WEBCAST 11-14 OCT – 2025 Asia-Pacific Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF)
[image: ISOC.LIVE] <https://isoc.live/19750>*YOUTUBE PLAYLIST <https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0BWwBA9kNFfIzcCFN7bfK5so8rBZuqhj> * | *PERMALINK <https://isoc.live/19750>* On *Saturday-Tuesday 11-14 October 2025* the *Asia-Pacific Internet Governance Forum <https://ap.rigf.asia/>* (APrIGF) is being convened as a virtual event. APrIGF serves as a platform for discussion, exchange and collaboration at a regional level, and also where possible to aggregate national IGF discussions, ultimately advance the Internet governance development in the Asia Pacific region. Remote participation is available via Zoom, The event will be simulcast by ISOC>LIVE. PROGRAM <https://ap.rigf.asia/2025-program-schedule/> (All times UTC)Day 0 – October 11, 202504:00–06:00 APrIGF Day 0 Capacity Building for Fellows and Newcomers | YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/GH88DT8rqQg> *Swaran Ravendra* *Ashirwad Tripathy* Breakout Group Facilitators: *Dr. Ghimire* (Sustainability) *Adrian Wan* (Resilience) *Syed Kazi* (Access & Inclusion) *Maureen Hilyard* (Security & Trust) *Cheryl* (Innovation & Emerging Tech) 07:00–07:10 Introduction of Asia Pacific yIGF | YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/qye7rdxUsFE>07:10–07:30 Idea Wall | YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/-s5YpQkXr3g>07:30–08:15 Designing Equal Futures: Youth, AI, and the Path to Digital Inclusion | YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/IXPOMRTABHc> *Athena Tong* – Visiting Researcher, University of Tokyo & Researcher and Program Lead, China Strategic Risks Institute *Karlina Octaviany* – AI Advisor for the “Fair Forward – Artificial Intelligence for All ” at GIZ *Muhammad Asad Ul Rehman* – Cybersecurity Consultant *Surabhi Srivastava* – Media Innovation Director, RNW Media *Aristheo Lacuna* – Co-chair, National Association of Social Enterprise Educators and Administrators *Rex Wallen Tan* – General Manager, Princeton Assessments and Training, Inc. Moderators: *Bea Guevarra* – Head of Program Development, NetMission.Asia *Rupam Barui* – Asia Pacific yIGF 2025 Organizing Committee Member Breakout Group Facilitators: *Ankita Rathi* *Nawal Munir* *Dean Mark M. Molde* *Bea Guevarra* *Rupam Barui* 08:15–09:15 APAC Youth Leaders Dialogue – Co-Creating Safe Digital Future Through Intergenerational Action | YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/X1uHobamIxA> *Dikchya Raut* – Advocacy Lead in Internet Safety Programme, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts *Amisha Mittal* – Research Analyst, Pranava Institute Moderator: *Jenna Fung* – Head Coordinator, Asia Pacific Youth IGF 09:25–10:25 APAC Youth WSIS+20 Statement: Live Discussion & Editing | YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/jdvcSNSSsaQ> https://netmission.asia/2025/07/28/have-a-say-in-wsis20-apac-youth-in-action... 10:25–11:25 IGF 2025 Youth Track Workshop III – Age Verification and Social Media Regulation | YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/xkKEsq7RFuE> *Sølve Kuraas Karlsen* – Leder Tenk, Skoleavdelingen til Faktisk.no *Samik Kharel* – Independent Journalist Moderators: *Herman Johansen* – UN IGF Secretariat *Bea Guevarra* – Asia Pacific yIGF Local Hub (Manila) *Jenna Fung* – Asia Pacific yIGF 2025 Breakout Group Facilitators: *Nawal Munir* – Asia Pacific yIGF Local Hub (Islamabad) *Dean Mark Molde* – Asia Pacific yIGF Local Hub (Manila) *Sanjina Kshetri* – Nepal YIGF *Ankita Rathi* – Asia Pacific yIGF 11:25–12:25 Panel – Power, Platforms, and Participation: Reclaiming Our Digital Selves | YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/NEGbrV0oQGU> *Andy Piper* – Head of Communications, Mastodon *Archit Lohani* – AI Safety, Online Harms & Platform Governance Researcher *Dmitry Kuznetsov* – Researcher at Critical Infrastructure Lab & NetMission Advisory Board member *Dr. Nur Adlin Hanisah Shahul Ikram* – PhD in Data Privacy Moderator: *Nawal Munir* – Strategic Content & Research Manager, NetMission.Asia 12:25–12:45 Way Forward and Preview | YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/kUyKFxqJ4l4>Day 1 – October 12, 202504:00–05:30 APrIGF 2025 Opening Ceremony | *YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/JhYuEn24K1s?feature=share>* *Dr. Bhoj Raj Ghimire* – Co-Convenor, Program Committee, APrIGF (Emcee) *Edmon Chung* – APrIGF Secretariat (Opening Remarks) *Amrita Choudhury* – Chair, Multistakeholder Steering Group (MSG) of APrIGF (Welcome) *Sally Wentworth* – President & CEO, Internet Society (Keynote) *Babu Ram Aryal* – Chair, Host Steering Committee (Remarks) Opening Plenary – Platform Governance in Asia Pacific *Maria Tessa* – IGF Leadersip Panel (video) *Sumana Shrestha* – Former Minister of Education, Science & Technology, Nepal *Ferdous Mottakin* – Head, Government Affairs and Public Policy for South Asia, TikTok *Jaco Du Toit* – Head of Nepal Office, UNESCO *Shita Laksmi* – Consultant / Southeast Asia Representative, Diplo *Wathshlah Naidu* – Executive Director, CIJ Malaysia Moderator: *Yasmine Bhattarai* – Head of Information Security Unit, Ncell 05:45–06:45 AI4Justice: Bridging the Access Gap or Deepening the Digital Divide in the Asia-Pacific? | *YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/2ZHELz_gq6I?feature=share>* *Justice Nahakul Subedi* – Judge, Supreme Court of Nepal *Gayatri Raman* – Managing Director, LexisNexis South East Asia *Prateek Sibal* – Programme Specialist, UNESCO HQ *Prof. D.A Patel* – Dean, Kirit P. Mehta School of Law, Mumbai Moderator: *Amit Upreti* – Joint Registrar, Supreme Court of Nepal 05:45–06:45 Disasters, Data, and Digital Rights | *YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/ZLTyEKZAsck?feature=share>* *Prem Awasthi* – Planning Officer, United Nations (Nepal) *Thein Myint Khine* – Founder and CEO, Myanmar Internet Exchange (MMIX) (Myanmar) *Dr. Amreesh Phokeer* – Internet Measurement and Data Expert, Internet Society (Mauritius) *Hon. Sumana Shrestha* – Member of Parliament, Nepal Parliament (Nepal) Moderator: *Yug Desai* – Doctoral Candidate, South Asian University (India) Facilitator: *Pavel Farhan* – Internet Governance Officer, The IO Foundation (Thailand) 07:15–08:15 Multistakeholderism and meaningful participation in DPI Governance: What should it actually look like? | *YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/HUTlRoCQWvw?feature=share>* *Disha Verma* – Program Manager, Asia Pacific, Tech Global Institute (India) *Mila T. Samdub* – Coalition Member, HR4ID (India) 07:15–07:45 Rethinking Universal Service Funds in South Asia: Challenges, Impact, and the Road Ahead | *YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/tciHLqMlPQY?feature=share>* *Dr. Mahesh Uppal* – Director, ComFirst Pvt Ltd (India) Moderator: *Omar Ansari* – Digital Leap – South Asia Project Lead, APNIC Foundation (Australia) 08:00–08:20 Social AI, Youth and Digital Vulnerability: A call for multi-stakeholder action in the APAC | *YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/ddSPKVt8o5w?feature=share>* *Sriya Sridhar* – Research Fellow, The Pranava Institute (India) 08:30–09:30 “Which Animal Are You?” Take a Quiz, Learn More | *YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/0uZSReINvlQ?feature=share>* *Monika* – Executive Director, Body & Data (Nepal) *Nuva Rai* – Sr. Program Officer, Body & Data (Nepal) 08:30–09:30 Not Just Participants: Youth as Co-Governors of the Internet | *YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/WZwmQJFZXrk?feature=share>* *Amrita Choudhury* – Director, CCAOI (India) *Bea Guevarra* – Head of Program Development, NetMission.Asia (Philippines) Moderator: *Ashirwad Tripathy* – Co-Founder & Executive Director, Educating Nepal (Nepal) Facilitator: *Socheata Sokhachan* – Head of Community Engagement, NetMission.Asia (Cambodia) 09:45–11:00 WSIS+20 High-Level Main Session and WSIS+20 Town Hall | YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/C5Kk18WC63U?feature=share> *Plenary Roundtable:* H. E. Suela Janina – Co-facilitator of WSIS+20, Representative of the Republic of Albania to the United Nations H.E Ekitela Lokaale – Co-facilitator of WSIS+20, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kenya to the United Nations *Sally Wentworth* – President & CEO, Internet Society & Internet Society Foundation *William Lee* – Assistant Director, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, Australia *Anita Gurumurthy* – Executive Director, IT For Change Moderators: *Alban Kwan* – Co-Chair, APrIGF 2025 Drafting Committee *Syed Kazi* – Co-Chair, APrIGF 2025 Drafting Committee *Yien Chyn Tan* – Co-Chair, APrIGF 2025 Drafting Committee WSIS+20 Town Hall Session Moderators: *Alban Kwan* – Co-Chair, APrIGF 2025 Drafting Committee *Syed Kazi* – Co-Chair, APrIGF 2025 Drafting Committee *Yien Chyn Tan* – Co-Chair, APrIGF 2025 Drafting Committee Day 2 – October 13, 202503:15–04:15 Nothing About Us