On 8 April 2024, numerous representatives of various stakeholder groups gathered at the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport Affairs (BMDV) to re-found the IGF-D in a hybrid format. eco – Association of the Internet Industry has been involved in the IGF-D since its foundation over 20 years ago, based on its active representation of the Internet industry.
Lars Steffen, Head of International, Digital Infrastructures & Resilience, comments: “As a representative of the eco Association, I am naturally very pleased that an important step has been taken to strengthen and further develop the IGF-D with the new foundation. We wish the newly elected board every success and the full support of the community to successfully continue the multi-stakeholder dialogue in the field of Internet governance.” Prof Michael Rotert, Honorary President of the eco Association, was also present as a founding member.
The new Chair of the IGF-D Board (in its new foundation) is Peter Koch from DENIC eG, while the Vice-Chair is Dr Friederike von Franqué from Wikimedia. Kathrin Morasch from Youth IGF-D and Miguel Vidal from Deutsche Telekom complete the board of the newly founded association. This means that the technical community, civil society, youth and industry are all represented on the board. Commenting on the founding of the association, Peter Koch notes how, “The very broad support for the association is a very good example of the multi-stakeholder approach in action. With the new structure, the community – explicitly beyond the association – can focus on the pressing issues of Internet governance and digital policy, among other factors, in order to further develop the global IGF.”
The founding of the IGF-D Association represents a milestone in the development of Internet governance in Germany. With the establishment of the supporting organisation, we get to create an independent legal entity that is supported by a broad alliance in line with the idea of the IGF. The annual event and participation in the IGF-D will continue to be open to all. Anyone who is also interested in becoming a member of the association can contact the board and the IGF-D administration at www.igf-d.de/kontakt/.
Background: The IGF-D is the national initiative of the United Nations Global Internet Governance Forum and aims to promote an open and transparent discussion on Internet governance. It brings together representatives from government, industry, civil society, technology and other sectors to discuss challenges and opportunities in the digital space and to find solutions that take into account the interests of all stakeholders.
