INTERVENTION BY FIRST SECRETARY MATTHEW WONG OF SINGAPORE AT THE SECOND THEMATIC DEEP DIVE ON THE GLOBAL DIGITAL COMPACT ON THE ISSUE OF INTERNET GOVERNANCE, TRUSTEESHIP COUNCIL CHAMBER AT UNHQ, THURSDAY, 13 APRIL, 10.00AM

1 Thank you very much, co-facilitators. I would like to thank you both for convening these discussions today and for the guiding questions you have provided.

2 Given the internet’s status as a shared global digital infrastructure and its role as a key enabler of digitalization, Singapore believes it is essential that the internet remains open, secure and interoperable. We must ensure that our internet governance mechanisms work in service of these goals. While governments have an important role to play in internet governance, Singapore believes that internet governance must be inclusive and responsive to be fully effective. Governments, industry, civil society and other stakeholders must work together to shape the development of the internet for the benefit of all.

3 In this regard, allow me to offer some ideas on how the Global Digital Compact (GDC) can help to re-affirm, re-vitalise, and re-energise our approach to internet governance.

4 First, the GDC should encourage efforts to ensure that our internet governance mechanisms are truly global in nature. In this regard, Singapore supports the G77’s statement that we should maximize the participation of developing countries in decisions regarding Internet governance. Singapore welcomes the work of the various IGF regional initiatives, as well as ICANN’s decision in 2013 to begin establishing regional hubs. In this regard, Singapore is proud to have hosted the 2022 meeting of the Asia Pacific Regional IGF. Nonetheless, while the geographic expansion of institutions is welcome, it is not sufficient. We need to strengthen capacity-building and knowledge-sharing to ensure that policymakers, stakeholders and citizens from around the world, particularly those from developing countries, LDCs, and SIDS, are able to participate fully, equally and meaningfully in these discussions. The UN – as an inclusive multilateral platform where all States, both large and small, have a voice – can play a crucial role in this regard. 

5 Second, the GDC should reiterate the importance of digital inclusion and the acceleration of the SDGs as a key focus of internet governance mechanisms. While internet governance matters may be technical, they also have significant real-world impact on our ability to achieve these goals. ICANN’s work on Internationalized Domain Names and Universal Acceptance is a significant positive example in this regard. In 2010, ICANN introduced the first internationalized top-level domains, allowing domain names to be fully written in non-Latin scripts. In 2011, Singapore introduced national top-level domains in Chinese and Tamil, allowing speakers of these languages to access the internet in a more inclusive way. However, even today, not all software is able to handle such queries appropriately, and as such we welcome ICANN’s continued work promoting what is known as the Universal Acceptance principles. As was the case in this example, our internet governance mechanisms should be encouraged and empowered to make technical decisions in support of our broader sustainable development goals.

6 Third, the GDC should reiterate the importance of interoperability as a key principle of internet governance. Three weeks ago, at our previous deep dive, Singapore spoke about the importance of ensuring that government digital services are not developed in national silos, but are instead designed to communicate and operate across systems and across borders. The same can be said for private-sector applications and services. While divergence and variation are a crucial factor for innovation, it is also important to ensure that users and information can move between and beyond individual technological ecosystems to ensure that all citizens and businesses can benefit from the full potential of the internet. 

7 These are some of our initial ideas, and we look forward to continuing this conversation today and in the weeks ahead. Thank you.

.    .    .    .    .