Just a quick update to alert you that the draft schedule of this year’s IGF (taking place from 8-12 October in Kyoto, Japan, and online) has been published:

This is the most tightly-packed IGF schedule ever (which is saying something!), and features a mix of workshops, Open Forums and Town Halls (generally sessions prepared by international or inter-governmental organisations), lightning talks, and main sessions. It’s worth noting that the number of workshop proposals received this year (398 in total) was nearly double the number received last year (a significant increase was also recorded for other session types), so whittling down to the final selection was a challenge. Some more detailed stats are available here:

This year’s IGF is taking place at a significant moment for global Internet (or more broadly, digital) governance, particularly with the ongoing development of the Global Digital Compact, next year’s 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), ongoing review of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and developments in response to ssues such as artficial intelligence. As the primary (perhaps only) multistakeholder space in the UN for discussing these issues, the IGF is an opportunity to prevent discussion and decision-making around these issues from being completely drawn into the multilateral political space (and making sure that the Internet technical community, alongside civil society and private sector interests, have a seat at the table!).