{"id":14933,"date":"2023-07-23T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-23T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/2023\/07\/23\/en-afghanistan-igf-2023-overview\/"},"modified":"2023-07-23T15:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-07-23T06:00:00","slug":"en-afghanistan-igf-2023-overview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/2023\/07\/23\/en-afghanistan-igf-2023-overview\/","title":{"rendered":"IGFA 2023 \u2014 Afghanistan Internet Governance Forum 2023 (online) \u2014 In-Depth Report: Minutes Digest &#038; 3-Line Summary"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/en-afghanistan-igf-2023-overview_thumbnail.svg\" alt=\"Afghanistan IGF 2023 \u30aa\u30f3\u30e9\u30a4\u30f3 \u2014 Thumbnail\"><\/p>\n<h2>The 3-Line Summary<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/en-afghanistan-igf-2023-overview_s3.svg\" alt=\"Afghanistan IGF 2023 \u30aa\u30f3\u30e9\u30a4\u30f3 \u2014 3-line summary\"><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>On 6 December 2023 the Afghanistan IGF met online with 80+ remote participants, co-located with the Youth IGF, the AFSIG school and the inaugural AFNOG 1 network operators&#39; meeting.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Sessions covered the future of the Internet and connecting the unconnected, network operations and security, an update on IPv6 deployment in Afghanistan, and APNIC Academy training paths for young engineers.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>It was the first time the Afghan Internet community \u2014 scattered since the 2021 change of power \u2014 had reconvened, a quiet step toward keeping the country connected.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Welcome \u2014 this is the Japan IGF Support Organization. This in-depth report on <strong>IGFA 2023 \u2014 Afghanistan Internet Governance Forum 2023 (online)<\/strong> draws on official outputs, session records and on-site reporting. In a hurry? The three lines above and the diagrams carry the gist.<\/p>\n<h2>Conference at a Glance (from official records)<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/en-afghanistan-igf-2023-overview_h2.svg\" alt=\"Afghanistan IGF 2023 \u30aa\u30f3\u30e9\u30a4\u30f3 \u2014 Conference at a glance\"><\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Item<\/th>\n<th>Detail<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Official name<\/td>\n<td>IGFA 2023 \u2014 Afghanistan Internet Governance Forum 2023 (online)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Edition<\/td>\n<td>First annual meeting confirmed since 2019 (no verified editions in 2020, and the announced June 2021 meeting is unconfirmed). Co-located with the Afghanistan Youth IGF, AFSIG 2023 and the inaugural AFNOG 1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Dates<\/td>\n<td>6 December 2023 (9:30\u201316:30 AFT)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Venue<\/td>\n<td>Online, webcast from Kabul with remote participation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Theme<\/td>\n<td>Regional governance themes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Participants<\/td>\n<td>More than 80 remote participants<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Significance<\/td>\n<td>The first time Afghanistan&#39;s Internet community had reconvened \u2014 online \u2014 since the 2020 pandemic and the 2021 change of power<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Host<\/td>\n<td>Organized by Internet Society Afghanistan, supported by APNIC, the APNIC Foundation, ICANN, the IGF Support Association and the UN IGF Secretariat<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>(See the source list at the end of this article.)<\/p>\n<h2>Discussion Digest \u2014 from the Session Records<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/en-afghanistan-igf-2023-overview_minutes.svg\" alt=\"Afghanistan IGF 2023 \u30aa\u30f3\u30e9\u30a4\u30f3 \u2014 Discussion map\"><\/p>\n<p>Key exchanges extracted from session records and transcripts.<\/p>\n<h3>1. Reconvening the Community \u2014 the First Gathering since 2021<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Sessions<\/strong>: Opening ceremony (6 December, 13:15 AFT)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>ISOC Pulse&#39;s retrospective framed this December gathering as the first time the Afghan Internet community could meet &#39;since the pandemic of 2020 and the change of government in 2021&#39; [1][2][3]<\/li>\n<li>APNIC&#39;s Paul Wilson opened with remarks on the importance of connectivity for Afghanistan, joined by figures such as Wolfgang Kleinw\u00e4chter, the UN IGF Secretariat&#39;s Chengetai Masango and ICANN&#39;s Baher Esmat [1][2][3]<\/li>\n<li>A community survey put cybersecurity, trust and online safety first among concerns \u2014 infrastructure ranked only fifth, signalling appetite for governance beyond mere access [1][2][3]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>2. Connecting the Unconnected \u2014 Rebuilding from a Low Base<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Sessions<\/strong>: Workshop 1: &#39;Future of Internet, Connecting the Unconnected&#39; (11:00 AFT)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Internet penetration grew from 5% (2010) to 18% (2020), yet Afghanistan&#39;s Internet Resilience Index score of 2% remains among the world&#39;s lowest [2]<\/li>\n<li>Connectivity costs have fallen dramatically \u2014 from about USD 4,000 per Mbps per month to around USD 60 \u2014 steadily lowering the price barrier [2]<\/li>\n<li>Technical security has survived the political change: DNSSEC remains enabled for .af, with a 37% validation rate [2]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>3. AFNOG 1 \u2014 Institutionalizing the Technical Community<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Sessions<\/strong>: AFNOG 1 workshops on network management\/operations and Internet