Proposal for IGF New Delhi

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) argues that the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) should integrate sustainable development into its New Delhi agenda. The proposal highlights the ICT industry's carbon footprint, the need for inclusive participation of the world's poor, and the potential for multi-stakeholder governance models to improve global environmental governance. It cites increasing global attention to climate change and the role of ICTs in both contributing to and mitigating environmental degradation as key drivers for this thematic shift.

• The global information and communications technology (ICT) industry is estimated to account for approximately 2 per cent of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, a level comparable to aviation, with projections from the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSi) suggesting this could more than double by 2020.
• Integrating sustainable development into the IGF mandate could help address the needs of the world's poor, 75 per cent of whom live in rural areas with limited access to information technology.
• The IGF's multi-stakeholder approach to Internet governance could serve as a model to strengthen the international institutional framework for sustainable development and improve Global Environmental Governance (GEG).
• While ICTs contribute to emissions, certain applications such as telecommuting, ecommerce, and teleconferencing have the potential to create a net positive impact on the environment.
• The proposal is driven by a marked increase in international dialogue regarding the links between ICTs and sustainable development, fueled largely by global attention to climate change and events like the Bali Conference.

APA

Vetter, T., MacLean, D., & Creech, H. (n.d.). Proposal for IGF New Delhi. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/backgrounder_igf_new_delhi.pdf

Chicago

Vetter, Tony, Don MacLean, and Heather Creech. Proposal for IGF New Delhi. International Institute for Sustainable Development, n.d. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/backgrounder_igf_new_delhi.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Vetter |first1=Tony |last2=MacLean |first2=Don |last3=Creech |first3=Heather |title=Proposal for IGF New Delhi |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/backgrounder_igf_new_delhi.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{vetterndproposal, author = {Vetter, Tony and MacLean, Don and Creech, Heather}, title = {{Proposal for IGF New Delhi}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/backgrounder_igf_new_delhi.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }