The 7th Internet Governance Forum – GeoIGF 2021 will start on Tuesday, 30 November, at 11:00 AM. The forum is a 2-day event and will be held in a hybrid format. It will offer 10 thematic sessions, focused on key challenges and future opportunities in the internet space of Georgia.
The forum will be opened by Guram Guramishvili, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia; Ekaterine Imedadze - Member of the Georgian National Communications Commission; Petr Mikyska - Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Georgia; Natalia Voutova - Head of the Council of Europe Office in Georgia; Antriette Esterhuysen - Chair of the UN Global Internet Governance Forum and Commissioner for the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace; Jane Coffin - Senior Vice President at Internet Society (ISOC).
Each year, the forum is attended by up to 200 participants and is internationally recognized as one of the most important events in the field of internet governance development in Georgia. It brings together field experts from the governmental and non-governmental sectors, international and local organizations, representatives of private companies, academia and young participants. The forum is the most important multifaceted platform for discussing topical issues and projects related to the development of electronic communications and information technologies within the country, accumulated for the current year.
Herewith, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed between the Forum and the Parliamentary Committee on Sector Economy and Economic Policy at the event.
The following important topics will be discussed at the GeoIGF 2021: artificial intelligence - its capabilities and challenges; Misinformation in the internet space of Georgia; Broadband Georgia - current situation and challenges, prospects on the development of Digital Hub in Georgia; Open telecom market and market access prospects for the mobile virtual network operators; 5G readiness and the role of new technologies in the development of the country; Internet quality; Development of community-based internet networks; Self-regulatory framework of the internet content; Georgian language in the Internet world; Cybersecurity and digital rights; Pandemic-inspired innovations and personal data protection; Digital Literacy and readiness - the role of various sectors in this process; Virtual Mobile operation development related issues and more.
The Internet Governance Forum (GeoIGF) is an annual conference established in 2015 with the support of the Council of Europe. Nowadays, the forum includes more than 30 members from different fields. It is hosted by the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, the Georgian National Communications Commission (GNCC) and the Internet Society – Georgia Chapter (ISOC - Georgia). The event is organized by the Georgian Telecommunications Operators Association (TOA). The Council of Europe is the institutional partner of the forum. It is also supported by various international organizations: the Internet Society (ISOC), the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the Coordination Committee of the RIPE Network (RIPE NCC).
GeoIGF 2021 is open to all interested parties. The event will be streamed online. To participate in the Q&A session, you should register online at www.igf.ge. The event agenda, the list of speakers and other forum-related information can also be found on the webpage.