security (14:00 \/ 15:15 AFT)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The inaugural Afghanistan Network Operators Group (AFNOG 1) launched alongside IGFA, running workshops on network operations and Internet security [1][3]<\/li>\n<li>APNIC&#39;s Dave Phelan presented Software Defined Networks, Sherafzal Yousifzai reported on IPv6 deployment in Afghanistan, and Adli Wahid taught cybersecurity [1][3]<\/li>\n<li>APNIC Academy training pathways were pitched to young engineers \u2014 a framework for remote, cross-border capacity building [1][3]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>4. Youth in the Mainstream \u2014 AFyIGF as a Main Session<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Sessions<\/strong>: Main Session on the Afghanistan Youth IGF (9:30 AFT)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The day opened with the Afghanistan Youth IGF main session, joined by the UN IGF Secretariat&#39;s NRI focal point Anja Gengo among others [1]<\/li>\n<li>With educational access constrained in-country, the online format served as one of the few remaining participation channels for youth and women [1]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Three-Minute Short Talk \u2014 Your Questions Answered<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Q. Can an IGF even happen under Taliban rule?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A. Not in person \u2014 so it ran online, webcast from Kabul, with ISOC Afghanistan organizing and APNIC, ICANN and the UN IGF Secretariat supporting. Over 80 people joined remotely.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q. What was the real achievement?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A. Simply reconvening: it was the community&#39;s first gathering since the 2021 change of power. The inaugural AFNOG 1 network operators&#39; group also launched the same day.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q. Why should I care?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A. Costs fell from USD 4,000 to 60 per Mbps yet penetration is still 18% \u2014 proof that infrastructure alone doesn&#39;t close digital divides, a lesson for development policy everywhere.<\/p>\n<h2>What Is Afghanistan IGF? (for first-time readers)<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/en-afghanistan-igf-2023-overview_h1.svg\" alt=\"Afghanistan IGF 2023 \u30aa\u30f3\u30e9\u30a4\u30f3 \u2014 About Afghanistan IGF\"><\/p>\n<p>Afghanistan IGF is a National or Regional IGF Initiative (NRI), aligning local internet governance discussion with global IGF principles.<\/p>\n<h2>Why It Matters to You<\/h2>\n<p>What was discussed here becomes <strong>the baseline for national digital policy, platform rules and AI regulation worldwide within a few years<\/strong>. The principles confirmed at the 2023 meeting are the foundation of the &quot;next rules&quot; for the phones, social platforms and AI services you use every day.<\/p>\n<h2>Sources &amp; References<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/isoc.live\/17121\/\">WEBCAST DEC 6 &#8211; Afghanistan Internet Governance Forum (IGFA) 2023\uff08\u4e2d\u7d99\u544a\u77e5\u30fb\u5168\u30a2\u30b8\u30a7\u30f3\u30c0\uff09<\/a> \u2014 ISOC LIVE (accessed 2026-07-23)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pulse.internetsociety.org\/en\/blog\/2024\/02\/afghanistan-developing-and-maintaining-internet-resilience-in-the-face-of-conflict\/\">Afghanistan: Developing and Maintaining Internet Resilience in the Face of Conflict<\/a> \u2014 Internet Society Pulse (accessed 2026-07-23)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.apnic.net\/2023\/12\/21\/event-wrap-afghanistan-igf-2023-ayigf-afsig-2023-and-afnog-1\/\">Event Wrap: Afghanistan IGF 2023, AyIGF, AFSIG 2023 and AFNOG 1<\/a> \u2014 APNIC Blog (accessed 2026-07-23)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/intgovforum.org\/en\/content\/nris-meetings-in-2023-2024\">NRIs Meetings in 2023-2024\uff08\u300cAfghanistan IGF (*incl. SIG, Youth IGF and national IGF) 4-6 December 2023, online\u300d\uff09<\/a> \u2014 UN IGF Secretariat (accessed 2026-07-23)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><em>Quotes are translated or condensed from the records listed above. Bracketed numbers [n] refer to the source list.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>Related links<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>IGF official (NRI list): <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intgovforum.org\/en\/content\/national-and-regional-igf-initiatives\">https:\/\/www.intgovforum.org\/en\/content\/national-and-regional-igf-initiatives<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Japan IGF: <a href=\"https:\/\/japanigf.jp\/\">https:\/\/japanigf.jp\/<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Yuki Nakazawa&#39;s blog: <a href=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/category\/igf\/\">https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/category\/igf\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>\u66f4\u65b0\u5c65\u6b74<\/h2>\n<p>\u7b2c1\u7a3f\u6295\u7a3f 2026\u5e748\u67084\u65e5 18\u664249\u5206\uff08\u8a18\u4e8b\u30b3\u30f3\u30c6\u30f3\u30c4\u30a2\u30c3\u30d7\uff09<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2014 \u4e2d\u6fa4\u7950\u6a39<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On 6 December 2023 the Afghanistan IGF met online with 80+ remote participants, co-located with the Youth IGF, the AFSIG school and the inau<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,15,3,11],"tags":[163,2669,161,160,162,164],"class_list":["post-14933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-afghanistan-igf","category-aprigf","category-igf","category-regional-igf","tag-3-line-summary","tag-afghanistanigf2023","tag-deep-dive","tag-english","tag-minutes-digest","tag-sourced"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14933\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}