Participants Of RIGF 2022 Will Contribute To The Development Of International Internet Regulation

On September 28, the 12th Russian Internet Governance Forum (RIGF 2022) began its work. The Forum is being held on September 28-29, 2022 online, and almost 500 experts, businessmen, statesmen and public figures from 19 countries of the world became its participants. The Forum is hosted by the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.PФ and the Center for Global IT- Cooperation with the support of the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation.

Andrey Vorobyev, Director of the Coordination Center, addressed at the Forum's opening and discussed how the Russian Internet Governance Forum has developed over the last 12 years and what has changed in the forum's operation during this period. He underlined that this year's RIGF is being held in a "hybrid" format for the second time, allowing involvement from a wide range of users.

Furthermore, Andrey Vorobyev pointed out that there are now 1.74 billion websites in existence, up from 255 million in 2010. Since then, there have been 4.54 billion people using the Internet worldwide. And Russia has long and confidently been one of the top five countries with the largest Internet markets; in 2021, the monthly audience of Runet hit 100 million people, which is more than 80% of the country's population. Online usage occurs daily for 90% of users, and for young Russians between the ages of 12 and 24, which is about 95%.

Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Chernyshenko welcomed the participants of RIGF 2022 and wished them fruitful work. He noted that RIGF is one of the largest events in Eastern Europe for the development of the global network, as well as an important annual event for the entire Internet community and part of the Global Internet Governance Forum (IGF).

“This gives us the opportunity to discuss current digital trends at RIGF and collaborate within the global agenda. The Internet is a worldwide network that must be maintained together. Today it is necessary to create new international norms of responsible behavior in the digital environment, and Russia is ready to take part in building an open space of trust on the Internet as a responsible international partner,” Dmitry Chernyshenko said.

Tatyana Matveeva, Head of the Office of the President of the Russian Federation for the Development of Information and Communication Technologies and Communications Infrastructure, noted that this year the Forum is being held at a difficult time of unprecedented challenges. "However, despite significant external pressure and massive cyberattacks, the local IT industry has proven to be capable and strong. We are closely monitoring the progress of the UN Secretary General's attempt to create a Global Digital Compact due to the increasing understanding of the necessity to establish uniform rules for the game. I'm hoping that RIGF participants will be able to contribute to its growth as well as the growth of global network regulation internationally," she said.

Chengetai Masango, Head of the Secretariat of the United Nations Internet Governance Forum, also noted that many important topics will be discussed at RIGF 2022 today: the Global Digital Compact, the regulation of digital platforms, the fight against destructive content, the benefits of the safe use of artificial intelligence, and others. “During the pandemic, Internet penetration increased significantly, but it was uneven, and the gap between developed and developing countries widened even more. But there is also a positive result - there is a growing understanding of the need for equal access to the Internet. The Internet proves its potential to contribute to the development of all countries of the world from time to time. But the use of this potential depends on each of us, and we need to continue discussions and discussions, as a result of which the Internet that we need will appear. Such discussions will also take place at the 17th Global Internet Governance Forum in November in Addis Ababa, and I invite you to participate in its work,” Chegentai Masango added.

The Global Digital Compact, which will be a topic of discussion at the first working session of the RIGF 2022, is one of the issues that the Russian IGF cannot ignore this year, according to Vadim Glushchenko, Head of the Center for Global IT-Cooperation. “We have a unique opportunity to contribute to the creation of the Global Digital Compact,” he said. The Russian Internet Governance Forum's youth track was further discussed by Vadim Glushchenko. He mentioned that there are currently 35 regional and national forums for Internet Governance around the world, and Russia is one of them. "We have been organizing the Youth RIGF at Skoltech for the past two years, and the Forum is drawing an increasing number of attendees. The topic of Internet Governance and all things digitalization-related are particularly interesting to young people. We attempt to keep young people from being bored at the Youth Forum, and based on our findings, the topic is welcomed," he said.

Watch the online stream on our YouTube channel to learn more about the exciting developments at the forum as it continues to run.