Without Us: Advancing Inclusive Digital Governance for Persons with Disabilities in Asia-Pacific *Rahma Utami* – Founder & Knowledge/Accessibility Director, Suarise (Indonesia) *T B Dinesh* – Community Media Activist & Technologist, Janastu (India) *Dr. Birendra Raj Pokhrel* – Disability Rights Leader, Abilis Nepal Network (Nepal) *Dr. Baburam Bhattarai* – Former Prime Minister, Government of Nepal (Nepal) *Dr. Ashim Khadka* – Assistant Professor, Nepal College of Information Technology (Nepal) *Sarita Lamichhane* – Accessibility Advocate (Nepal) Moderator: *Krishna Maharjan* – Secretary General, Disability Empowerment Society Nepal (Nepal) Facilitator: *Roji Maharjan* – Member, Disability Empowerment Society Nepal (Nepal) 03:15–04:15 Regulating AI Beyond the Hype: Evidence, Equity, and Policy Priorities for the Asia-Pacific *Aadhesh Khadka* – Joint Secretary, Ministry of Communication & IT, Government of Nepal (Nepal) *Aishwarya Salvi* – AI Policy Advisor, FAIR Forward – Artificial Intelligence for All, GIZ (India) *Sunil Abraham* – Public Policy Director, Data Economy & Emerging Tech, Meta India (India) *Shita Laksmi* – Digital Government Consultant (Indonesia) Moderator: *Shradhanjali Sarma* – Legal and Policy Consultant, CCAOI (India) Facilitator: *Swati Shinde* – Consultant, CCAOI (India) 04:30–05:00 Local Bots, Global Norms: Discussing content moderation and chatbots in the APAC region *Aliya Bhatia* – Senior Policy Analyst, Centre for Democracy and Technology (USA) Moderator: *Torsha Sarkar* – Project Manager, Centre for Communication Governance (India) 04:30–05:30 Internet Governance at a Crossroads: Asia-Pacific Priorities for WSIS+20 and Beyond *Joyce Chen* – Senior Advisor for Strategic Engagement, APNIC *Veronica Deutrom* – Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, Australian Government *Angela Wibawa* – Government and IGO Engagement Director, APAC, ICANN *Adrian Wan* – Senior Manager, Policy & Advocacy, Internet Society Moderator: *Amrita Choudhury* – Director, CCAOI 05:15–05:35 Digital Dilemmas in Just Transitions: Lessons from India’s Coal Heartland *Maitri Singh* – Senior Officer & Researcher (Just Transition), Digital Empowerment Foundation (India) *Rishi Kishore* – Fellow (Energy Transition & Climate Policy), Swaniti Global (India) Moderator: *Deeksha Pande* – Associate Fellow, Swaniti Global (India) 05:45–06:45 Smart, Safe, Strong: Youth Innovations for Online Child Protection *Down To Zero Alliance Indonesia* (Indonesia) *Gazipur Bangladesh Youth Group* (Bangladesh) *Youth Voices for Change Philippines* (Philippines) *Thailand CRC Youth Voice for Change Coalition* (Thailand) Moderator: *Maxenne Anne Delos Reyes* – SUFASEC Youth Facilitator, Plan International Pilipinas (Philippines) Facilitator: *Itsaraporn Daoram* – Regional Coordinator for East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, ECPAT International (Thailand) 05:45–06:45 Prioritising Digital Gender Inclusion in Asia: From Token Mentions to Transformative Action *Amrita Choudhury* – Director, CCAOI (India) *Bea Guevarra* – Head of Program Development, NetMission.Asia (Philippines) Moderator: *Ashirwad Tripathy* – Co-Founder & Executive Director, Educating Nepal (Nepal) Facilitator: *Socheata Sokhachan* – Head of Community Engagement, NetMission.Asia (Cambodia) 07:15–07:35 Powering Sustainable Connectivity: curveIQ’s Low-Cost Solution for Remote Telecom Sites *Matthew J* – Managing Director, Distant Curve (Australia) 07:15–08:15 AI as Public Good: Analysing the interplay of Private Investments, Public Infrastructure and Public Accountability *Suruchi Kumari* – Research and Communication Consultant, Digital Empowerment Foundation (India) Moderator: *Megha Garg* – Communication and Marketing Manager(India) Facilitator: *Varun Ramdas* – Senior Manager (India) 07:45–08:15 Experience of Co-designing Digital Justice and Inclusion Initiatives with Communities in Bangladesh *Umme Humayra* – Programme Officer, Oxfam in Bangladesh (Bangladesh) Moderator: *Nafisa Tasnim Khan* – Senior Programme Officer, Oxfam in Bangladesh (Bangladesh) Facilitator: *Tausif Uddin Ahmed* – Senior Software Developer, Oxfam in Bangladesh (Bangladesh) 08:30–09:30 Bridging the Digital Divide: Youth Access to Knowledge, Policy, and Power *Muh Rifai Sahida* – Founder, Garis Hitam Indonesia & Turun Tangan Mamuju (Indonesia) *Minh Trung Doan* – Research Coordinator, Basic Income Earth Network; Student, Eötvös Loránd University 08:30–09:30 Inclusive Digital Policies in Asia-Pacific *Aadesh Khadka* – Joint Secretary & Head of ICT Division, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Nepal) *Sriganesh Lokanathan* – Digital Transformation Specialist, UNDP (Sri Lanka) *Parinita Upadhyay* – Head, ITU Area Office & Innovation Center, New Delhi (India) *Waqas Hassan* – Regional Lead for Asia, Global Digital Inclusion Partnership (Pakistan) *Tatevik Grigoryan* – Associate Programme Specialist, UNESCO (Armenia) Moderator: *Nirjana Sharma* – Programme Officer, UNESCO (Nepal) Facilitator: *Maaly Hazaz* – South Asia Regional Advisor, UNESCO (Jordan) 09:45–11:00 APrIGF Town Hall SessionDay 3 – October 14, 202504:00–05:00 Beyond Connection: Fostering Digital Literacy and Accessibility for All Ages and Abilities *Mohammad Shabbir Awan* – Executive Chief, Path Finder Solutions (Private) Limited (Pakistan) *Gunela Astbrink* – Member, UN IGF MAG (Australia) *Satish Babu* – Co-Founder, InApp (India) *Prof. Dr. Bal Krishna Bala* – Professor, Department of Computer Engineering, Kathmandu University (Nepal) Moderator: *Susmeera Aryal* – Executive Director, Women’s Group for Disability Rights (Nepal) Facilitator: *Aakriti Gautam* – Policy Associate, Internet Governance Institute (Nepal) 04:00–05:00 From Oversight to Overlooked: Ethics in AI Governance *Jocellin Lee* – Founder, AI Safety Lab (South Korea) *Dr. Musab Alrawi* – Director, ICESCO Chair for AI Ethics, University of Technology and Applied Sciences (Oman) *Supriya Kulkarni* – Founder, The Ethics Company (Indonesia) *Muhammad Umair Ali* – Digital Consultant/Project Manager, ADDO AI (Pvt) Ltd (Pakistan) Moderator: *Tayyaba Iftikhar* – Assistant Director, Pakistan Telecom Authority (Pakistan) Facilitator: *Harisa Shahid* – Information Security Engineer, Strategic Systems International (Pvt) Ltd (Pakistan) 05:15–06:15 APrIGF 2025 Fellowship Presentation05:15–06:15 Building Rights-Centric Digital Infrastructure: A Collaborative Workshop on the Data-Centric Digital Rights (DCDR) Framework *Jean F. Queralt* — Founder & CEO, The IO Foundation (Malaysia) *Svetlana Zens* — Program Manager, Engage Tech for Internet Freedoms, ASIA *Sadichchha Silwal* — Program Officer, Digital Rights Nepal (Nepal) *Adrian Wan* — Senior Manager, Policy & Advocacy, Internet Society (Singapore) *Prapasiri Suttisom* — Digital Rights Project Coordinator, EngageMedia (Thailand) Moderator: *Pavel Farhan* — Internet Governance Officer, The IO Foundation (Thailand) Facilitator: *Yug Desai* — Doctoral Candidate, South Asia University (India) 06:30–07:00 A Garden of Connectivity: Visualizing the Internet Connectivity Landscape *Ezmieralda Melissa* — Associate Lecturer Specialist, Binus University (Indonesia) *Brandon Chong Kian Hua* — Student, University of Technology Sarawak (Malaysia) Moderator: *Tariq Zaman* — Professor, University of Technology Sarawak (Malaysia) Facilitator: *Ram Naresh Kumar* — Assistant Professor, Food and Agri Business School (FABS), Sagar Group of Institutes (India) 06:30–07:30 Empowering Data for All: Unlocking Trust and Transparency using Open Data Editor Moderator: *Nikesh Balami* — Co-founder & CEO, Open Knowledge Nepal (Nepal) Facilitator: *James Shrestha* — Chief Operating Officer, Open Knowledge Nepal (Nepal) 07:15–07:30 The Growing Threat of Personal Liability in Platform Regulation: A Necessary Measure or Overreach? *Angela Thomas* — Counsel, SFLC.in (India) 09:00–10:15 APrIGF – Town Hall10:30–12:15 APrIGF – Closing Plenary *Roundtable: Bridging the Digital Divide: Strategies for Inclusive and Sustainable Connectivity in the Asia-Pacific Region* *Binay Bohra* – Managing Director, Vianet Communications *Dr. Devesh Tyagi* – Chief Executive Officer, NIXI *Marie Lisa M. Dacanay* – President, Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA) *Sarai F. Tevita* – Information and Communication Technology Director, National University of Samoa *Toshiaki Tateishi* – Vice Chairman, Japan Internet Providers Association Moderator: *Suman Basnet* – Regional Director, AMARC-Asia Pacific *Closing Ceremony* *Babu Ram Aryal* – Chair, Host Steering Committee *Edmon Chung*– APrIGF Secretariat *Closing Keynote Speech*: TBC *Bea Guevarra* – Co-chair of Asia Pacific yIGF 2025 *Ashirwad Tripathy* – Vice-Chair, APrIGF Multistakeholder Steering Group (MSG) O*fficial Appointment for the next Chair & Vice-Chair* (2026-2028) -- -------------------------------------- Joly MacFie +12185659365 -------------------------------------- -
