Switzerland's commitment at the UN Internet Governance Forum in Geneva

To date the IGF has successfully brought new themes related to internet governance onto the international agenda, enabled partnerships and facilitated solutions within existing institutions. At the same time, however, too little attention has been paid to politics and economics. At the beginning of its second ten-year mandate, the IGF must therefore strive to become broader, more politically relevant and more target-oriented. As the host country, Switzerland is actively involved in helping to define the content of this year's IGF.

Cornerstones of the Swiss commitment

This year's IGF in Geneva will be opened by federal president Doris Leuthard. Numerous high-ranking representatives of all stakeholder groups are expected from all over the world. The interests of citizens, business and the world of politics, along with topics such as digital transformation, data policy, cybersecurity and the changes in media communications and democratic opinion-forming will be the key issues.

Geneva as a centre for global digital policy

Under the banner "Shape Your Digital Future!", the twelfth session of the IGF will devote itself to the challenges of digitisation which are permeating and fundamentally transforming our social, political and economic lives. The event will benefit from the wide-ranging international expertise available in Geneva in relation to many topics which are crucial for digitisation, such as telecommunications, human rights, intellectual property, employment and commerce.

The IGF is one of the most important outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society, which was held in Geneva in 2003 and in Tunis in 2005. The Federation's commitment coincides with Switzerland's role as the host state and with the objectives formulated in the Federal Council's "Digital Switzerland" strategy to position Switzerland favourably in the international environment. Participation in the IGF is open to all interested persons and is free of charge.

Further information:

IGF Geneva 2017
Internet Governance Forum (IGF)
Switzerland hosts discussions on the global digital future (press release dated 20.06.2017)
OFCOM and the IGF

Address for enquiries:

Head of International Relations Service and Vice-Director,
OFCOM
+41 58 460 55 50, media@bakom.admin.ch
FDFA Information
info@eda.admin.ch, Tel. +41 58 462 31 53

Publisher:

The Federal Council
Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs