Freedom Online Coalition

IGF 2025: Shaping Global AI Governance Through Multistakeholder Action
2025-06-25 10:45 - 11:45 (Europe/Helsinki)
Join the FOC’s Task Force on AI & Human Rights for the following IGF Open Forum taking place in Workshop Room 4 / Online on Wednesday, 25 June from 10.45 – 11.45 CEST.
Session Description:
This session launches the 2025 Joint Statement on AI and Human Rights, which reaffirms the need for international AI governance to be grounded in international human rights law and developed through inclusive, multistakeholder processes. As AI systems are increasingly used in ways that suppress dissent, enable arbitrary surveillance, amplify discrimination, and erode democratic participation, the statement highlights the urgent need to embed human rights protections throughout the entire AI lifecycle, from design and development to deployment and oversight. The session will explore how global governance efforts can uphold these principles and advance a human-centric, accountable, and rights-respecting approach to AI.
Moderator: Zach Lampell, Senior Legal Advisor & Coordinator, Digital Rights, ICNL
Opening remarks: Ernst Noorman, Ambassador for Cyber Affairs, the Netherlands
Speakers:

Maria Adebahr, Director for Cyber Foreign and Security Policy, Germany
Divine Selase Agbeti, Director-General, Cyber Security Authority of Ghana
Erica Moret, Director UN & International Organisations, Microsoft

Closing remarks: Rasmus Lumi, Director General, Department of International Organisations and Human Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia

IGF 2025: How Do Technical Standards Shape Connectivity and Inclusion?
2025-06-27 09:00 - 10:00 (Europe/Helsinki)
Join the FOC during the following IGF Open Forum taking place in Workshop Room 2 / Online on Friday, 27 June from 9.00 – 10.00 CEST.
Session Description:
Technical standards are the backbone of global connectivity, enabling data to flow seamlessly across borders and ensuring access to digital services. Yet, standard-setting processes often lack inclusive participation—particularly from the Global South, civil society, and marginalized communities. This session will examine how open and interoperable standards can improve connectivity, reduce digital inequalities, and enhance access to affordable digital services, especially in underserved regions.
A key focus will be the role of standards in global communication infrastructure, such as undersea cables, and in areas like data transmission, network compatibility, and cybersecurity. As technologies evolve (optical fiber, wavelength division multiplexing, quantum communications, etc.) standards must adapt to ensure reliability and resilience.
Despite their importance, bodies like the ITU, IETF, IEEE, and W3C often operate with limited stakeholder input. This session will explore barriers to participation in standard-setting and propose strategies to enhance transparency, accessibility, and representation. It will also highlight how inclusive digital cooperation can align technical standardization with broader goals—such as human rights, digital inclusion, and the SDGs—supporting WSIS Action Lines C2 (Information and Communication Infrastructure), C3 (Access to Information), and C11 (International and Regional Cooperation).
Through expert insights and interactive dialogue, participants will identify actionable steps to make standard-setting more open, collaborative, and equitable, advancing a secure, inclusive, and resilient global digital ecosystem.
Moderator: Laura O’Brien, Senior International Counsel, Access Now
Opening Remarks: Rasmus Lumi, Director General, Department of International Organisations and Human Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Speakers:

Divine Agbeti, Director-General of the Cyber Security Authority of Ghana
Stephanie Borg Psaila, Director for Digital Policy, Diplo Foundation
Natálie Terčová, At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC), ICANN / Founder and Chair of IGF Czechia
Alex Walden, Global Head of Human Rights, Google
Rose Payne, Lead, Policy and Advocacy, Global Partners Digital