YouTube will have auto captions - Real Time Text via CaptionFirst links are - Plenary - https://igf.asia/2025streamtext1 - Track 1 - https://igf.asia/2025streamtext2 - Track 2 - https://igf.asia/2025streamtext3 On Sat, Oct 11, 2025 at 6:15 PM Joly MacFie <joly@punkcast.com> wrote:
[image: ISOC.LIVE] <https://isoc.live/19750>*YOUTUBE PLAYLIST <https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0BWwBA9kNFfIzcCFN7bfK5so8rBZuqhj> * | *PERMALINK <https://isoc.live/19750>*
On *Saturday-Tuesday 11-14 October 2025* the *Asia-Pacific Internet Governance Forum <https://ap.rigf.asia/>* (APrIGF) is being convened as a virtual event. APrIGF serves as a platform for discussion, exchange and collaboration at a regional level, and also where possible to aggregate national IGF discussions, ultimately advance the Internet governance development in the Asia Pacific region. Remote participation is available via Zoom, The event will be simulcast by ISOC>LIVE. PROGRAM <https://ap.rigf.asia/2025-program-schedule/> (All times UTC)Day 0 – October 11, 202504:00–06:00 APrIGF Day 0 Capacity Building for Fellows and Newcomers | YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/GH88DT8rqQg>
*Swaran Ravendra* *Ashirwad Tripathy* Breakout Group Facilitators: *Dr. Ghimire* (Sustainability) *Adrian Wan* (Resilience) *Syed Kazi* (Access & Inclusion) *Maureen Hilyard* (Security & Trust) *Cheryl* (Innovation & Emerging Tech) 07:00–07:10 Introduction of Asia Pacific yIGF | YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/qye7rdxUsFE>07:10–07:30 Idea Wall | YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/-s5YpQkXr3g>07:30–08:15 Designing Equal Futures: Youth, AI, and the Path to Digital Inclusion | YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/IXPOMRTABHc>
*Athena Tong* – Visiting Researcher, University of Tokyo & Researcher and Program Lead, China Strategic Risks Institute *Karlina Octaviany* – AI Advisor for the “Fair Forward – Artificial Intelligence for All ” at GIZ *Muhammad Asad Ul Rehman* – Cybersecurity Consultant *Surabhi Srivastava* – Media Innovation Director, RNW Media *Aristheo Lacuna* – Co-chair, National Association of Social Enterprise Educators and Administrators *Rex Wallen Tan* – General Manager, Princeton Assessments and Training, Inc. Moderators: *Bea Guevarra* – Head of Program Development, NetMission.Asia *Rupam Barui* – Asia Pacific yIGF 2025 Organizing Committee Member Breakout Group Facilitators: *Ankita Rathi* *Nawal Munir* *Dean Mark M. Molde* *Bea Guevarra* *Rupam Barui* 08:15–09:15 APAC Youth Leaders Dialogue – Co-Creating Safe Digital Future Through Intergenerational Action | YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/X1uHobamIxA>
*Dikchya Raut* – Advocacy Lead in Internet Safety Programme, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts *Amisha Mittal* – Research Analyst, Pranava Institute Moderator: *Jenna Fung* – Head Coordinator, Asia Pacific Youth IGF 09:25–10:25 APAC Youth WSIS+20 Statement: Live Discussion & Editing | YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/jdvcSNSSsaQ>
https://netmission.asia/2025/07/28/have-a-say-in-wsis20-apac-youth-in-action... 10:25–11:25 IGF 2025 Youth Track Workshop III – Age Verification and Social Media Regulation | YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/xkKEsq7RFuE>
*Sølve Kuraas Karlsen* – Leder Tenk, Skoleavdelingen til Faktisk.no *Samik Kharel* – Independent Journalist Moderators: *Herman Johansen* – UN IGF Secretariat *Bea Guevarra* – Asia Pacific yIGF Local Hub (Manila) *Jenna Fung* – Asia Pacific yIGF 2025 Breakout Group Facilitators: *Nawal Munir* – Asia Pacific yIGF Local Hub (Islamabad) *Dean Mark Molde* – Asia Pacific yIGF Local Hub (Manila) *Sanjina Kshetri* – Nepal YIGF *Ankita Rathi* – Asia Pacific yIGF 11:25–12:25 Panel – Power, Platforms, and Participation: Reclaiming Our Digital Selves | YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/NEGbrV0oQGU>
*Andy Piper* – Head of Communications, Mastodon *Archit Lohani* – AI Safety, Online Harms & Platform Governance Researcher *Dmitry Kuznetsov* – Researcher at Critical Infrastructure Lab & NetMission Advisory Board member *Dr. Nur Adlin Hanisah Shahul Ikram* – PhD in Data Privacy Moderator: *Nawal Munir* – Strategic Content & Research Manager, NetMission.Asia 12:25–12:45 Way Forward and Preview | YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/kUyKFxqJ4l4>Day 1 – October 12, 202504:00–05:30 APrIGF 2025 Opening Ceremony | *YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/JhYuEn24K1s?feature=share>*
