International policy network for open digital infrastructure kicks off

Open digital infrastructure is foundational to modern society and the global economy: businesses, civil society, and the public sector increasingly rely on shared digital components, from core internet protocols and operating systems to software libraries or package repositories. The Sovereign Tech Agency and the German Federal Ministry for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation proposed the creation of an IGF Policy Network on Open Digital Infrastructure. While the IGF meets annually, this policy network will work all year round and in between sessions to discuss what policy frameworks, governance models, and investment strategies are needed to ensure that open digital infrastructure remains open, resilient, and sustainable. By the next IGF meeting in December 2026, the policy network plans to map good practices in the governance and maintenance of open digital infrastructure, with a particular focus on open source software, open standards, and digital public goods. Working with the IGF Secretariat, the Multistakeholder Advisory Group and co-facilitators Sophia Longwe of Wikimedia Deutschland and Jordan Carter of Nominet, we will help broaden participation and bring relevant stakeholders into the process. In open consultations and thematic working groups, the policy network will bring together governments, the technical community, civil society, the private sector, academia, and intergovernmental organizations to ensure that all perspectives are included, especially from developing countries and underrepresented regions.