How a Fully Virtual Forum Turned Uncertainty into a Regional Conversation on the Future of the Internet

When Nepal was selected to host the Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF) 2025, it marked a milestone for the country’s growing role in regional digital policy. Yet, unforeseen national circumstances forced a difficult decision: the event could not safely take place on‑site.

Instead of cancelling, the community chose a different path—go fully virtual and open the doors even wider.

From 11–14 October 2025, the Internet Society Nepal Chapter (Open Internet Nepal) proudly co‑hosted APrIGF 2025 online under the overarching theme:

“The Future of Multistakeholder Digital Governance in Asia Pacific.”

What began as a challenge quickly became an opportunity to engage participants from every corner of the region, many of whom might never have been able to travel to Kathmandu.

A Regional Conversation, Hosted from Nepal

APrIGF 2025 brought together an impressive mix of stakeholders:

• Policymakers and regulators
• Civil society and digital rights advocates
• Technical community and network operators
• Academia and researchers
• Private sector and platform representatives
• Youth and emerging leaders

Over four days, plenaries, workshops, and town‑hall style sessions explored how multistakeholder models can respond to the region’s most pressing digital challenges—while still centering human rights, equity, and accountability.

Five Sub‑Themes Shaping Asia Pacific’s Digital Future

The program revolved around five cross‑cutting sub‑themes that captured the complexity of today’s Internet governance debates.

1. Security & Trust

How do we secure digital infrastructure without normalizing mass surveillance or undermining encryption?

Sessions examined:

• Encryption and lawful access debates
• Cybersecurity legislation and cross‑border cooperation
• Building trust in digital services through transparency and rights‑based safeguards

Speakers emphasized that security and rights are not competing goals—they are mutually reinforcing when grounded in strong institutions and clear accountability.

2. Resilience

Recent disruptions—from natural disasters to political instability and connectivity shutdowns—have shown how fragile digital lifelines can be.

Discussions focused on:

• Network resilience in remote and disaster‑prone areas
• Business continuity planning for critical Internet infrastructure
• Policy responses to shutdowns and information blackouts

Participants highlighted the need for redundant infrastructure, open standards, and community networks to keep people connected during crises.

3. Innovation & Emerging Technologies

The region is rapidly deploying AI, IoT, biometric systems, and big‑data analytics. APrIGF 2025 asked: Who benefits—and who bears the risks?

Key points included:

• Human‑centred AI frameworks and algorithmic accountability
• Sandboxes and regulatory experimentation that do not sideline rights
• Supporting local innovators and open‑source communities

The takeaway was clear: innovation must be inclusive, not just profitable—especially in countries still catching up on connectivity and skills.

4. Sustainability

From data centres’ energy consumption to e‑waste and digital inequality, the sustainability lens is now unavoidable.

Sessions explored:

• Greening the Internet infrastructure in Asia Pacific
• Linking digital policy with climate justice and environmental governance
• Ensuring sustainable financing for community networks and public interest technologies

Participants stressed that sustainable digital transitions require both technological solutions and just policies that prioritize vulnerable communities.

5. Access & Inclusion

Despite impressive growth, millions in the region remain offline—or are connected under repressive or unequal conditions.

APrIGF 2025 discussions covered:

• Closing the gender, disability, and rural–urban digital divides
• Accessible design and inclusive standards for persons with disabilities
• Affordable connectivity models and community‑driven networks

The message echoed throughout the forum: access alone is not enough—it must be meaningful, safe, and empowering.

Why Multistakeholder Governance Still Matters

Across all sessions, one theme kept returning: no single actor can govern the Internet alone.

Governments bring legitimacy and mandate, but technical experts, civil society, academia, industry, and users bring context, expertise, and lived experience. APrIGF 2025 underscored that:

• Multistakeholder processes are messy but necessary for legitimate and resilient policy outcomes.
• Youth and under‑represented communities must be active shapers, not passive beneficiaries, of digital governance.
• Regional spaces like APrIGF are vital bridges between local struggles and global processes such as the IGF, WSIS+20, and the Global Digital Compact.

Nepal’s Role: Hosting Beyond Geography

Although the forum moved online, Nepal’s role as co‑host remained central:

• Local organizers ensured that South Asian perspectives and experiences were visible across sessions.
• Open Internet Nepal helped curate discussions that connected Nepal’s own policy debates—on social media regulation, cybersecurity, AI, and digital rights—with wider regional trends.
• The virtual model expanded participation from communities who might otherwise be excluded due to cost, visas, or distance.

APrIGF 2025 demonstrated that hosting is not just about hotel halls and conference badges. It is about shaping the agenda, centering local realities, and opening space for dialogue—even when the “venue” is virtual.

Looking Ahead

As Asia Pacific moves into a decade defined by AI, platform regulation, data governance, and infrastructure competition, the conversations at APrIGF 2025 will not—and must not—end with the closing session.

For the Internet Society Nepal Chapter, co‑hosting this forum:

• Strengthened regional partnerships for rights‑based, inclusive governance
• Deepened our commitment to multistakeholder policy processes at home and abroad
• Reinforced the urgency of connecting Nepal’s digital future to regional and global debates

The future of the Internet in Asia Pacific will be written in parliaments, boardrooms, data centres, and communities. APrIGF 2025 showed that when those spaces talk to each other instead of past each other, a more open, secure, and inclusive digital future becomes possible.

Want to explore session recordings, messages, and outcomes from the forum?

👉 Visit: https://aprigf.org.np/