Internet Governance Forum

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a global initiative under the umbrella of the UN aiming to bring together all interested parties to participate in discussions related to internet governance. The initiative was launched in 2006 at the ‘World Summit on Information Society’ (WSIS) in Tunisia by the UN Secretary General as an open platform for discussions related to internet governance issues.

A primary motivation for this decision arose from the growing need to include a wider social community in discussions about internet governance and regulations, as it became evident that internet governance topics extended beyond IP address space, internet protocols, and domains. Additionally, the need to include other stakeholders, such as representatives from civil society, the academic community, industry, and the private sector, in these discussions was identified.

IGF does not have the authority to make decisions or pass binding resolutions. By issuing conclusions and highlighting issues they deem important, IGF can influence decision-makers and thus participate in the formation of official positions or public statements.

IGF is completely open to all those interested in internet sustainability, stability, security, use, and development.

IGF is an important component of a multistakeholder internet management model recognized by top global development organizations such as the World Economic Forum in Davos, where a CEO of a multistakeholder advisory group that coordinates the work of IGF presented this year's main IGF conclusions.

Apart from a global IGF, there are regional initiatives such as EuroDIG – European Dialogue on Internet Governance, SEEDIG – South East European Dialogue on Internet Governance, and national ones such as CRO-IGF, or even age-specific initiatives such as Youth IGF.

More details at Internet Governance Forum website.

IGF initiatives, both national and regional, are important because they promote communication and improve the culture of dialogue among different stakeholders regarding internet-related issues. This ensures articulated positions and includes diverse perspectives and interests.

Principles on which the IGF was founded:

• openness and transparency (allowing all interested parties to participate in IGF-u, open to the public)
• inclusion (allowing active participation for all interested)
• bottom-up approach (public involvement in the development of IGF programs)
• Not for sale of goods and services
• multistakeholder model (involvement of all interested parties: academic community, business sector and industry, civil society organizations, and state and public administration).

In addition to the global IGF, which brings together participants from all over the world, a number of regional and national IGF initiatives have been established because it was recognized that some specific issues should be discussed taking into account national, regional, cultural, and other particularities and interests. For an initiative to be recognized by the global IGF in Geneva, it has to fulfill the criteria of openness and accessibility to all interested stakeholders.

The Croatian national IGF was established in 2015 and has been recognized by the global IGF. Croatia was one of the first countries in the region (Austria 2015, Slovenia 2016) to successfully establish a national IGF, clearly aligning itself with countries advocating the aforementioned multistakeholder model of internet governance. Beyond a political statement, a national IGF allows us to initiate discussions on less familiar topics relevant to our country and internet governance.

The goals of CRO-IGF:

• Identify opportunities for various stakeholders to engage in internet governance processes based on their business activities, foster discussions, and provide assistance in understanding internet-related topics as needed.;
• empower and get all stakeholders in Croatia interested in actively participating in national, and then, directly or indirectly, in regional and international internet governance processes;
• Internet governance topics relevant for Croatia include: * **Digital Single Market:** Croatia's participation in and implementation of the EU's Digital Single Market strategy, including regulations on data flows, e-commerce, and digital services. * **Cybersecurity:** Policies and strategies related to protecting critical infrastructure, combating cybercrime, and ensuring national cybersecurity. * **Data Protection and Privacy:** Implementation and enforcement of GDPR, and related national data protection laws. * **Net Neutrality:** Adherence to EU net neutrality regulations and any specific national considerations. * **Digital Divide and Inclusion:** Initiatives to improve internet access, digital literacy, and affordability across all regions and demographics. * **Internet Infrastructure Development:** Policies related to broadband deployment, 5G rollout, and the development of digital infrastructure. * **Content Regulation and Online Safety:** Addressing issues like hate speech, disinformation, and child protection online, in line with EU directives. * **Digital Economy and Innovation:** Policies supporting the growth of the digital economy, startups, and technological innovation. * **Internet Registry and Domain Names:** Management of ccTLD (.hr) and participation in international discussions on domain name system governance. * **Freedom of Expression and Censorship:** Balancing freedom of speech online with the need to combat illegal content. * **E-Government and Digital Public Services:** Development and accessibility of online government services. * **Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance:** Croatia's approach to AI, including ethical considerations, regulation, and fostering AI development within the EU framework.

All individuals and organizations interested in the future of the internet, members of the academic community, industry and business sector, civil society, and state and public administration participate in the Forum on equal terms.

 

Academic Community

• Tihomir Katulić, Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb
• Marin Vuković, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Zagreb

Private Sector / Industry:

• Adrian Ježina, Telemach
• Hrvoje Hadžić, Ericsson Nikola Tesla
• Martina Silov, CroAI
• Branimir Rajtar, NOG.hr

Public Administration:

• Tihomir Lulić, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs
• Marin Ante Pivčević, Central State Office for the Development of Digital Society
• Krešo Antonović, Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure 
• Nataša Glavor, Ivana Jelačić, CARNET
• Zdravko Jukić, Mislav Hebel, HAKOM

Internet User / Civil Society:

• Kristijan Zimmer, HROpen