At the IGF 2025 Opening Session in Lillestrøm, ICANN President and CEO Kurtis Lindqvist delivered remarks on the importance of practical collaboration, technical coordination, and the risks of fragmentation. His message set the tone for the week.
A recording of the full session is available here, with Kurtis' remarks beginning at [1:01:28].
Full Prepared Text:
"Thank you Minister Tung, the Government of Norway, UNDESA and the IGF Secretariat, and congratulations on hosting a successful IGF.
Later this year we will see the WSIS+20 review, which is a chance to reaffirm what makes the Internet work – and what it takes to keep it working. At the heart of that is one principle: coordination over control. The Internet's growth, resilience, and reach have been made possible because cooperation – not centralization – has remained the foundation of its governance.
At ICANN, our role is technical. We manage the unique identifiers – domain names, IP addresses, and root zone functions – that keep the Internet interoperable. However the strength of that infrastructure depends on something deeper: a shared commitment to global coordination, and the institutions that enable it. That commitment shaped the vision that led to the creation of the Internet Governance Forum – an open space for dialogue, not negotiation.
The IGF was built so governments, civil society, the technical community, and the private sector could engage, to form consensus and exchange thoughts.This multistakeholder engagement has proven it is a successful incubator for capacity building, fostering ideas, exploring issues, and supporting decision-making in other forums. It also contributes to the WSIS action lines.
That principle still matters. It gives the IGF its strength – and makes it worth protecting. The Forum's evolution and outcomes speak for themselves within the broader WSIS process.
In the 20 years since the WSIS meeting in Tunis, the Internet has proven a platform for a phenomenal technical evolution, revolutionizing services, and value creation. Millions of small and medium sized companies across the world exist partly or fully because of the underlying principle of the Internet.
We also carry with us the memory of those who helped shape that vision.
The late Secretary-General Kofi Annan, whose leadership gave the IGF life. As well as colleagues like Nigel Hickson who recently passed away, and who represented ICANN – and later the UK government – at this forum for many years, with clarity, humility, and a deep belief in cooperation. Their work helped this multistakeholder space take root – and remain relevant.
But space alone is not enough.
Earlier this month, ICANN released a joint report with the Internet Society – Footprints of 20 Years of the Internet Governance Forum – that summarizes some of the successes that this forum has enabled, and why it still matters. It demonstrates what sustained cooperation makes possible.
When cooperation and coordination holds, progress follows. When it breaks down, fragmentation spreads. From Universal Acceptance – ensuring multilingual access so all domain names and email addresses work across scripts and languages, to root server deployment, we've seen the impact of strong cooperation. That includes efforts to keep the Internet secure and resilient, from strengthening its core systems to expanding its reach in underserved regions.
Though, progress is not guaranteed. It must be maintained – and continually fostered through collaboration. For many countries, especially those represented in the G77, this is not simply technical. It's about ensuring that digital development delivers: in education, health, services, and opportunity for economic growth.
The IGF must remain the connective tissue between global goals and practical implementation.
That requires more than support. It requires investment. We do not need to reinvent this model. This model works. We need to resource it, trust it, and use it.
As the WSIS+20 review moves forward: Implementation begins with infrastructure, and infrastructure begins with coordination. The Internet's future will depend on cooperation that works. Our job is to help hold that cooperation together: steadily, reliably, and at scale.
Thank you."