The revised Internet Universality ROAM-X Indicators (IUIs) were launched after a year-long revision process, reflecting UNESCO's commitment to adapting to the rapidly evolving digital environment and Internet landscape. This comprehensive update aims at ensuring the indicators continue to empower Internet stakeholders, while streamlining their implementation to facilitate adoption across diverse contexts.
At the 19th IGF, UNESCO brought together high-level participants from across the Internet governance ecosystem, fostering multistakeholder dialogue on the importance of evidence-based policymaking, and the role of the IUIs in facilitating this.
Highlighting the vision behind the updated framework, Tawfik Jelassi, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information at UNESCO, further explained that the revision was driven by the need for adaptation in an evolving digital landscape.
The primary objective of this revision is to ensure the IUIs remain relevant, adaptive and future-ready. In doing so, UNESCO integrated key insights and lessons from five years of global assessments and local applications of the previous framework. In concluding, he added that the new framework seeks to enhance accessibility and ease of use to accelerate adoption and implementation by stakeholders.
Tawfik JelassiAssistant Director-General for Communication and Information, UNESCO
For the revision process, UNESCO collaborated closely with experts, such as David Souter, lead author of the first IUIs, as well as with the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br/NIC.br). Both Mr Souter and Mr Alexandre Barbosa, Head of CETIC.br, participated in the High-Level session, offering the audience insights into the key changes introduced in the revised framework.
They emphasized that the revised Framework's structure facilitates a more effective analysis of the Internet landscape, as it gives prominence to key questions to be addressed by national research teams. This enables stakeholders to develop tailored and actionable policy recommendations that address specific challenges and opportunities.
During the discussion, moderated by Anriette Esterhuysen, Senior Advisor for Internet Governance, Policy Advocacy and Strategy at the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), stakeholders with practical experience using the indicators also shared their insights.
The framework's flexibility and its capacity to provide critical evidence was underscored by Ms Tenanoia V. Simona, CEO of Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation. Detailing Tuvalu’s implementation of the IUIs, she highlighted how evidence will help stakeholders in Tuvalu to prioritize interventions tailored to the country’s unique digital context, characterized by ambitious goals and significant challenges, such as infrastructure and the environmental risks related to climate change.
The session also featured insights from Jennifer Bachus, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy in the United States, and Vinton Cerf, Vice-President and Chief Internet Evangelist at Google.
Ms Bachus emphasized the importance of evidence-based policymaking in Internet governance, highlighting the need to compare and reconcile diverse data sources to ensure informed decision-making. Mr Cerf highlighted the essential role of tools such as the IUIs in enhancing collaboration among multiple stakeholders and promoting the development of an inclusive Internet.
Ms Alaa Abdulaal, Chief of Digital Economy Foresight at the Digital Cooperation Organization, shared how the IUIs align with the Organization’s mission to bridge the digital divide. She also noted how the indicators facilitate national dialogue, helping stakeholders align on a shared vision for the Internet landscape and track progress toward achieving it.