Internet Governance Forum

What Internet Governance Forum does

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a United Nations body established in 2006 under the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) following the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and the Tunis Agenda. It operates as the UN-mandated global multistakeholder platform for dialogue on public policy issues relating to the Internet, convening governments, the private sector, civil society, the technical community, and academia as equals. The IGF's flagship offering is its annual global meeting—IGF 2026 is scheduled for Nairobi, Kenya, 14-18 December 2026—supplemented by year-round intersessional work through Dynamic Coalitions, Best Practice Forums, and (as of 2026) four Policy Networks on AI, Cybersecurity, Digital Inclusion, and Open Digital Infrastructure, plus an ecosystem of over 175-180 National, Regional, Subregional, and Youth Initiatives across all continents. A Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) of approximately 40 members advises the UN Secretary-General on programme, and the first UN Global Advocate for Human-centric Digital Governance (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) leads public outreach.

The IGF does not develop or sell technology products; its technology footprint is limited to a multilingual (6 UN languages) website, iOS and Android mobile applications, and Remote Hubs for virtual participation. Its funding model is purely voluntary: the IGF Trust Fund receives contributions from approximately two dozen governments, large technology companies (Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, ICANN, AT&T, Cisco, Verisign), and foundations (Internet Society, Tides Foundation). Participation in IGF meetings, intersessional work streams, mailing lists, and publications is free, and the Secretariat supports travel costs for delegates from developing countries. IGF does not produce negotiated outcomes; instead, it informs and inspires policy-makers by facilitating exchange of information and good practices.

The organisation's most consequential recent development is UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/80/173, adopted 17 December 2025, which established the IGF as a permanent UN forum, ending its prior time-limited mandate renewals and formally linking it to WSIS outcomes and the Global Digital Compact. This transition to permanence, combined with expansion of the Policy Network model and new Parliamentary and Judiciary engagement tracks for 2026, signals a deepening of IGF's institutional role in global digital governance.

Name

Internet Governance Forum

Legal name

Internet Governance Forum (IGF)

Website

https://intgovforum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Internet Governance Forum is a United Nations multistakeholder platform, established in 2006 and made permanent in December 2025, that convenes governments, the private sector, civil society, and the technical community for annual global dialogue on Internet public policy issues, supported by 175+ National and Regional Initiatives and funded through voluntary Trust Fund contributions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Policy Forum

NAICS

International Affairs (92812), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Policy, Data Governance & Cybersecurity Standards Cooperation (BPADANAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Government & Public Sector Congress & Summit Planning (THAHACAC)

Keywords

• Multistakeholder policy dialogue
• Internet governance forum
• Global digital policy
• UN policy coordination
• International governance platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Trust Fund Contributions: The IGF is funded through voluntary contributions to its Trust Fund from governments, private sector entities, civil society organizations, and technical community members. Donors include AT&T, ICANN, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, various governments (Finland, Netherlands, Germany, Japan, USA, UK, Norway, etc.), Internet Society, Verisign, Cisco, and numerous other organizations listed on the IGF website.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a global multistakeholder platform convened under the United Nations that facilitates the discussion of public policy issues relating to the Internet. It brings together governments, the private sector, civil society, the technical community, and academia as equals in dialogue through annual meetings, National and Regional Initiatives, Policy Networks, Dynamic Coalitions, and Best Practice Forums. Participation is free, and the platform is funded through voluntary contributions to a UN Trust Fund.

Product overview

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) operates as a global multistakeholder platform facilitating discussion of public policy issues relating to the Internet. Its core offering is the annual IGF meeting (IGF 2026 scheduled for Nairobi, Kenya in December 2026), supported by over 180 National and Regional IGF Initiatives (NRIs), four Policy Networks (on AI, Cybersecurity, Digital Inclusion, and Open Digital Infrastructure), Dynamic Coalitions, and Best Practice Forums. The IGF ecosystem includes a Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) for programme planning, Expert Group Meetings for strategic guidance, an IGF Village for exhibitions, Remote Hubs for virtual participation, mobile applications for iOS and Android, and Publications/Reports documenting proceedings. The 2026 meeting marks the first gathering following the IGF's establishment as a permanent UN forum under resolution A/RES/80/173.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IGF Policy Networks: Policy Networks including AI, Cybersecurity, Digital Inclusion, and Open Digital Infrastructure
• IGF Dynamic Coalitions
• IGF Best Practice Forums
• IGF NRIs

