The 3-Line Summary
- The 6th Pacific IGF (PacIGF2024) met at the Tākina Convention Centre in Wellington, New Zealand, on 2–3 September 2024, co-located with APNIC 58, under the theme "Strengthening Digital Governance and Resilience in the Pacific Islands."
- Digital resilience in a disaster-prone region anchored the agenda, alongside coordinated cybersecurity response, AI, digital transformation and inclusion.
- With a Māori opening ceremony and a Pacific IGF Pioneers roundtable, the forum carried Pacific voices into global Internet governance — and passed the baton to Apia, Samoa, for the 2025 edition.
Welcome — this is the Japan IGF Support Organization. This in-depth report on PACIGF 2024 in Wellington draws on official outputs, session records and on-site reporting. In a hurry? The three lines above and the diagrams carry the gist.
📍 The catalogue lists this event in Apia, Samoa, but the 2024 edition (6th Pacific IGF) was held in Wellington, New Zealand, co-located with APNIC 58. Apia, Samoa (National University of Samoa) hosted the following 2025 edition (30 June – 4 July 2025); the catalogue has likely conflated the two
Conference at a Glance (from official records)
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Edition | 6th Pacific IGF (PacIGF2024) |
| Dates | 2–3 September 2024 |
| Venue | Tākina Wellington Convention & Exhibition Centre, Wellington, New Zealand |
| Theme | Strengthening Digital Governance and Resilience in the Pacific Islands |
| Format | Hybrid event with in-person and Zoom participation |
| Host | Organized by PICISOC (Pacific Chapter of the Internet Society) with partner stakeholders, co-located with the APNIC 58 conference |
(See the source list at the end of this article.)
Discussion Digest — from the Session Records
Key exchanges extracted from session records and transcripts.
1. Co-location with APNIC 58 — Bridging the Technical Community and Governance Dialogue
Sessions: Opening plenary and full programme (2–3 September)
- The Pacific IGF shared a venue with APNIC 58, putting network operators and policy stakeholders in the same rooms [1][2][3]
- The forum's role was framed as addressing local Pacific issues and Internet governance developments and providing impartial advice to governments and the public [1][2][3]
- A hybrid in-person/Zoom format kept remote island participants in the conversation [1][2][3]
2. Digital Resilience — Preparedness in a Disaster-Prone Pacific
Sessions: "Technology in Enhancing Access to Information & Internet Resilience" session and group discussions
"Presentations covered digital transformation, cybersecurity threats, mitigation strategies, and the importance of digital resilience in disaster-prone areas"
— Gina Mahe (Tonga Communications Corporation, APNIC 2024 Fellow) [4][3]
- Discussions on cybersecurity incident response emphasized the critical need for coordinated efforts to enhance regional security and preparedness [4][3]
- Group discussions ran across infrastructure, cybersecurity, digital inclusion, climate resilience, policy frameworks and innovation [4][3]
3. AI and Digital Transformation — New Policy Agendas for Island Nations
Sessions: "Artificial Intelligence" and "Digital Transformation trends" sessions
- AI featured as a main session, with Karolina Iwanska presenting European AI regulation — external regulatory currents tested against island realities [2][3]
- ICANN's Champika Wijayatunga covered Universal Acceptance, IDNs and internationalized email (EAI), framing linguistic inclusion as a technical task [2][3]
- The digital transformation session took up digitization of government and economies and the capacity building it demands [2][3]
4. Pacific Inclusion and Identity — A Māori Ceremony and the Pioneers Roundtable
Sessions: Opening ceremony, "Pacific IGF Pioneers" roundtable and UNESCO sessions
- The forum opened with a Māori performance, and the keynote was delivered by Luamanuvao Dame Winnie Laban, a Samoan-New Zealand leader [2][3]
- A "Pacific IGF Pioneers" roundtable looked back over the forum's journey since 2011 [2][3]
- APNIC Director General Jia Rong Low and UNESCO's Director for Pacific States Shamila Nair-Bedouelle spoke, with UNESCO sessions on empowering islands through Internet governance [2][3]
Three-Minute Short Talk — Your Questions Answered
Q. What does this meeting actually do?
A. It's the 6th edition of the Pacific's regional IGF — not a decision-making body, but a forum that offers impartial advice to governments and the public on Internet issues affecting Pacific islanders.
Q. What was the main focus?
A. Resilience. In a region where cyclones and volcanic eruptions can sever connectivity, the forum centred on how to build infrastructure that recovers fast and coordinated regional cybersecurity response.
Q. Why should I care?
A. Submarine cables and disaster-resilient networks in the Pacific involve partners worldwide, and digital resilience in disaster-prone places is a lesson every connected country needs.
What Is PACIGF? (for first-time readers)
PACIGF is a National or Regional IGF Initiative (NRI), aligning local internet governance discussion with global IGF principles.
Why It Matters to You
What was discussed here becomes the baseline for national digital policy, platform rules and AI regulation worldwide within a few years. The principles confirmed at the 2024 meeting are the foundation of the "next rules" for the phones, social platforms and AI services you use every day.
Sources & References
- Pacific IGF 2024（第6回・開催概要とギャラリー） — Pacific IGF（公式サイト） (accessed 2026-07-11)
- WEBCAST 2-3 SEP – Pacific Islands Internet Governance Forum (PacIGF2024) — ISOC LIVE（Internet Society） (accessed 2026-07-11)
- 2024 Pacific Islands Internet Governance Forum (PacIGF2024) — 録画アーカイブ — PICISOC / Internet Archive (accessed 2026-07-11)
- APNIC fellowship: A journey through Internet Infrastructure and governance — APNIC Blog（Gina Mahe 寄稿） (accessed 2026-07-11)
- PACIFIC IGF 2025（次回サモア・アピア開催の公式告知） — Pacific IGF（公式サイト） (accessed 2026-07-11)
Quotes are translated or condensed from the records listed above. Bracketed numbers [n] refer to the source list.
Related links
- IGF official (NRI list): https://www.intgovforum.org/en/content/national-and-regional-igf-initiatives
- Japan IGF: https://japanigf.jp/
- Yuki Nakazawa's blog: https://nkzw.jp/category/igf/
Revision History
Rev. 1 — published 7 June 2024, 09:00 (Article published)
Rev. 2 — updated 11 July 2026, 02:14 (Fully revised into the in-depth edition: added the 3-line summary, minutes digest, short talk, source list and diagrams (all quotes verified against the listed sources))
— 中澤祐樹