IGF 2025: Universal Principles, Local Realities: Multistakeholder Pathways for DPI
2025-06-27 11:00 - 12:30 (Europe/Helsinki)
Join the FOC for the following co-organised IGF Workshop taking place in the Conference Hall / Online on Friday, 27 June from 11.00 – 12.30 CEST.
Session Description:
We are witnessing a global movement toward the adoption of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), with countries all over the world deploying systems such as digital identity, payments, and data exchanges. While DPI has emerged as a driver of inclusive digital transformation and innovation, its design and implementation must respect and promote human rights to avoid risks such as exclusion, surveillance, and discrimination.
This workshop aims to examine how DPI systems are being shaped by diverse political, societal, and economic factors across regions. The session will explore the intersection between global DPI frameworks (like the UN Global Digital Compact and the Universal DPI Safeguards Framework) and country-level realities that influence DPI outcomes, and examine the importance of ensuring rights-respecting approaches to the design, development, and deployment of DPI systems. Building on regional outreach by the FOC, this session will draw insights from stakeholder experiences in India, Estonia, Brazil, South Africa, and the Dominican Republic, with speakers highlighting how DPI design choices reflect local political economies, the roles of state and market actors, and the implications for digital inclusion, civic participation, and human rights. The FOC will also highlight its efforts to develop “Rights-Respecting Principles for Digital Public Infrastructure”, and use the session as an opportunity to hear recommendations from the IGF community on how to strengthen the principles.
This conversation is particularly timely in light of the WSIS+20 Review Process, where DPI may feature prominently in revising the WSIS Action Lines. Furthermore, DPI has become a central element in international cooperation, with the Indian and Brazilian G20 Presidencies prioritizing it, and its relevance to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is widely acknowledged.
Moderator: Sabhanaz Rashid Diya, Executive Director, Tech Global Institute
Speakers:

Rasmus Lumi, Director General for International Organisations and Human Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Estonia
Armando José Manzueta Peña, Vice Minister for Public Innovation and Digital, Ministry of Public Administration of the Dominican Republic
Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
Bidisha Chaudhury, University of Amsterdam
Luca Belli, FGV Law School
Keith Breckenridge, University of the Witwatersrand

WSIS+20 High-Level Event | Global Digital Governance & Multistakeholder Cooperation for WSIS+20
2025-07-10 10:00 - 10:50 (Europe/Helsinki)
Date & Time: 10:00 – 10:50 CEST, Thursday, 10 July

Location: Plenary Room C, Palexpo, and online
As the global community approaches the 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20), inclusive and ethical digital governance remains critical to upholding human rights and advancing sustainable development. This roundtable will examine how to strengthen multistakeholder engagement—across civil society, the academic and technical communities, the private sector, and end users—to advance WSIS Action Lines C10 (Ethical Dimensions of the Information Society) and C11 (International and Regional Cooperation).
Recognizing the inextricable link between human rights and equitable global progress, the session will focus on best practices, challenges, and strategies for rights-based digital governance and enhanced international collaboration. A central theme will be the role of artificial intelligence (AI)—particularly generative and decision-making systems—in shaping the integrity of online information and public discourse. Participants will explore how AI influences trust, democratic participation, and human rights, and how governance frameworks can promote transparency, accountability, and equity while safeguarding freedom of expression, privacy, and non-discrimination. As AI technologies increasingly amplify existing trends, such as the spread of disinformation and the erosion of trust, the session will also consider to what extent current international agreements, human rights frameworks, and platform regulations remain adequate to address these compounded challenges.
The session will also highlight practical, collaborative approaches to bridging the digital divides through inclusive and rights-respecting strategies. Emphasis will be placed on how responsible AI governance and the promotion of healthy, trustworthy information ecosystems contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while preventing emerging technologies from deepening existing inequalities.
By fostering meaningful engagement and generating concrete policy recommendations, particularly around the WSIS+20, this session aims to help shape a more inclusive, sustainable, and human rights-based digital future.
Moderator: Ernst Noorman, Cyber Ambassador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Speakers:

Rasmus Lumi, Director General, Department of International Organisations and Human Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Dan York, Chief of Staff, ISOC
Gitanjali Sah, Strategy and Policy Coordinator, ITU
Isabel Ebert, Strategic Adviser, B-Tech Project, OHCHR
Jan Gerlach, Public Policy Director, Wikimedia Foundation