Products and services

• IGF Annual Meetings Flagship annual global multistakeholder forum where delegates discuss public policy issues relating to the Internet. The 2026 meeting is themed 'Governing the Internet in the Age of Intelligence: Our Shared Responsibility' and will be the first following the IGF's establishment as a permanent UN forum.
• National and Regional IGF Initiatives (NRIs) Over 180 national, regional, subregional, and youth Internet governance forums that address Internet governance issues at regional and national levels, spanning all continents.
• Policy Networks Year-round multistakeholder platforms for dialogue, collaboration, and development of outputs on specific policy topics. Four networks are approved for 2026 covering AI, Cybersecurity, Digital Inclusion, and Open Digital Infrastructure.
• Dynamic Coalitions Open, multistakeholder groups dedicated to specific Internet governance issues that conduct ongoing collaborative work between annual meetings.
• Best Practice Forums Platforms for exchanging experiences in addressing Internet policy issues, now rebranded and merged into the Policy Networks umbrella for 2026.
• Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) A body established by the UN Secretary-General to advise on the programme and schedule of IGF meetings, comprised of approximately 40 members from governments, private sector, civil society, and technical community.
• Expert Group Meeting An expert-level working retreat convened to consider how the IGF can effectively implement its permanent mandate and strengthen its contribution to digital cooperation.
• Publications and Reports Annual meeting proceedings, IGF brochures, select publications, and CSTD reports documenting discussions and outcomes from IGF activities.
• IGF Mobile Application Mobile applications for IGF available on Android and iOS platforms, enabling participants to engage with IGF activities and access information on the go.
• Remote Hubs Virtual participation infrastructure allowing remote attendees to fully engage with IGF annual meetings and activities.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Council of EuropeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 May 2026The Council of Europe announced its contribution to EuroDIG 2026 (European Dialogue on Internet Governance) in Brussels. The Council will join debates under the New Democratic Pact for Europe, sharing expertise on AI, data protection, cybercrime, media, and digital governance issues, with survey results and EuroDIG Messages to be presented to the IGF.
• Technical Community Coalition for MultistakeholderismcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 December 2025The Technical Community Coalition for Multistakeholderism supported the WSIS+20 resolution maintaining the multi-stakeholder internet governance model and IGF's permanent status. This coalition emphasizes the importance of inclusive participation and future governance of AI and the internet.
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt (UN Global Advocate)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoseph Gordon-Levitt, actor and filmmaker, was appointed in February 2026 as the UN Global Advocate for Human-centric Digital Governance. This is the first such role at the UN. The Advocate supports IGF outreach and public understanding of human-centric digital governance through high-level participation, community engagement, and storytelling.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Web Foundation: The Web Foundation, founded by Tim Berners-Lee, is an emerging peer focused on a free and open Web, digital rights, and inclusion. It participates in IGF processes and pursues overlapping goals through research and advocacy, particularly on digital inclusion — a key 2026 IGF Policy Network theme.
• Global Commission on Internet Governance (GCIG): GCIG was a strategic-level multistakeholder commission that produced influential reports on Internet governance. While now concluded, it served a comparable function to IGF at a higher policy altitude, and its outputs are referenced in IGF discussions.

Direct peers

• Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN): ICANN is the most direct peer — a global multistakeholder organization coordinating Internet governance (specifically the DNS). Both IGF and ICANN operate under multistakeholder models with cross-constituency advisory structures (MAG vs. GAC/ASO/GNSO), and ICANN is a major IGF Trust Fund donor, reflecting their intertwined governance roles.
• DiploFoundation: DiploFoundation (through the Geneva Internet Platform and DiploHub) is a direct peer focused on Internet governance capacity building and digital policy dialogue, especially for developing countries. It complements IGF through training, research, and the Geneva Internet Platform, serving the same constituency IGF seeks to include.
• Internet Society (ISOC): ISOC is a direct peer as a global nonprofit advocating for an open, secure Internet through multistakeholder engagement. ISOC participates in IGF's MAG and is a core Trust Fund donor, while pursuing overlapping goals on Internet standards, policy, and digital inclusion.

Broad incumbents

• World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS): WSIS is the parent process that created IGF via the 2005 Tunis Agenda. WSIS+20 (2025) reaffirmed the multistakeholder model and IGF's permanent status. As the originating intergovernmental framework, WSIS is both parent and overarching peer in the same digital policy ecosystem.
• World Economic Forum (WEF): WEF's Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution convenes multistakeholder dialogue on AI, cybersecurity, and digital governance, often overlapping IGF themes. Both are global, multistakeholder, non-binding dialogue platforms; WEF operates at greater scale and corporate concentration, while IGF has stronger UN legitimacy.
• International Telecommunication Union (ITU): ITU is a UN specialized agency for ICTs and the broadest incumbent peer. While IGF focuses on multistakeholder dialogue without binding outputs, ITU produces binding treaty-level telecom standards and is a competing venue where governments drive outcomes, especially on Internet-related and emerging tech issues.
• UN Open-Ended Working Group on Security of and in the Use of ICTs (OEWG): The UN OEWG is a competing intergovernmental forum on ICT security that produces consensus outputs and competes with IGF for state attention on cybersecurity policy. Both sit within the UN system but differ sharply: OEWG is closed (states-only) and binding, while IGF is multistakeholder and non-binding.

Regional players

• European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG): EuroDIG is the European regional IGF initiative — a direct peer within the NRI ecosystem, hosted under the WEOG regional group. It mirrors IGF's multistakeholder dialogue model at regional level and feeds outputs back into the global IGF process.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/intgovforum
• YouTubemedia.intgovforum.org/en/media/oembed?url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6wi-HAkvpo
• Facebookfacebook.com/info
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/internet-governance-forum-secretariat
• Instagraminstagram.com/intgovforum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Internet Governance Forum