Vanuatu IGF 2019 (VanIGF) — the inaugural national event — In-Depth Report: Minutes Digest & 3-Line Summary

The 3-Line Summary

On 17 May 2019, Vanuatu's first national Internet Governance Forum, VanIGF 2019, met at the Convention Centre in Port Vila — the launch of the Pacific islands' only national IGF.
Alongside Youth IGF, digital literacy and inclusive development sessions, an Open Microphone slot let anyone speak, realizing an all-stakeholders-as-equals format at national scale.
Framing its lack of decision-making power as 'a strength, not a weakness', the forum shows a small island state building Internet policy dialogue on traditional values of respect, inclusiveness and trust.

Welcome — this is the Japan IGF Support Organization. This in-depth report on Vanuatu IGF 2019 (VanIGF) — the inaugural national event draws on official outputs, session records and on-site reporting. In a hurry? The three lines above and the diagrams carry the gist.

Conference at a Glance (from official records)

Item	Detail
Official name	Vanuatu IGF 2019 (VanIGF) — the inaugural national event
Edition	Inaugural national forum of the Pacific islands' only national IGF initiative, established in 2019
Dates	17 May 2019
Venue	The Convention Centre, Port Vila
Theme	Regional governance themes
Host	Vanuatu IGF (VanIGF); coordinator Jackson Miake per the UN NRI record

(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. The First National Forum — VanIGF Founded in 2019

Sessions: Opening Plenary (17 May 2019)

The official site declared 'This year, 2019, the Vanuatu Internet Governance Forum (VanIGF) was established', with the 17 May national event as its first meeting [2][3][4]
The UN NRI record registers the 2019 establishment with Jackson Miake as coordinator — the only national NRI among the Pacific island states [2][3][4]
dig.watch independently records the inaugural forum in Port Vila on 17 May 2019 [2][3][4]

2. Everyone Gets the Floor — Open Microphone and Inclusive Development

Sessions: Open Microphone Session and Inclusive Development session

The six-part programme — Youth IGF, Opening Plenary, Digital Literacy, Open Microphone, Inclusive Development, Closing Plenary — explicitly reserved time for anyone to speak [1][2][4]
Officially, 'the lack of decision-making power is not a weakness, but rather the strength of the VanIGF' — a forum to inform and inspire those who do hold policy-making power [1][2][4]
Its vision: growing Internet governance capacity 'based on our traditional values, respect, inclusiveness, and trust' [1][2][4]

3. From Regulator Symposia to a National Forum — the Prehistory

Sessions: Multiple sessions

Official event records list the TRBR regulator's 'Regulatory Internet Symposia' (2015; 2016 at Havannah Resort; 2017 at Mele Golf Club) as predecessors — regulator events, not part of VanIGF proper [1][2]
VanIGF 2019 was established as a standing multistakeholder forum, shifting from regulator-led events to dialogue that includes civil society [1][2]
Year-round activities — a Report Online Abuse campaign and school awareness visits — ran alongside the annual forum [1][2]

4. Youth and Digital Literacy — Growing the Next Generation of an Island Nation

Sessions: Youth IGF and Digital Literacy sessions

A dedicated Youth IGF session institutionalized youth participation from the very first edition [1][2]
The digital literacy session connected directly to Vanuatu's social media issues of the day — cyberbullying and the government's crackdown on fake IDs [1][2]

Three-Minute Short Talk — Your Questions Answered

Q. An IGF in a country of 300,000?

A. Yes — Vanuatu is the only Pacific island state with a national IGF. Established in 2019, this 17 May national event was its first meeting; not even Fiji or Samoa has one.

Q. What was on the agenda?

A. Youth, digital literacy and inclusive development — plus an Open Microphone where anyone could speak. It defines itself as informing policy-makers rather than making decisions.

Q. Why should I care?

A. Pacific island connectivity is a strategic priority for submarine-cable and development policy; knowing which states run genuine governance dialogues is baseline intelligence for any engagement.

What Is Vanuatu IGF? (for first-time readers)

Vanuatu IGF 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 2019 meeting are the foundation of the "next rules" for the phones, social platforms and AI services you use every day.