In order to support the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, UNESCO a new project “Defining Internet Universality Indicators” therefore aims to elaborate appropriate Internet indicators which can serve to enrich the stakeholders’ capacity to assess Internet development towards building knowledge societies engaged in sustainable development. This task will be based on UNESCO’s concept of Internet Universality and related R.O.A.M principles as a guiding framework and which promote an Internet based on the principles of Openness, Accessibility and Multi-stakeholder participation. When completed after global consultations and a systematic pre-testing, the indicators will be an open-source research tool that can be used to map the extent to which there is Internet Universality in a given country. The results of such holistic mapping can then contribute to evidence-based policy-making by Member States. During this meeting, UNESCO will present the ongoing consultation process of this project and will engage with WSIS stakeholders for their inputs and contribution.

During this session, UNESCO will also present the template on Knowledge Societies Policy, another policy instrument which offers multiple diagnostic lenses for exploring each society, understanding its strengths, challenges and characteristics, thereby supporting the collective formulation of appropriate policy responses for the member countries. The template builds on existing knowledge and practices to provide policy-makers with an actionable conceptual framework for understanding and assessing the relationships between the SDGs and Knowledge Societies. By identifying gaps as well as strengths, the policy instrument will enable countries to deploy resources more effectively and implement appropriate policy measures