LocationsOpen Sessions at the Internet Governance Forum 2025
June 18, 2025
Event Details
June 23, 2025
-
June 27, 2025
Oslo, Norway
The UNDP Global Policy Centre for Governance co-organized two Open Sessions at the 20th Internet Governance Forum (IGF), which took place in Oslo, Norway, from 23–27 June 2025.
The IGF is an important agenda-setter for shaping the future of the internet through diverse, multistakeholder dialogue with worldwide participation. The IGF’s inclusive model offers meaningful flexibility to incorporate diverse perspectives while enhancing the participation of underrepresented groups that typically lack space and access in multilateral forums.
Internet-Powered Citizen Data for Inclusive Public Services
By engaging citizens, data production can be more than just numbers—it can provide the infrastructure for freedom of expression by establishing connections with population groups that are often left out or underrepresented when assessing societal needs and concerns. What information should be collected? How should it be collected? How should it be used? What does the information mean? These are just a few questions that the population itself can answer, as they are the ultimate beneficiaries of service delivery.
This session drew on lessons from the pioneering experience of Ghana exploring the potential of citizen-generated data in improving the engagement of citizens in the measurement and assessment of public service delivery.
More in our recent research article in Wiley’s Sustainable Development Journal: "Leveraging Citizen Data to Improve Public Services and Measure Progress Toward Sustainable Development Goal 16."
National Statistical Offices can foster a participatory approach that strengthens the connection between data provision and active involvement in decision-making processes by engaging citizens in data collection and sharing derived insights. The expansion of internet coverage and the rise in technological literacy enable the use of ‘apps’ to collect information from specific population groups.
The session helped to:
- Enhance understanding of the benefits and challenges associated with integrating citizen data into public service assessments.
- Identify best practices for non-extractive, people-centred data engagement models.
- Develop actionable strategies to leverage internet connectivity for inclusive data collection.
- Explore how the Collaborative on Citizen Data could support citizen data on the effectiveness of service delivery
Organizers:
United Nations Statistics Division, Collaborative on Citizen Data, Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística - DANE Colombia, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Ghana Statistical Service, United Nations Development Programme.
Trust and Resilience through Coalitions on Information Integrity
In today’s fast-evolving digital landscape, protecting the integrity of information is both more challenging and more essential than ever. As challenges to information integrity are becoming more complex and tactics used to influence public discourse are continuously evolving, strengthening collaborative approaches has never been more important. There is a growing need for dedicated spaces where these challenges can be openly discussed, shared, and addressed collectively. Successful examples exist and show that by bringing together key stakeholders, these coalitions foster inclusive and collaborative approaches to addressing information challenges.
This session explored how multi-stakeholder coalitions can contribute to strengthening information integrity and access to reliable information in the digital public sphere, while underscoring their strategic role in upholding democratic principles, fostering digital resilience, and promoting a trustworthy Internet.
UNDP has led the Action Coalition on Information Integrity in Elections bringing together governments, civil society, and tech platforms, while also supporting national coalitions in various countries. These experiences provide actionable insights and best practices to inform this session.
The discussion brought together representatives from the Office of the Attorney General of Brazil, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), UNDP, the Samir Kassir Foundation, Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD), UNHCR and TikTok to spotlight innovative strategies, best practices, and lessons learned from successful global and national initiatives, examining what works, why it works, and how these approaches can be scaled and adapted to diverse contexts. The participants provided an analysis of the topic from multiple angles including development cooperation, media support, human rights, and social media platforms engagement.
Organizers:
Attorney General’s Office in Brazil (AGU), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