*Dr. Bhoj Raj Ghimire* – Co-Convenor, Program Committee, APrIGF (Emcee) *Edmon Chung* – APrIGF Secretariat (Opening Remarks) *Amrita Choudhury* – Chair, Multistakeholder Steering Group (MSG) of APrIGF (Welcome) *Sally Wentworth* – President & CEO, Internet Society (Keynote) *Babu Ram Aryal* – Chair, Host Steering Committee (Remarks) Opening Plenary – Platform Governance in Asia Pacific
*Maria Tessa* – IGF Leadersip Panel (video) *Sumana Shrestha* – Former Minister of Education, Science & Technology, Nepal *Ferdous Mottakin* – Head, Government Affairs and Public Policy for South Asia, TikTok *Jaco Du Toit* – Head of Nepal Office, UNESCO *Shita Laksmi* – Consultant / Southeast Asia Representative, Diplo *Wathshlah Naidu* – Executive Director, CIJ Malaysia Moderator: *Yasmine Bhattarai* – Head of Information Security Unit, Ncell 05:45–06:45 AI4Justice: Bridging the Access Gap or Deepening the Digital Divide in the Asia-Pacific? | *YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/2ZHELz_gq6I?feature=share>*
*Justice Nahakul Subedi* – Judge, Supreme Court of Nepal *Gayatri Raman* – Managing Director, LexisNexis South East Asia *Prateek Sibal* – Programme Specialist, UNESCO HQ *Prof. D.A Patel* – Dean, Kirit P. Mehta School of Law, Mumbai Moderator: *Amit Upreti* – Joint Registrar, Supreme Court of Nepal 05:45–06:45 Disasters, Data, and Digital Rights | *YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/ZLTyEKZAsck?feature=share>*
*Prem Awasthi* – Planning Officer, United Nations (Nepal) *Thein Myint Khine* – Founder and CEO, Myanmar Internet Exchange (MMIX) (Myanmar) *Dr. Amreesh Phokeer* – Internet Measurement and Data Expert, Internet Society (Mauritius) *Hon. Sumana Shrestha* – Member of Parliament, Nepal Parliament (Nepal) Moderator: *Yug Desai* – Doctoral Candidate, South Asian University (India) Facilitator: *Pavel Farhan* – Internet Governance Officer, The IO Foundation (Thailand) 07:15–08:15 Multistakeholderism and meaningful participation in DPI Governance: What should it actually look like? | *YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/HUTlRoCQWvw?feature=share>*
*Disha Verma* – Program Manager, Asia Pacific, Tech Global Institute (India) *Mila T. Samdub* – Coalition Member, HR4ID (India) 07:15–07:45 Rethinking Universal Service Funds in South Asia: Challenges, Impact, and the Road Ahead | *YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/tciHLqMlPQY?feature=share>*
*Dr. Mahesh Uppal* – Director, ComFirst Pvt Ltd (India) Moderator: *Omar Ansari* – Digital Leap – South Asia Project Lead, APNIC Foundation (Australia) 08:00–08:20 Social AI, Youth and Digital Vulnerability: A call for multi-stakeholder action in the APAC | *YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/ddSPKVt8o5w?feature=share>*
*Sriya Sridhar* – Research Fellow, The Pranava Institute (India) 08:30–09:30 “Which Animal Are You?” Take a Quiz, Learn More | *YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/0uZSReINvlQ?feature=share>*
*Monika* – Executive Director, Body & Data (Nepal) *Nuva Rai* – Sr. Program Officer, Body & Data (Nepal) 08:30–09:30 Not Just Participants: Youth as Co-Governors of the Internet | *YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/WZwmQJFZXrk?feature=share>*
*Amrita Choudhury* – Director, CCAOI (India) *Bea Guevarra* – Head of Program Development, NetMission.Asia (Philippines) Moderator: *Ashirwad Tripathy* – Co-Founder & Executive Director, Educating Nepal (Nepal) Facilitator: *Socheata Sokhachan* – Head of Community Engagement, NetMission.Asia (Cambodia) 09:45–11:00 WSIS+20 High-Level Main Session and WSIS+20 Town Hall | YOUTUBE <https://youtube.com/live/C5Kk18WC63U?feature=share>
*Plenary Roundtable:* H. E. Suela Janina – Co-facilitator of WSIS+20, Representative of the Republic of Albania to the United Nations H.E Ekitela Lokaale – Co-facilitator of WSIS+20, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kenya to the United Nations *Sally Wentworth* – President & CEO, Internet Society & Internet Society Foundation *William Lee* – Assistant Director, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, Australia *Anita Gurumurthy* – Executive Director, IT For Change Moderators: *Alban Kwan* – Co-Chair, APrIGF 2025 Drafting Committee *Syed Kazi* – Co-Chair, APrIGF 2025 Drafting Committee *Yien Chyn Tan* – Co-Chair, APrIGF 2025 Drafting Committee WSIS+20 Town Hall Session
