Welcome to Maldives IGF

The Maldives Internet Governance Forum (MVIGF), established in 2023, is a multi-stakeholder forum that engages on issues related to Internet Governance (IG) on a national level, and how it intersects with IG developments at continental, and international level. The Maldives Internet Governance Forum (IGF), strives to be: 

  • Open and Transparent: Be transparent and inclusive, inviting all relevant stakeholders to participate in the meetings and keeping the wider community informed.
  • Inclusive: Ensure that views of the wider community are taken into consideration through public consultations and ensure that the IGF findings and recommendations are published publicly. 
  • Bottom-up: The decision-making process of the IGF initiative should be bottom-up, where the substantive organization of the annual meeting(s) should reflect the needs of the respective community.
  • Multistakeholder: The active and democratic participation of a diverse range of stakeholders.
  • Non-Commercial: Participation at the MVIGF shall be free of cost for all participating entities and individuals.

Objectives of the Maldives IGF

  • Awareness and Education: To increase awareness and understanding of internet governance issues among stakeholders in the Maldives and to provide educational opportunities for stakeholders to learn about these issues.
  • Stakeholder Engagement: To engage with a diverse range of stakeholders, including the private sector, civil society, government, academia, and technical community, to encourage their participation in internet governance discussions and decision-making.
  • Multi-stakeholder Dialogue: To facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogue on internet governance issues in the Maldives and to encourage the exchange of ideas and information between stakeholders.
  • Policy Development: To support the development of inclusive and evidence-based internet governance policies and practices in the Maldives that reflect the needs and perspectives of all stakeholders.
  • Legislative Consultations: Reviewing and analyzing proposed laws and regulations related to technology and internet, and providing expert advice on their impact, effectiveness, and feasibility, as well, providing guidance to parliament in consultative meeting to ensure that laws related to technology are in line with global standards and best practices, which also protecting the rights and interests of citizens.
  • Capacity Building: To build the capacity of stakeholders in the Maldives to participate in internet governance discussions and decision-making and to support the development of local expertise in internet governance issues.
  • International Collaboration: Bring the perspectives of the Maldivian  communities to the global IGF agenda and reflect the perspectives of the global IGF into the Maldives  NRIs events, where and when relevant and needed.
  • Establishing the IGF: To work towards the establishment of an IGF in the Maldives that reflects the unique needs and perspectives of the country and contributes to the global internet governance ecosystem.

Mandate of the Annual MVIGF

  • Facilitate the exchange of information regarding internet governance to increase the awareness.
  • Facilitating a platform for stakeholders to discuss and exchange ideas on internet governance issues, including policies, regulations, and best practices in the Maldives.
  • Make recommendations on how to increase awareness on internet governance related issues and facilitate consensus building on identified issues.
  • Publish the proceeding of the IGF.


Membership

Membership to the MVIGF is open to all relevant stakeholder groups, representatives and individuals from government, legislative bodies, civil society, academia, private and technical community.  Members serve in their personal capacity, but are expected to have extensive linkages with their respective stakeholder groups. The activities of MVIGF are coordinated by an executive committee and advisory group.

The interim executive committee consists of representatives from;

  • Government
  • Private Sector
  • Civil Society
  • Technical Community
  • Legislative Body
  • Academia

The Advisory group consists of representatives from:

  • Government
  • Private Sector
  •  Technical Community
  • Legislative Body