Informal Multistakeholder Sounding Board (IMSB)

The WSIS+20 Informal Multistakeholder Sounding Board (IMSB) is an informal, non-governmental body channeling stakeholder perspectives, priorities, and expert insights into the WSIS+20 review, helping ensure the review process remains transparent, inclusive, and responsive to broader public interest concerns.

IMSB Input to Zero Draft

The official input of the IMSB to the WSIS+20 Zero Draft can be found here.

IMSB Blog: On the Zero Draft

The Informal Multistakeholder Sounding Board (IMSB) recognizes the importance and timely release of the Zero Draft by the Co-Facilitators of the WSIS+20 review process, their Excellencies, the Ambassadors of Albania, H. E. Suela Janina and Kenya, H. E. Ekitela Lokaale. This Zero Draft is a much anticipated document, reflecting the broad range of issues under consideration in the WSIS review, and the diverse input received during the consultative process that followed publication of the Elements Paper.

The IMSB appreciates the extent to which the Zero Draft seeks to incorporate this input, made possible by the consultative process and the open and regular engagement of the Co-Facilitators in dialogues with varied stakeholders in recent months.

Since the publication of the Zero Draft, several community-led consultations have already begun. The IMSB members will seek to join as many as possible, to listen and understand perspectives from a range of stakeholders. A full list of consultations can be found here. If there are others not on the list, please do reach out to the IMSB to advise, and IMSB members will endeavor to join. Members of the IMSB also remain open to engagements with community-based groups to better understand their views on the document.

As we did with the Elements Paper, the IMSB will review the Zero Draft and provide input, with a focus on key points relevant to the subject areas. As with the Elements Paper, the IMSB's input will complement the responses being sought from all stakeholders by the Co-Facilitators in development of the next Draft of the WSIS+20 UN General Assembly Resolution.

Finally, the IMSB Terms of Reference are clear. Our primary role is to engage with the global, multistakeholder community and ensure that perspectives and priorities from a diverse range of non-governmental stakeholders (including individuals and regional or sectoral groups) are effectively conveyed to the Co-Facilitators for consideration in the WSIS+20 negotiation process, helping to ensure the review process is responsive to broader public interest concerns. The IMSB outputs will complement but not replace global multistakeholder input and broader joint consultations mechanisms.

IMSB Blog: First update on the WSIS+20 Informal Multistakeholder Sounding Board

As members of the Informal Multistakeholder Sounding Board (IMSB), we would like to express our deep appreciation to the Co-Facilitators of the WSIS+20 review process—the Ambassadors of Albania, H. E. Suela Janina and Kenya, H. E. Ekitela Lokaale —for our nomination and for the opportunity to contribute to this important work. It is an honour to support the Co-Facilitators and the broader UN system in this effort to ensure that the voices and perspectives of diverse stakeholders and communities are included in the WSIS review process.

From our initial discussions with the Co-Facilitators (and the group's Terms of Reference), it is clear that a primary role for the IMSB will be to engage with the global, multistakeholder community and ensure that perspectives from a diverse range of stakeholders (including individuals and regional or sectoral groups) are effectively conveyed to the Co-Facilitators for consideration in the WSIS+20 negotiation process. The IMSB outputs will complement but not replace global multistakeholder input and broader joint consultations mechanisms.

It's obviously early days, and at this stage we are focused on establishing some processes for ourselves - at this stage, we have selected Vint Cerf and Jennifer Chung as the two Co-Convenors for the group and we are meeting regularly as the IMSB. We will meet strategically with the Co-Facilitators themselves, with a cadence still to be agreed upon.

As an initial task, the IMSB has been asked to develop a response to the Elements Paper (complementing the responses being sought from all stakeholders) as additional input to the Co-Facilitators in development of the Zero Draft of the WSIS+20 UN General Assembly Resolution.

We are looking forward to the task ahead, to working closely with the Co-Facilitators, and to engaging widely with multistakeholder communities, so expect to see or hear from members of the IMSB in various community venues in the coming weeks and months.

WSIS+20 Co-Facilitators Hold Inaugural Meeting with IMSB at WSIS Forum

On the sidelines of the WSIS Forum 2025 in Geneva, the WSIS+20 Co-Facilitators held their inaugural meeting with members of the Informal Multistakeholder Sounding Board (IMSB) on 10 July 2025. The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the IMSB's roles and responsibilities in supporting the WSIS+20 overall review process.

For more information on the IMSB and its role in the WSIS+20 review, please refer to its Terms of Reference.

Announcement of Selected Members of the WSIS+20 Informal Multistakeholder Sounding Board (IMSB)

The Co-Facilitators of the WSIS+20 Review are pleased to announce the composition of the Informal Multistakeholder Sounding Board (IMSB), an informal mechanism established to support an open and responsive twenty-year review of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).

Following an open call for expressions of interest among eligible non-governmental members of the 2025 Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) and Leadership Panel (LP), the following individuals have been selected to serve on the IMSB:

* Valeria Betancourt (Ecuador), Civil Society – Latin America and the Caribbean
* Chris Buckridge (Australia), Technical Community – Western European and Others Group
* Amrita Choudhury (India), Civil Society – Asia Pacific
* Jennifer Chung (China), Technical Community – Asia Pacific
* Hossam Reda Elgamal (Egypt), Private Sector – Africa
* Maria Fernanda Garza (Mexico), Private Sector – Latin America and the Caribbean
* Tereza Horejsova (Czechia), Civil Society – Eastern Europe
* Wolfgang Kleinwächter (Germany), Civil Society – Western European and Others Group
* Jimson Olufuye (Nigeria), Private Sector – Africa
* Theresa Swinehart (United States), Technical Community – Western European and Others Group

Ex Officio
* Vinton Cerf (United States) — At-large – Western European and Others Group – Chair of the LP

The IMSB’s formation follows principles of regional, stakeholder and gender balance. Its work will take place from July through December 2025, concluding ahead of the WSIS+20 High-Level Meeting.

WSIS+20 Co-Facilitators Launch Informal Multistakeholder Sounding Board (IMSB) – Call for Interest

The Co-Facilitators of the WSIS+20 Review are pleased to announce the establishment of the Informal Multistakeholder Sounding Board (IMSB) — an informal stakeholder mechanism designed to serve as a channel for diverse multistakeholder perspectives, not a formal advisory group.

Composed of non-governmental members of the IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) and Leadership Panel (LP), the IMSB will contribute to a transparent, inclusive, and responsive WSIS+20 review process.

Role and Functions:

Assist the Co-Facilitators informally by offering stakeholder-informed perspectives on key issues under negotiation, based on consolidated feedback from civil society, technical communities, academia, the private sector, youth, and other relevant non-governmental actors.
Synthesize contributions from multistakeholder consultations into actionable advice, reflections, and written notes.
Promote inclusivity by ensuring dialogue across regions, sectors, and traditionally underrepresented voices, with particular emphasis on the participation of women and girls, especially from the developing countries.

Gender parity and geographical representation are essential requirements for the formation of the group. Its establishment will proceed only if these conditions are met.

Participation is open to all eligible non-governmental members of the 2025 IGF MAG and LP.

Terms of Reference of the IMSB are available here.

Interested individuals are invited to email @email by 25 June 2025.