Summary

  • The IGF’s call for its 2027 Multistakeholder Advisory Group closes on 5 November; successful nominees serve one year.
  • Nominations bring stakeholder perspectives, but the UN Secretary-General appoints members and the MAG advises on the forum programme and schedule.

The United Nations Internet Governance Forum has opened nominations for its 2027 Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG), with submissions due 5 November. The invitation, issued through the Department of Economic and Social Affairs on behalf of the Secretary-General, comes after the General Assembly made the IGF a permanent UN forum in December 2025. The permanence decision changed the forum’s institutional footing; it did not turn the MAG into a permanent body. The current call sets a one-year term for successful nominees.

The distinction matters because the MAG is a programme-setting adviser, not an Internet regulator. Its terms of reference say its primary purpose is to advise the Secretary-General on the annual meeting’s programme and schedule. It develops themes, selects workshops, coordinates sessions and supports work between meetings. Those tasks can shape which issues receive attention at the IGF. They do not authorize the MAG to make binding rules for governments, companies, technical operators or Internet users. The terms of reference define that narrower remit.

The nomination process also separates participation from appointment. Individuals and organizations may put candidates forward, including self-nominations. The call invites governments, business, civil society and technical communities to suggest people from developed and developing countries and economies in transition. But a nomination is a name for consideration, not a ballot result: the Secretary-General makes the appointments. Once selected, members serve in their personal capacity while bringing stakeholder perspectives. The IGF’s renewal FAQ explains that distinction.

The 2027 guidance makes the balancing exercise more specific. It targets approximately 40 per cent government participation, with civil society, the private sector and the technical community sharing the rest in roughly equal proportions. The overall composition is also meant to balance regions, gender, and experience in youth engagement and Internet governance. Countries that have been absent or underrepresented receive an advantage, subject to the other requirements. The guidance lists 13 members who have completed three, or exceptionally four, consecutive terms at the end of the 2026 cycle. That indicates the rotation context; it does not prove how many new appointments will be made or what the final balance will be. The 2027 guidance sets targets, not achieved results.

That annual rotation now sits beside a permanent forum. In December 2025, General Assembly resolution A/RES/80/173 made the IGF a permanent UN forum with a continuing secretariat hosted by DESA. It did not give the MAG permanent membership or expand its authority. The resolution also places staffing and resources within UN budget procedures.

The next accountability point is the roster after the 5 November deadline. The useful questions are whether the published membership reflects the stated regional, stakeholder and gender goals, how rotation is handled, and whether the forum keeps the MAG’s agenda-setting influence distinct from public authority. The call itself reports no nomination totals, and the eventual appointments remain pending.

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