Swiss Internet Governance Forum
Swiss IGF
The Swiss Internet Governance Forum (Swiss IGF) brings together stakeholders from politics, government, business, academia and civil society across Switzerland for open, equal and interactive discussions on pressing issues around digitalisation, including artificial intelligence, data governance, cybersecurity and protecting fundamental rights in the digital age. The Swiss IGF aims to contribute to the open development of the internet for everyone’s benefit.
The Swiss IGF is held annually. Participation is open to everyone and is free of charge. The programme is organised through a call for issues. Rather than being set by the organisers, the programme and discussion topics are shaped by all interested attendees through a participatory, bottom-up process. Up-to-date information on the Swiss IGF can be found at www.igf.swiss.
National offshoot of the global process
The Swiss IGF is the national branch of the UN Internet Governance Forum, the global process where all stakeholders agree on rules for internet governance. The global Internet Governance Forum (IGF) was established in 2005 by the UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
Since 2006, over 120 regional and national forums have sprung up spontaneously. The largest regional forum is the European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG). The Swiss IGF has been running since 2015 and is usually held annually. Anyone can participate and get actively involved in all IGF processes.
OFCOM’s role
The Swiss IGF is run and supported by the Swiss Internet & Digital Governance association. The Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) is the patron of the Swiss IGF and is a member of the association’s board.