5.1 KiB
IGF 2026 WS #297 Resilience in Conflict: Protecting Internet Infrastructure
Description
When conflict strikes, Internet infrastructure becomes both a lifeline and a target. In the MENA region, people have experienced Internet shutdowns, intentional destruction of communication networks, and weaponisation of digital infrastructure in the form of attacks against civilians. However, most resilience frameworks for the Internet were built on the assumption of peace, effective governance, institutional capacity, and the organisational ability to enforce technical measures. This session, organised by the ISOC MENA Internet Governance Working Group, will discuss the requirements of Internet resilience in conflict and crisis environments. Technical experts, civil society, policymakers, and community network operators will come together to understand how Internet infrastructure withstands conflicts, what governance frameworks are required to protect connectivity for civilian populations, and how AI systems incorporated into Internet infrastructure impact resilience. The MENA region is unique in the world because it offers the lived experience of what it takes to keep connectivity alive when state-run infrastructure is down. In this session, expertise on the MENA region is brought into the global IGF dialogue, and the lessons the international governance community could learn from it will be discussed. In addition, the session will contribute to the general IGF 2026 theme of AI and the future Internet. As AI systems are integrated into infrastructure, conflict environments pose distinct challenges, including AI-driven targeting and surveillance, large-scale disinformation campaigns, and the use of AI tools to detect and disrupt communication networks. The resilience of the Internet of intelligence will require governance frameworks that address these threats.
Policy Question(s)
- What technical and governance mechanisms are needed to protect civilian Internet infrastructure and connectivity during conflict?
- How should Internet governance frameworks address the weaponisation of digital infrastructure, including AI-enabled surveillance and network disruption, in conflict contexts?
- What can the international Internet governance community learn from MENA communities' lived experience of maintaining connectivity under crisis conditions?
Expected Outcomes
The participants will gain better insight into the specific technical and governance weaknesses exposed by the conflict contexts surrounding the current Internet resilience framework. At the end of the session, a set of recommendations will be produced on how the processes of global Internet governance, including GDC implementation and the IGF's intersessional work, can better take into account conflict and crisis contexts. The recommendations will be used to draft the 2027 work plan for the Internet Society MENA Internet Governance Working Group and disseminated among the relevant IGF Policy Networks. A session report will be produced and published via Internet Society MENA. The session is intended to establish connections between technical resilience specialists and NGOs working in conflict-affected regions of the MENA.
Format
Roundtable Duration (minutes): 90 Format description: The roundtable format has been carefully considered in this case, as this meeting requires dialogue between practitioners with practical experience and the framework designers. A classroom format would erect a barrier between the expertise in the room and those who have to interact with it. Ninety minutes will allow covering both technical and governance issues related to this topic. It is not an abstract topic, and it is highly contextual. As such, a presentation would not do justice to the weight and specificity of this subject.
Hybrid Format
Hybrid Format: The session will begin with a quick introduction of the moderator, providing online participants with some orientation to the discussion. Online participants will be able to ask questions throughout the process via a common platform, which will be moderated by the online moderator. At least one speaker will participate online to model hybrid inclusion from the start. The onsite moderator will explicitly invite online contributions at each transition point in the session. The rapporteur will monitor the online chat for substantive contributions and flag them in real time.
Organizers
Organizer 1: Noha Abdel Baky, North Africa IGF Organizer 2: Raneem Zaitoun, Inskillz OU
Speakers
Speaker 1: Amged B Shwehdy, Intergovernmental Organization, African Group Speaker 2: Raghdan Orsud, Civil Society, African Group Speaker 3: Jacques Bakaev, Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group
Moderator
Noha Abdel Baky, Civil Society, African Group
Online Moderator
Raneem Zaitoun, Private Sector, Eastern European Group
Rapporteur
Abdulrahman Abotaleb, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Participant Benefits
What will participants gain from attending this session?
SDGs
- Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- Reduced Inequalities
- Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
- Partnerships for the Goals