Latin American and Caribbean Internet Governance Forum

Latin American and Caribbean Internet Governance Forum
Name	Latin American and Caribbean Internet Governance Forum
Abbreviation	LACIGF
Formation	2008
Type	Multi-stakeholder forum
Region served	Latin America and the Caribbean

Latin American and Caribbean Internet Governance Forum is a regional multi-stakeholder platform for public discussion on Internet policy issues that convenes governments, civil society, private sector, technical community, and international organizations. It draws participants from across Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Caribbean states such as Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and Bahamas while interacting with global processes like the Internet Governance Forum, United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, and Internet Society.

Overview and History

The forum originated in the late-2000s amid debates involving United Nations, World Summit on the Information Society, International Telecommunication Union, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, and regional actors such as CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, Organization of American States, and Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean about inclusive digital policy. Early meetings featured representatives from Brazilian Internet Steering Committee, NIC Mexico, LACNIC, RedCLARA, and networks of activists linked to Asociación por los Derechos Civiles, Fundación Karisma, and Rede Nacional de Ensino e Pesquisa. Over time sessions addressed topics raised by events like the Edward Snowden disclosures, the Arab Spring, and regional initiatives such as Marco Civil da Internet and regulatory reforms in Argentina and Peru.

Organization and Governance

The forum is organized through collaboration among institutions including Internet Society, LACNIC, ICANN, ISOC Argentina, ISOC Brazil, Secretaría General Iberoamericana, and academic partners like Universidad de la República (Uruguay), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Coordination typically involves steering committees with members from civil society, private sector, technical community, government ministries and international bodies such as UNESCO and World Bank. Funding and logistical support have come from entities such as Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Inter-American Development Bank, and corporate sponsors including Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and regional telecom operators like América Móvil.

Themes and Agenda

Programmes routinely include sessions on cybersecurity policy debates intersecting with Convention on Cybercrime discussions and proposals from Organization of American States; privacy and data protection dialogues referencing frameworks like General Data Protection Regulation debates; open access and open data initiatives linked to Open Government Partnership commitments; digital inclusion tied to Alliance for Affordable Internet advocacy; and domain name system topics related to ICANN and IANA stewardship transitions. Other recurring themes engage human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch about freedom of expression, platforms policy involving Twitter and YouTube, and infrastructure debates referencing submarine cables like Curie cable and neutral peering exchanges such as NAPAfrica or regional equivalents.

Participation and Stakeholders

Stakeholders include regional governments represented by ministries of communications and justice from countries like Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, and Costa Rica; civil society organizations such as Asociación por los Derechos Civiles, Fundación Karisma, Access Now; technology companies including Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services; telecom operators like Telefónica, Claro, Movistar; and technical operators and registries like LACNIC, ARIN, CENTR, NIC Mexico, NIC.br. Academic and research networks participate, including RedCLARA, CLARA, RNP (Brazilian National Research Network), and universities such as University of São Paulo and Universidad de Chile.

Regional Impact and Outcomes

Outcomes have influenced national legislation and regional cooperation, shaping instruments such as proposals for data protection laws in Argentina and Chile, contributing to public consultation processes linked to Marco Civil da Internet in Brazil, and feeding into intergovernmental dialogues at OAS General Assembly and CELAC meetings. The forum has catalyzed capacity-building partnerships with UNDP, World Bank, and multilateral training programs at institutions like FLACSO and regional workshops run by Internet Society chapters, while informing policy papers circulated to ICANN and ITU.

Events and Meetings

Annual and biennial meetings have been hosted in cities including São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Bogotá, Lima, Panama City, Montevideo, and San José (Costa Rica), often co-located with conferences such as Latin America and Caribbean Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Internet Governance Forum, Brazilian Internet Steering Committee events, and academic symposia at Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Sessions have brought keynote speakers from institutions like ICANN, LACNIC, ISOC, UNESCO, World Bank, and civil society leaders from ARTICLE 19 and Access Now.

Challenges and Future Directions

Challenges include balancing interests among multinational corporations like Google and Facebook, national regulatory ambitions in states such as Venezuela and Cuba, technical coordination with IETF standards and IANA functions, and resource constraints tied to donor priorities from agencies like USAID and European Commission. Future directions emphasize deeper engagement with indigenous and Afro-descendant communities represented by organizations such as Cumbre de los Pueblos and academic networks like CLACSO, strengthening links to regional digital strategies at ECLAC, enhancing cooperation with ICANN policy processes, and advancing inclusive models aligned with international human rights law instruments such as Universal Declaration of Human Rights and regional jurisprudence from Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Category:Internet governance Category:Latin America Category:Caribbean