WSIS+20 High Level Event | Embedding Human Rights in AI Standards: From Principles to Practice
2025-07-10 16:00 - 16:45 (Europe/Helsinki)
AI Governance Dialogue at WSIS+20

Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) – International Telecommunication Union (ITU) – Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

Date & Time: 16:00 – 16:45 CEST, Thursday, 10 July
Location: Room E, Palexpo, and online
Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming societies at an unprecedented pace. While they offer vast opportunities, they also pose risks to the enjoyment of human rights. Technical standards, as foundational elements of digital infrastructure, can either safeguard or undermine these rights depending on their design and implementation.
In the Global Digital Compact, Member States call on standards development organizations (SDOs) to collaborate in promoting the development and adoption of interoperable artificial intelligence standards that uphold safety, reliability, sustainability, and human rights. In line with this vision, the Compact also recommends establishing an AI Standards Exchange to maintain a register of definitions and applicable standards for evaluating AI systems. Moreover, the Freedom Online Coalition’s 2024 Joint Statement urges SDOs and all stakeholders to embed human rights principles in the conception, design, development, and deployment of technical standards.
Thus, this side event will explore how such standards and tools can be developed to uphold human dignity, equality, privacy, and non-discrimination throughout the AI lifecycle.
Moderator: Ernst Noorman, Ambassador at Large for Cyber Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands
Speakers:

Tomas Lamanauskas, Deputy Secretary-General, ITU
Peggy Hicks, Director of Thematic Engagement, OHCHR
Karen McCabe, Senior Director of Technology Policy, IEEE
Caitlin Kraft-Buchman, CEO & Founder, Women at the Table
Dr. Florian Ostmann, Director of AI Governance and Regulatory Innovation, Alan Turing Institute

UNGA 80 | Building on the Foundations: Securing the Future of the Open Internet
2025-09-25 10:00 - 11:30 (America/New_York) | New York
On the margins of the UNGA 80 High-Level Week in New York, the Republic of Estonia, 2025 Chair of the FOC, will convene representatives from government, the technical community, civil society, academia, and the private sector for the side-event “Building on the Foundations: Securing the Future of the Open Internet”.
As the global community marks the 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20) and advances efforts toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring that the Internet remains free, open, globally connected, accessible, interoperable, secure, and rights-respecting has never been more critical.
This side-event will examine how to strengthen resilience, mitigate risks such as Internet shutdowns and attacks on critical infrastructure, and promote meaningful connectivity, particularly for marginalized communities. Together, speakers will examine how technical, policy, and rights-based approaches can protect the architecture of the Internet and support a digital environment that upholds human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The event will commence with opening remarks from the 2025 FOC Chair, followed by interventions from high-level representatives of FOC Member States, Members of the Advisory Network, and other key stakeholders. Nabiha Syed, Executive Director, Mozilla Foundation, will provide a keynote address in advance of a multistakeholder panel discussion moderated by Lea Kaspar, Executive Director, Global Partners Digital, and featuring:

H.E. Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia
Dr. Jamal Tonzua Seidu, Deputy Director-General, Regulatory Affairs, Cyber Security Authority of Ghana
Alex Walden, Global Head of Human Rights, Google; Member of the FOC Advisory Network
Avri Doria, Principal Researcher, Technicalities; Member of the FOC Advisory Network
Sabhanaz Rashid Diya, Executive Director, Tech Global Institute; Member of the FOC Advisory Network

Please note attendance at this event is by invitation. If you would like more information, please contact events@freedomonlinecoalition.com.

Tallinn Digital Summit | FOC Engagements
2025-10-09 - 2025-10-10 | Tallinn, Tallinn, Estonia
Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) Member States, Observers, and the FOC Advisory Network will convene on the margins of the upcoming Tallinn Digital Summit (TDS), taking place from 9 – 10 October 2025.
Further information on FOC engagements at TDS will be shared in the coming weeks. Should you have any enquiries, please reach out to events@freedomonlinecoalition.com.
