About the Internet Governance Forum

IGF Mandate

Paragraph 72 of the Tunis Agenda:

72. We ask the UN Secretary-General, in an open and inclusive process, to convene, by the second quarter of 2006, a meeting of the new forum for multi-stakeholder policy dialogue—called the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). The mandate of the Forum is to:

• Discuss public policy issues related to key elements of Internet governance in order to foster the sustainability, robustness, security, stability and development of the Internet;
• Facilitate discourse between bodies dealing with different cross-cutting international public policies regarding the Internet and discuss issues that do not fall within the scope of any existing body;
• Interface with appropriate inter-governmental organizations and other institutions on matters under their purview;
• Facilitate the exchange of information and best practices, and in this regard make full use of the expertise of the academic, scientific and technical communities;
• Advise all stakeholders in proposing ways and means to accelerate the availability and affordability of the Internet in the developing world;
• Strengthen and enhance the engagement of stakeholders in existing and/or future Internet governance mechanisms, particularly those from developing countries;
• Identify emerging issues, bring them to the attention of the relevant bodies and the general public, and, where appropriate, make recommendations;
• Contribute to capacity building for Internet governance in developing countries, drawing fully on local sources of knowledge and expertise;
• Promote and assess, on an ongoing basis, the embodiment of WSIS principles in Internet governance processes;
• Discuss, inter alia, issues relating to critical Internet resources;
• Help to find solutions to the issues arising from the use and misuse of the Internet, of particular concern to everyday users;
• Publish its proceedings

Contact us:

Please do not hesitate to contact the IGF Secretariat should you have any concerns or questions about the Internet Governance Forum.

Staff Members

Chengetai Masango, Programme and Technology Manager.

Adam Peake, Part-time Consultant.

Brian Gutterman, Consultant.

Past Staff Members

Vacancies at the IGF Secretariat

Webmaster - Apply before 14 February 2014 

Internship at the IGF Secretariat 

Fellowship Programme at the IGF Secretariat

The IGF fellowship programme provides an opportunity for those active in the field of Internet governance, to work at the IGF Secretariat for three months. The nominations should be submitted through national and regional IGF initiatives. Preference is given to nominees from least developed Countries (LDC's), developing countries and transitional economies. Names submitted through this process are kept on a roster. Unfortunately due to the large number of applications the Secretariat can only contact those that are shortlisted in a particular cycle. For further information about the fellowship programme please contact the IGF Secretariat at igf[at]unog.ch

Mailing Address:

United NationsSecretariat of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF)Dependance La PelousePalais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10Switzerland

Tel.: +41 (0) 229 175 778

Email: igf [at] unog.ch