gordon‑Levitt warned against leaving AI regulation solely to market incentives and pointed to social media’s harms as an example of the risks of under‑regulation.

UNESCO’s assistant director‑general, Tawfik Jelassi, cited UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, noting 70 countries had begun implementing the framework. Monsignor Adrián Ruiz, speaking for the Holy See’s Dicastery for Communication, urged that AI be accompanied by \"moral responsibility,\" warning that AI must not be treated as human intelligence and rejecting the idea that machines should decide life‑and‑death actions; he called autonomous weapons ethically unacceptable.

Other speakers stressed technical and governance complements: the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) urged trustworthy technical standards for sustainable AI development; civil society called for redistributive approaches to the economic value of data and for inclusive governance that prevents marginalization.

None of the statements at the opening ceremony represented binding policy decisions; rather, speakers framed near‑term priorities for the IGF and related UN processes, including AI oversight mechanisms, principles for data governance, and capacity building to broaden participation in negotiations.","At IGF 2025 opening sessions, UN officials, technologists and civil society urged concrete steps on AI governance: independent scientific review, ethical frameworks, data rights and limits on autonomous weapons.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":90,"_47":91,"_49":92,"_51":93,"_53":94,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":95,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":96,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":56,"_72":56,"_73":56},6514182,"IGF 2025 opens in Lillestrøm with calls to ‘build digital governance together’",0,1548000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5054702-2bf7a44a3f5d383035f23712d3d3c192&start=1548&end=1548","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5054702-2bf7a44a3f5d383035f23712d3d3c192/thumbnail_1548000.jpg","/articles/6514182/IGF-2025-opens-in-Lillestrøm-with-calls-to-build-digital-governance-together","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6514182-b65fead7272127b9517050e19bf475ac/orig.mp4?Expires=1770704974&Signature=dPXd0p1mgpc1~v09kwnDQ6sbrYY8iA0aWUy6DPHnkapocNwEUqy1OcLetMTfMfdbnxt~Yf5GSLBWEqMPTgxDJ4~yPdh4i7l8A23FzwjrQu34ZhL9-o3Fl7vlEdhJCwKvXxN9nwZzo7euvrR8AvrrXLyFfTkdoae~CgV5~pWjV4cdfKHAF78XNhjL46j6mOaNs-060tmg9HCAFIfi6PrtthqDV6tdqT6cOjeuqNkmQnfsAFa9sVacONLr1WF5IzwpnKauNovo1oKVgZTIkfMt5O-9obVkv-BDQ9lJgOZ3swTVTMbFeVU76qXHO1abKXtRd1xUB54XPUSOrGYEiy9Cdg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Leaders from governments, the United Nations and civil society opened the twentieth Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Lillestrøm, Norway, on a pledge to \"build digital governance together\" and to use the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) plus‑20 review and the Global Digital Compact to guide global internet policy.

United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres, in a recorded message played at the opening, said the IGF has proved that \"dialogue across sectors, regions, and generations can help shape an Internet that is rooted in dignity, opportunity, and human rights,\" and noted that the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact recognized the IGF as \"the primary multi‑stakeholder platform for Internet governance issues.\" He urged participants to work on universal connectivity, skills, information integrity, and more transparent digital decision‑making.

Norway’s minister for digitalisation and public governance, Karianne Tung, welcomed delegates and said the forum’s multi‑stakeholder model remains essential as nations confront trust, openness and digital freedom challenges. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, in a video address, framed the internet as a \"global public good\" that should remain open, free and accessible and called for safeguarding both the infrastructure and the spirit of the internet.

Speakers across regional and technical institutions underscored continuity with IGF’s two decades of work: the forum’s convening role during the WSIS+20 review, its capacity‑building efforts, and its role as a space for multi‑stakeholder exchange rather than treaty negotiation. ICANN emphasized coordination over centralization, and the EU and other delegations reiterated support for sustaining and resourcing the IGF beyond 2025.

The opening also set out practical priorities that will recur in plenaries and workshops this week: closing the digital divide, strengthening cyber‑resilience, improving information integrity, and deepening participation from developing countries. Organizers reminded delegates about the program, the Open Village and the IGF app for session updates.

The forum runs multiple parallel sessions this week; the opening ceremony framed the next days as a mix of technical, policy and rights‑oriented discussions aimed at feeding the WSIS+20 process and implementation of the Global Digital Compact.","Government, United Nations and multi‑stakeholder leaders opened the 20th Internet Governance Forum in Lillestrøm, Norway, calling for renewed global cooperation on internet policy during the WSIS+20 review and implementation of the Global Digital Compact.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

IGF opening highlights digital inclusion gap: 2.6 billion still offline, goal of universal connectivity by 2030

Speakers at IGF 2025 push for stronger AI governance, human‑centered safeguards

IGF 2025 opens in Lillestrøm with calls to ‘build digital governance together’