Arab Dialogue on Internet Governance

The partnership between ESCWA and the League of Arab States (LAS) in Internet governance enables the Arab region to actively participate in shaping global Internet policies. This collaboration began with regional preparations for the World Summit on Information Society in the early 2000s.

Recognizing the strategic significance of Internet governance, ESCWA and LAS launched the Arab Dialogue on Internet Governance (ArabDIG) in 2009. This initiative aimed to consolidate efforts across Arab countries, helping them to navigate the challenges and opportunities of Internet governance, building regional capacities and harmonizing efforts. It also provided Arab countries with the opportunity to make their voices heard in the global Internet governance dialogue.

Key regional frameworks have been developed, such as the Internet Governance: Challenges and Opportunities for the Arab region, the Arab Regional Roadmap for Internet Governance and the "Call of Arab Stakeholders: Towards Activating Comprehensive Arab Cooperation for Internet Governance, Regionally and Internationally" which laid the groundwork for the establishment of the Arab Internet Governance Forum (Arab IGF) in 2012 as an instrumental platform towards fostering comprehensive Arab cooperation and ensuring that the region's voice is heard in international Internet governance discussions.

Our approach

The Regional Roadmap for Internet Governance, developed within the ArabDIG framework, engaged Arab region stakeholders in establishing a strategic framework for addressing Internet governance regionally. In 2010, experts discussed and adopted the Roadmap, leading to the formulation of the Call of Arab Stakeholders as a community statement advocating the launch of the Arab IGF. 

1. Arab IGF process – phase I: 2012-2015

Aligned with the global Internet governance mandate, the Arab IGF serves as a platform for stakeholders—Government, private sector, civil society, technical community, academia and regional organizations—to engage in open dialogue on Internet governance issues in the Arab region. During its first phase, the Arab IGF addressed key topics like access, privacy, security and openness, aiming to transform these issues into development opportunities.      
           
The main components of the Arab IGF process in its first phase included: ESCWA and LAS as the umbrella organizations, the National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of Egypt as its secretariat, the Executive Bureau for Joint Coordination (EBJC) as a decision-making body, with responsibilities such as selecting the host entity for the annual meetings and forming the Forum's Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group (AMAG), which included representatives from various Arab region stakeholders. 

2. Arab IGF 2020 Initiative: 2016-2017

In December 2015, the Fourth Arab IGF marked the end of the first mandate of the Arab IGF. Following this, ESCWA and LAS launched the Arab IGF 2020 initiative to evaluate and enhance the Arab IGF process for its second mandate. This initiative included the formation of a technical cooperation working group comprised of various stakeholders in Internet governance, to assist ESCWA and LAS in analysing the achievements and challenges of the first mandate, assessing its impact on regional Internet governance policies, and propose improvements for the next phase, aligning it with the Sustainable Development Goals. The working group conducted a survey to assess the impact of the Arab IGF and gather feedback for improvements. They also held three workshops in 2016, supported by virtual meetings.

3. Arab IGF Process – Phase II: 2017-2025

The insights gained from the working group’s efforts were instrumental in drafting a charter for the Arab IGF process in its second phase, and in shaping the Second Arab Roadmap for Internet Governance.

Our partners

League of Arab States

Our activities

The ArabDIG initiative encompasses several key activities that include:

• Consolidating efforts: Harmonizing activities to support Arab countries in understanding Internet governance challenges and opportunities from a regional perspective.
• Capacity-building: Strengthening the skills and knowledge needed to effectively address emerging Internet governance challenges.
• Global engagement: Assisting Arab countries in participating in global dialogues, contributing to Internet governance policies, and promoting their active role in the global Internet community.