IGF-MAG: New steering committee appointed
On 19 May 2026, the list of members newly appointed by UN Deputy Secretary-General Li Junhua to the IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) was published[1]. The new Chair of the MAG is Jennifer Chung from DotAsia in Hong Kong, who previously served as Co-Chair of the Informal Multistakeholder Sounding Board (IMSB) for the WSIS+20 Review Process. The 40 members include, alongside Internet veterans such as Olaf Kolkman (ISOC), Ola Bergstroem (Ericsson), Jordan Carter (Auda), Lito Ibarra (former ICANN director) and Olga Kryliulk (SSEDIG), many new faces, including Sophia Longwe from Wikimedia Germany.
The Future of the IGF: Strategic Reforms and Government Dialogue
On 7 May 2026, the IGF Secretariat published the report of the IGF Expert Group Meeting (EGM), which took place on 14 and 15 April 2026 in New York[2]. Sixty-eight recommendations are made for the now permanent IGF. It is recommended that “a more strategic and coherent framework be developed to guide its work, including a multi-year perspective that aligns its various components across the ecosystem”. The report calls for “more actionable and policy-relevant outputs, whilst maintaining its non-negotiating nature”. A three-year plan for inter-sessional activities and greater coordination with relevant internet governance processes within and outside the UN system, such as the WSIS Follow-Up, the Global Digital Compact (GDC) and the “Global Dialogue on AI Governance”, are intended to increase effectiveness. On the contentious issue of government engagement, it states: “Rather than a new track, enhanced government engagement, termed ‘Government Dialogue’, could be an adaptation of existing formats, such as the high-level track and Day 0 ministerial-style engagements organised by IGF host countries.”
EURODIG in Brussels: Call for digital sovereignty
On 26 and 27 May 2026, 800 internet experts gathered in Brussels for the 19th EURODIG[3], the European IGF. In her keynote speech, EU Commissioner Virkkunen called for “a decentralised, open internet” where “opportunity can thrive and users – whether businesses, governments or individuals – have real alternatives and control over their digital destiny.“[4] She announced an EU “Technological Sovereignty Package” for 2 June 2026. The central theme was European digital sovereignty. In this context, sovereignty does not mean isolation and insularity, but rather empowering European stakeholders to play a leading role in global competition, particularly in the fields of AI and quantum computing. Within the UN framework, Europe should contribute to greater coherence to avoid fragmentation of discussion platforms. One of the EURODIG messages recommends that the now permanent IGF and the UN’s new AI panel exchange so-called “liaisons” and cooperate closely.
G7 Ministerial Meeting: Protection of Minors and Cybersecurity
The meeting of G7 digital ministers on 28 and 29 May in Paris focused on AI, cybersecurity and quantum technology. The main aim is to strengthen the resilience of small and medium-sized enterprises against cyber attacks (ransomware). Principles were adopted for enhanced protection of minors in the digital space. These include robust, reliable and privacy-friendly age verification solutions, educational programmes for parents and teachers, and measures against deepfakes.[5]
RightsCon cancelled: Zambia blocks internet conference
On 1 May 2026, it was announced that “RightsCon”, the world’s largest civil society Internet conference, which was due to take place in Lusaka, Zambia, in early May 2026, had been cancelled by the government. The reason given was the invitation of controversial keynote speakers from Taiwan. Zambia maintains close ties with China. The NGO “Access Now”, which has organised RightsCon for more than 15 years, rejected any political pressure: “We see this unilateral decision, and the way it was taken, as evidence of the far reach of transnational repression targeting civil society, and effectively shrinking the spaces in which we operate. At a time when this sector is already under immense financial and political strain, what we and our community have experienced is unprecedented and existential. As a human rights organisation, we denounce these violations of the fundamental freedoms of peaceful assembly and association, and interference with the freedom of expression and civic space of the entire RightsCon community.”[6]
ITU Council: Russia calls for new Internet regulations
This year’s session of the ITU Council concluded in Geneva on 8 May 2026. The focus was on preparations for the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (PP), which takes place every four years and is scheduled for November 2026 in Qatar. Among other things, the reports from the ITU Council’s Internet Working Group (CWG-Internet) and WSIS Working Group (CWG-WSIS&SDG) were forwarded to the PP. This includes Russia’s proposal for new Internet regulation. It is time “to consider developing principles for responsible Internet governance in order to prevent a Member State from interfering with the functioning of the Internet of another Member State, deliberately disrupting connectivity, or unilaterally establishing rules and regulations for the global network” and “to discuss the use and misuse of the Internet“[7] The 7th World Telecommunication/Information and Communication Technology Policy Forum (WTPF) “Accelerating an inclusive, sustainable, resilient, and innovative digital future” will take place from 1 to 5 September 2026 in the Bahamas.[8]
