The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the Internet Society (ISOC) reveal the tangible legacy of two decades of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF).
How we connect, work, and share online is now an integral part of modern life. That digital landscape was not created overnight; it evolved through countless decisions and conversations—many held in forums like the IGF where stakeholders from different sectors met to address shared challenges.
“The internet didn’t stay unified by chance. Its resilience is the result of people and institutions working across borders and sectors,” said Kurtis Lindqvist, ICANN President and CEO.
Established in 2005, the IGF was given a distinctive remit: not to regulate, but to convene. While some critics have labelled it a “talking shop,” a new report, “Footprints of 20 Years of the Internet Governance Forum,” demonstrates that dialogue itself has been a driver of concrete progress.
The report highlights how a multistakeholder model—bringing governments, technical experts, businesses, civil society, and activists together—has been essential to building the frameworks, norms, and trust that underpin the global internet.
“This report underscores that the internet’s success is not accidental; it’s coordinated. If we value a single, secure, and interoperable internet, then we must recommit to the model that made it possible,” Lindqvist added.
IGF’s legacy: From unconnected to empowered
For roughly one third of the world’s population, meaningful internet access remains out of reach. The IGF has acted as an important incubator for community-led solutions to bridge that gap.
Conversations at the forum helped nurture the growth of community networks—local, often volunteer-driven initiatives where people build and manage their own connectivity. These projects can be found from the mountains of Georgia to Argentina’s Patagonia and in Canada’s remote Arctic. Between 2020 and 2024, the Internet Society invested more than $3.1 million in 85 such projects, directly supporting communities to connect themselves.
The forum also helped address inefficiencies in early internet architecture. Before the widespread deployment of Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), locally exchanged traffic might be routed through distant servers, increasing cost and latency. IGF discussions emphasized the importance of IXPs to keep local traffic local and strengthen regional digital ecosystems.
The results have been significant. In Africa, the number of IXPs more than doubled over a decade, rising from 19 to 46. A 2012 study found that Kenya’s IXP saved local providers nearly $1.5 million annually while reducing latency from as high as 600 ms to between 2 and 10 ms—transforming the performance and cost-effectiveness of local services and enabling a healthier digital economy.
True access also includes language diversity online. The IGF played a role in advancing Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs), helping move the web beyond an English-centric addressing system. Today, nearly 4.4 million second-level IDNs are registered, reflecting progress toward a more multilingual internet.
Building a digital neighbourhood watch
As the internet expanded, vulnerabilities emerged alongside opportunity. The global routing system—the internet’s postal network—relied on trust and lacked robust verification, leaving it susceptible to misconfiguration and attacks. The IGF provided a venue for a collaborative response.
From those conversations grew the Mutually Agreed Norms for Routing Security (MANRS), an initiative that functions like a global neighbourhood watch for network operators. Starting with a handful of participants, MANRS now includes more than a thousand members committed to improving routing security and reducing incidents.
The forum also championed adoption of DNSSEC, a technology that protects the integrity of the Domain Name System by ensuring users reach the legitimate web destinations they intend to visit. Longstanding advocacy at IGF events contributed to widespread deployment: as of April 2025, over 93% of top-level domains were signed with DNSSEC, strengthening trust across the DNS ecosystem.
Security advocacy at the IGF extends to defending strong encryption. When proposals surface that could weaken encryption, coalitions formed through IGF dialogue have consistently argued that robust encryption is essential to user safety and trust, not an obstacle to it.
Governance that grew up with the internet
The IGF has also served as a forum where internet governance evolved. Early IGF discussions examined ICANN’s path to greater independence from U.S. government oversight, a debate that contributed to the IANA Stewardship Transition and the shift toward global community oversight.
That decentralising ethos is reflected in the IGF’s network of more than 180 National and Regional Initiatives (NRIs), which translate global principles into local policies and practice.
Regionally focused initiatives have produced tangible outcomes. The Caribbean Internet Governance Forum, for example, developed a regional policy framework that spurred infrastructure development. More recently, a Parliamentary Track launched in 2023 has brought legislators into technical discussions, helping lawmakers craft better-informed, globally aware internet policy.
“For twenty years, the IGF has shown that multistakeholder governance delivers,” said Sally Wentworth, President and CEO of the Internet Society. “Its footprint spans infrastructure, security, access, and policy—often in places where conventional governance falls short.
“But the gains we’ve made are only as strong as our commitment to keep investing in them.”
IGF is opening the doors to everyone
One of the IGF’s most enduring accomplishments is its role in broadening participation in internet governance. Over 50 Youth IGFs have emerged worldwide, giving younger generations a platform to influence decisions that will shape their future. Additionally, more than 40 Schools of Internet Governance train new leaders and practitioners in the fundamentals of policy, technology, and multistakeholder engagement.
The Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability (DCAD), created in 2007, has campaigned successfully for practical measures that reduce barriers to participation—such as providing international sign language interpretation at major sessions—so more voices can be heard.
The IGF’s footprints are decentralized but deep: they appear in the technical standards and code that make connections safer, in community-built networks that bring service to remote areas, and in the diverse perspectives that now shape global internet policy.
The internet we use today was not inevitable. It has been—and continues to be—shaped by sustained dialogue among diverse stakeholders committed to keeping the network open, secure, and inclusive.
(Photo by Jason Leung)
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