The IGF's primary focus is to highlight how the discussion around Internet governance can impact the SDGs. Simultaneously, there has been increased attention drawn to the role of cybersecurity and its place both within the Internet governance framework, as well as how increased cybersecurity capacity might impact economic growth both in developed and developing countries.
However, there are conflicting views on whether these differing fields are operationally compatible. For example, working through governance frameworks to improve Internet penetration in developing countries would help achieve some aims of the development agenda, but could also erode global cybersecurity by increasing the number of users susceptible to malicious attacks. Additionally, there has not been clearly identifiable proof that actually increasing cybersecurity capacity will improve the economic advancement of a country, much less whether working in an Internet governance framework is the way to achieve this secure state.
This session aims to bring together individuals from different sectors who will provide arguments for a) the convergence of these three issues, b) reasoning for why they would be separate working streams, and c) provide stance on when security, development, and governance interact and when they do not based on examples.