UNCTAD meeting: Digital tax for the Global South
The 9th session of UNCTAD’s ‘Intergovernmental Group of Experts on E-Commerce and the Digital Economy’, held in Geneva from 11 to 13 May 2026, focused, among other things, on how countries in the Global South can benefit from a digital tax. The final document states: “Modernise tax legislation by integrating both indirect and direct taxation strategies, such as adopting the destination principle for value added tax and goods and services tax and exploring specialised direct tax measures for the digitalised economy.” UNCTAD is called upon to assist developing countries in overcoming the digital divide and to contribute to the creation of a “fair, balanced, inclusive and development-oriented tax framework” within the framework of UN negotiations.[9]
US-China Summit: New bodies for economic relations
At the US-China summit held in Beijing on 14 May 2026, it was agreed “to build a constructive relationship of strategic stability on the basis of fairness and reciprocity.” The topics of cybersecurity and AI were on the agenda, but no agreements were signed. The US delegation included the CEOs of Apple (Cook), Nvidia (Huang) and X (Musk). The White House’s “readout” refers to two new institutions aimed at optimising economic relations: “The US-China Board of Trade and the US-China Board of Investment“[10]. The Chinese government’s “readout” states: “Constructive strategic stability” means positive stability with cooperation as the mainstay, healthy stability with competition within proper limits, constant stability with manageable differences, and lasting stability with expectable peace“.[11]
Russia and China: Alliance against AI dominance by individual states
Cybersecurity and AI were also discussed at the China-Russia summit held in Beijing on 20 May 2026. Both sides support the relevant UN processes (the Global Cybersecurity Mechanism, the Hanoi Convention on Cybercrime, the UN Panel on AI, and negotiations on autonomous weapon systems / GGE LAWS). On AI, both sides aim to “promote the development of AI for the benefit of global development and reject its use by individual states as a geopolitical tool to maintain dominant positions”. Russia supports the Chinese initiative to establish a World AI Organisation (WAICO).[12]
BRICS Foreign Ministers: Focus on AI in the Global South
At the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi on 15 May 2026, AI was discussed, but no joint document was signed. In the “readout” by Indian Foreign Minister Jashinkar, it states: “The Ministers recognised that AI presents immense opportunity to stimulate economic growth and sustainable development for all”… Developing trustworthy AI technologies, leveraging AI for economic growth and social good, and mitigating potential risks would be essential for promoting a just, fair, equitable and prosperous future for all countries, especially those of the Global South“[13]. The outcomes of the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi (February 2026) and China’s proposal for a WAICO were noted. Support is given to the UN process on AI (Panel & Dialogue), as agreed in the “BRICS Leaders’ Statement on the Global Governance of AI“ (2025)[14].
Papal Encyclical: Vatican calls for “disarmament of AI”
On 15 May 2026, Pope Leo XIV published an encyclical entitled “Magnifica humanitas – on the preservation of humanity in the age of artificial intelligence“.[15] In this 58-page seminal work, the Pope draws on Catholic social teaching and applies its five principles – the common good, universality, subsidiarity, responsibility and social justice – to the development of AI. “A more moral AI is of no use if that morality is determined by the few,” states paragraph 107. We must “disarm AI” in order to remove it from the logic of military, economic and cognitive competition. In Chapter 5, the Pontiff, like his predecessor Francis II, advocates a ban on autonomous weapon systems, thereby intervening directly in the relevant UN negotiations. “The digital revolution is changing the grammar of conflict. … There is no algorithm that could make war morally justifiable. … The development and use of AI in the field of warfare must be subject to the strictest ethical requirements regarding respect for human dignity and the sanctity of life, without leading to an arms race.”
[1] https://intgovforum.org/en/content/mag-2026-members
[2] https://www.intgovforum.org/en/filedepot_download/342/31060
[3] https://www.eurodig.org/get-involved/
[4] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/european-commission-marks-20-years-eu
[5] https://www.g7.utoronto.ca/ict/260529-declaration.html
[6] https://www.rightscon.org/rc26-statement/
[7] https://www.itu.int/md/S26-CL-C-0094/en
[8] https://www.itu.int/md/S26-CL-C-0127/en
[9] https://unctad.org/meeting/intergovernmental-group-experts-e-commerce-and-digital-economy-9th-session
[10] https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2026/05/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-secures-historic-deals-with-china-delivering-for-american-workers-farmers-and-industry/
[11] https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/xw/zyxw/202605/t20260514_11910330.html
[12] http://kremlin.ru/supplement/6487
[13] https://www.mea.gov.in/bilateral-documents.htm?dtl/41144
[14] https://brics.br/en/documents/presidency-documents/250706_brics_ggai_declarationfinal.pdf
[15] https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/de/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html