Moderators: *Alban Kwan* – Co-Chair, APrIGF 2025 Drafting Committee *Syed Kazi* – Co-Chair, APrIGF 2025 Drafting Committee *Yien Chyn Tan* – Co-Chair, APrIGF 2025 Drafting Committee Day 2 – October 13, 202503:15–04:15 Nothing About Us Without Us: Advancing Inclusive Digital Governance for Persons with Disabilities in Asia-Pacific
*Rahma Utami* – Founder & Knowledge/Accessibility Director, Suarise (Indonesia) *T B Dinesh* – Community Media Activist & Technologist, Janastu (India) *Dr. Birendra Raj Pokhrel* – Disability Rights Leader, Abilis Nepal Network (Nepal) *Dr. Baburam Bhattarai* – Former Prime Minister, Government of Nepal (Nepal) *Dr. Ashim Khadka* – Assistant Professor, Nepal College of Information Technology (Nepal) *Sarita Lamichhane* – Accessibility Advocate (Nepal) Moderator: *Krishna Maharjan* – Secretary General, Disability Empowerment Society Nepal (Nepal) Facilitator: *Roji Maharjan* – Member, Disability Empowerment Society Nepal (Nepal) 03:15–04:15 Regulating AI Beyond the Hype: Evidence, Equity, and Policy Priorities for the Asia-Pacific
*Aadhesh Khadka* – Joint Secretary, Ministry of Communication & IT, Government of Nepal (Nepal) *Aishwarya Salvi* – AI Policy Advisor, FAIR Forward – Artificial Intelligence for All, GIZ (India) *Sunil Abraham* – Public Policy Director, Data Economy & Emerging Tech, Meta India (India) *Shita Laksmi* – Digital Government Consultant (Indonesia) Moderator: *Shradhanjali Sarma* – Legal and Policy Consultant, CCAOI (India) Facilitator: *Swati Shinde* – Consultant, CCAOI (India) 04:30–05:00 Local Bots, Global Norms: Discussing content moderation and chatbots in the APAC region
*Aliya Bhatia* – Senior Policy Analyst, Centre for Democracy and Technology (USA) Moderator: *Torsha Sarkar* – Project Manager, Centre for Communication Governance (India) 04:30–05:30 Internet Governance at a Crossroads: Asia-Pacific Priorities for WSIS+20 and Beyond
*Joyce Chen* – Senior Advisor for Strategic Engagement, APNIC *Veronica Deutrom* – Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, Australian Government *Angela Wibawa* – Government and IGO Engagement Director, APAC, ICANN *Adrian Wan* – Senior Manager, Policy & Advocacy, Internet Society Moderator: *Amrita Choudhury* – Director, CCAOI 05:15–05:35 Digital Dilemmas in Just Transitions: Lessons from India’s Coal Heartland
*Maitri Singh* – Senior Officer & Researcher (Just Transition), Digital Empowerment Foundation (India) *Rishi Kishore* – Fellow (Energy Transition & Climate Policy), Swaniti Global (India) Moderator: *Deeksha Pande* – Associate Fellow, Swaniti Global (India) 05:45–06:45 Smart, Safe, Strong: Youth Innovations for Online Child Protection
*Down To Zero Alliance Indonesia* (Indonesia) *Gazipur Bangladesh Youth Group* (Bangladesh) *Youth Voices for Change Philippines* (Philippines) *Thailand CRC Youth Voice for Change Coalition* (Thailand) Moderator: *Maxenne Anne Delos Reyes* – SUFASEC Youth Facilitator, Plan International Pilipinas (Philippines) Facilitator: *Itsaraporn Daoram* – Regional Coordinator for East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, ECPAT International (Thailand) 05:45–06:45 Prioritising Digital Gender Inclusion in Asia: From Token Mentions to Transformative Action
*Amrita Choudhury* – Director, CCAOI (India) *Bea Guevarra* – Head of Program Development, NetMission.Asia (Philippines) Moderator: *Ashirwad Tripathy* – Co-Founder & Executive Director, Educating Nepal (Nepal) Facilitator: *Socheata Sokhachan* – Head of Community Engagement, NetMission.Asia (Cambodia) 07:15–07:35 Powering Sustainable Connectivity: curveIQ’s Low-Cost Solution for Remote Telecom Sites
*Matthew J* – Managing Director, Distant Curve (Australia) 07:15–08:15 AI as Public Good: Analysing the interplay of Private Investments, Public Infrastructure and Public Accountability
*Suruchi Kumari* – Research and Communication Consultant, Digital Empowerment Foundation (India) Moderator: *Megha Garg* – Communication and Marketing Manager(India) Facilitator: *Varun Ramdas* – Senior Manager (India) 07:45–08:15 Experience of Co-designing Digital Justice and Inclusion Initiatives with Communities in Bangladesh
*Umme Humayra* – Programme Officer, Oxfam in Bangladesh (Bangladesh) Moderator: *Nafisa Tasnim Khan* – Senior Programme Officer, Oxfam in Bangladesh (Bangladesh) Facilitator: *Tausif Uddin Ahmed* – Senior Software Developer, Oxfam in Bangladesh (Bangladesh) 08:30–09:30 Bridging the Digital Divide: Youth Access to Knowledge, Policy, and Power
*Muh Rifai Sahida* – Founder, Garis Hitam Indonesia & Turun Tangan Mamuju (Indonesia) *Minh Trung Doan* – Research Coordinator, Basic Income Earth Network; Student, Eötvös Loránd University 08:30–09:30 Inclusive Digital Policies in Asia-Pacific
