Digital Affairs – Chancellery
of the Prime Minister

A positive vision for the future of the Internet must combine fundamental values such as human rights, access and openness, as well as economic considerations - this is just one of the conclusions contained in the 7 pages constituting the Katowice IGF Messages.

‘The Katowice IGF Messages’ is an overview of the key views of the participants of the Internet Governance Forum - IGF 2021 on Internet governance and digital policy.

The conclusions were reached during more than 300 sessions organized during the event.

For five days - from 6 to 10 December - the participants of the Katowice IGF discussed, among others, respect for users' rights on the Internet, access to networks, regulations - especially those concerning online platforms, cybersecurity and global cooperation on digital issues.

Messages were developed for each of the six IGF 2021 thematic areas.

In the area of ‘Economic and Social Inclusion and Human Rights’, among others, there were proposals for basic principles that IGF participants believe should guide the political approach to the complex issue of platform regulation.

In the context of universal access to the Internet, the main proposal is to ensure sustainable Internet access for all people in the world.

Another thematic area is emerging regulation: market structure, data content and consumer rights and protection. Here, the demands include the need to strengthen the multilateral approach. In order to realistically respond to citizens' needs, build trust and meet the demands of a rapidly changing global digital environment.

Digitisation can provide tools and devices to combat and adapt to climate change, for example by using digital technologies to help assess the consequences of actions already taken and develop new ones. Areas of beneficial application of digitisation include environmental data, food and water systems and the circular economy. These are proposals in the areas of environmental sustainability and climate change.

In the area of inclusive Internet ecosystems and digital collaboration, the demands revolve around a positive vision for the future of the Internet, which, according to IGF participants, must combine fundamental values such as human rights, access and openness, as well as economic considerations.

In the context of trust, security and stability, the authors of the conclusions, among others, pointed out that the development and implementation of cybersecurity standards should not only take place in high-level forums.

As you can read in the study - human rights-based, multi-stakeholder approaches to cybersecurity lead to better results. Key to their success is transparency and inclusion.

In this area, the Katowice IGF Messages also points out that the responsible use of artificial intelligence algorithms ensures the protection of human rights and avoids biases that exacerbate inequalities. Where necessary, policies should be developed to counter inappropriate applications, the authors of the conclusions add.

Final version

Until 20 December, anyone interested could submit their comments on the content of the document.

We encourage you to read its final version: