I was thrilled to attend the 18th Annual Meeting of the Internet Governance Forum in Kyoto, Japan, from October 8–12.

Established by the United Nations Secretary General and hosted by the Government of Japan, this year's main theme is "The Internet We Want - Empowering All People," with numerous sub-themes covering a range of topics, such as artificial intelligence and sustainability.

As indicated in my previous blog, I was keen on the areas of global cooperation, security, and sustainability, so I attended many sessions on these topics. I am delighted to share my experience from this forum, in which I highlight some of my activities and what I have learned. 

Day 0 

On the 8th, I took a session on “Youth Participation—Cocreating the Insafe Network”— where speakers and attendees shared their local best practices for protecting children online and making sure that the opinions of young people were heard and taken into account when creating policies and resources on the subject. 

In the afternoon, I joined with the ODC representatives and the Cambodia Youth IGF team in a friendly conversation with an ICANN representative. I was interested to know more about the projects implemented by the Cambodia Youth IGF and how they contributed to the internet and digital landscapes.

The next session was a leadership panel on “The Internet We Want.” Panelists from different parts of the world offered a variety of opinions, and their preferences for the internet varied according to the circumstances and context in which they encountered themselves.

Day 01

On Monday, 9th, I joined a lighting talk on “The New European Toolbox for Cyber Security Regulation.” The purpose of this session was to develop practical ways to combat cybercrime and ensure the security of the systems utilized by regulations in order to increase the resilience of both digital and non-digital infrastructure. It also aimed to provide an overview of the current regulatory efforts on cybersecurity at the European level, which introduced me to the NIS 2 directive, and I am excited to explore more about it.

Then, I attended the opening ceremony, joined by His Excellency Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan, and virtually joined by Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations.

The last activity I took part in on this day was about “Cooperation For a Green Digital Future.” I found this workshop a bit challenging to keep track of. There was some jargon beyond my awareness, such as green digital, supercomputing, digital waste, data pooling, and some internet and digital infrastructures that have not yet been introduced in Cambodia's ecosystem.

Day 02 

There were two sessions I sat in on. One of them was “Climate Change and Technology Implementation.” I was astonished by youth-led initiatives with AI, such as climate forecasting, warning of disasters, and reducing electricity demand and greenhouse gases. One of the speakers was from Climate Youth Japan. She summarized the discussions, case analyses, and recommendations during the session, and I was introduced to the Climate Youth Japan website for more insights in the field of climate change and technology implementation.

The second session was about the “AI-Driven Learning Revolution in Cambodian Higher Education.” We had a Cambodian speaker, Mr. Soklay HENG, an AI researcher and lecturer at the Cambodia Academy of Digital Technology. The lightning talk covered an overview of the AI adaptation in Cambodia’s higher educational system, which comes with opportunities, limitations, and challenges. It also highlighted perspectives from a Cambodian student during the discussion.

Day 03

I scheduled two sessions for this day starting with a presentation on “How Digital Cooperation can Contribute to the Battle for Our Environment.” Not only do technologies help facilitate our personal needs, but they also have the potential to significantly help in addressing environmental impact, whether by facilitating new approaches and efficiencies or by allowing us to measure and analyze the impact our actions have on the environment.

After this session, I was present in an open forum on “Accelerating an Inclusive Energy Transition.” This session related to both SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy) and SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals). It was argued that the use of emerging technologies to accelerate the energy transition is crucial to increasing the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix as well as improving energy efficiency. There was a Cambodian speaker who elaborated on unlocking ASEAN’s green energy future through youth; the idea went around the support of youth-led technologies, green jobs, and youth's internet initiatives, such as the Cambodia Youth IGF.

Day 04

This was the last day of this year’s IGF. One session met my interests, but unfortunately, it was cancelled. Nevertheless I made good use of my time by attending cultural events, visiting by booths, and building connections. I made some new friends. One of them introduced me to an online community of youths who participated in this year’s forum, where I got the chance to expand the connection and be exposed to new opportunities arising.

These are some of the activities I did during the five-day forum. I was glad to see Cambodia speakers in this global forum. I like all sessions, but the one about “Youth Participation—Cocreating the Insafe Network”—was the most mind-catching to me. Although I was passionate about the environment and sustainability, this session made me pay extra attention to online child protection, which is not discussed much in Cambodia.

Besides joining sessions, I also visited some local and historical places in Kyoto, tried different foods, and connected with locals. I was impressed by the use of digital technology to enhance the quality of life in this country.

Reflection 

After participating in this year’s forum, I am delighted to draw a personal conclusion on "The Internet We Want: Empowering All People". I think the internet should be safe, secure, available, and inclusive for everyone, from children to vulnerable groups, refugees, and so on. By doing so, we can connect and empower each other to take action on relevant global causes, including the environment and sustainability. Please note that there was no consensus after the forum. The idea of the internet we want is subjective, and mine was influenced by the insights from sessions under the subthemes I took part in. Please refer to the official website of the IGF for more outputs from the forum, including a draft vision paper on the “Internet We Want” released by the IGF leadership panel.

Conclusion 

All in all, taking part in this yearly worldwide forum was an incredible experience, and I am sincerely appreciative to Open Development Cambodia for granting me this opportunity. It was my dream and my first time to be in an international forum. Thus, ODC made my dream come true, and I could not be more thankful. I would also love to thank the Cambodia Youth IGF team as well for keeping me company during this trip. They were very supportive and dynamic, and I hope I will get to work with them on future initiatives that contribute to the internet and digital landscapes in Cambodia.