*Aadesh Khadka* – Joint Secretary & Head of ICT Division, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Nepal) *Sriganesh Lokanathan* – Digital Transformation Specialist, UNDP (Sri Lanka) *Parinita Upadhyay* – Head, ITU Area Office & Innovation Center, New Delhi (India) *Waqas Hassan* – Regional Lead for Asia, Global Digital Inclusion Partnership (Pakistan) *Tatevik Grigoryan* – Associate Programme Specialist, UNESCO (Armenia) Moderator: *Nirjana Sharma* – Programme Officer, UNESCO (Nepal) Facilitator: *Maaly Hazaz* – South Asia Regional Advisor, UNESCO (Jordan) 09:45–11:00 APrIGF Town Hall SessionDay 3 – October 14, 202504:00–05:00 Beyond Connection: Fostering Digital Literacy and Accessibility for All Ages and Abilities
*Mohammad Shabbir Awan* – Executive Chief, Path Finder Solutions (Private) Limited (Pakistan) *Gunela Astbrink* – Member, UN IGF MAG (Australia) *Satish Babu* – Co-Founder, InApp (India) *Prof. Dr. Bal Krishna Bala* – Professor, Department of Computer Engineering, Kathmandu University (Nepal) Moderator: *Susmeera Aryal* – Executive Director, Women’s Group for Disability Rights (Nepal) Facilitator: *Aakriti Gautam* – Policy Associate, Internet Governance Institute (Nepal) 04:00–05:00 From Oversight to Overlooked: Ethics in AI Governance
*Jocellin Lee* – Founder, AI Safety Lab (South Korea) *Dr. Musab Alrawi* – Director, ICESCO Chair for AI Ethics, University of Technology and Applied Sciences (Oman) *Supriya Kulkarni* – Founder, The Ethics Company (Indonesia) *Muhammad Umair Ali* – Digital Consultant/Project Manager, ADDO AI (Pvt) Ltd (Pakistan) Moderator: *Tayyaba Iftikhar* – Assistant Director, Pakistan Telecom Authority (Pakistan) Facilitator: *Harisa Shahid* – Information Security Engineer, Strategic Systems International (Pvt) Ltd (Pakistan) 05:15–06:15 APrIGF 2025 Fellowship Presentation05:15–06:15 Building Rights-Centric Digital Infrastructure: A Collaborative Workshop on the Data-Centric Digital Rights (DCDR) Framework
*Jean F. Queralt* — Founder & CEO, The IO Foundation (Malaysia) *Svetlana Zens* — Program Manager, Engage Tech for Internet Freedoms, ASIA *Sadichchha Silwal* — Program Officer, Digital Rights Nepal (Nepal) *Adrian Wan* — Senior Manager, Policy & Advocacy, Internet Society (Singapore) *Prapasiri Suttisom* — Digital Rights Project Coordinator, EngageMedia (Thailand) Moderator: *Pavel Farhan* — Internet Governance Officer, The IO Foundation (Thailand) Facilitator: *Yug Desai* — Doctoral Candidate, South Asia University (India) 06:30–07:00 A Garden of Connectivity: Visualizing the Internet Connectivity Landscape
*Ezmieralda Melissa* — Associate Lecturer Specialist, Binus University (Indonesia) *Brandon Chong Kian Hua* — Student, University of Technology Sarawak (Malaysia) Moderator: *Tariq Zaman* — Professor, University of Technology Sarawak (Malaysia) Facilitator: *Ram Naresh Kumar* — Assistant Professor, Food and Agri Business School (FABS), Sagar Group of Institutes (India) 06:30–07:30 Empowering Data for All: Unlocking Trust and Transparency using Open Data Editor
Moderator: *Nikesh Balami* — Co-founder & CEO, Open Knowledge Nepal (Nepal) Facilitator: *James Shrestha* — Chief Operating Officer, Open Knowledge Nepal (Nepal) 07:15–07:30 The Growing Threat of Personal Liability in Platform Regulation: A Necessary Measure or Overreach?
*Angela Thomas* — Counsel, SFLC.in (India) 09:00–10:15 APrIGF – Town Hall10:30–12:15 APrIGF – Closing Plenary
*Roundtable: Bridging the Digital Divide: Strategies for Inclusive and Sustainable Connectivity in the Asia-Pacific Region* *Binay Bohra* – Managing Director, Vianet Communications *Dr. Devesh Tyagi* – Chief Executive Officer, NIXI *Marie Lisa M. Dacanay* – President, Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA) *Sarai F. Tevita* – Information and Communication Technology Director, National University of Samoa *Toshiaki Tateishi* – Vice Chairman, Japan Internet Providers Association Moderator: *Suman Basnet* – Regional Director, AMARC-Asia Pacific
*Closing Ceremony* *Babu Ram Aryal* – Chair, Host Steering Committee *Edmon Chung*– APrIGF Secretariat
*Closing Keynote Speech*: TBC
*Bea Guevarra* – Co-chair of Asia Pacific yIGF 2025 *Ashirwad Tripathy* – Vice-Chair, APrIGF Multistakeholder Steering Group (MSG)
O*fficial Appointment for the next Chair & Vice-Chair* (2026-2028)
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Joly MacFie