The German Multistakeholder Statement reflects on options how to enhance the mechanisms for digital
cooperation in the global Internet Governance ecosystem. It argues that in the age of cyberinterdependence
not only technical devices but also Internet-related public policy issues are interconnected. It concludes that a
holistic, multidisciplinary, multilateral and multistakeholder approach is needed to find solutions for the
emerging digital problems in a growing cyberspace. The authors of the Statement share the idea of UN
Secretary-General António Guterres that „the United Nations is a tailor-made platform for governments,
business, civil society and others to come together to formulate new protocols and norms, to define red-lines,
and to build agile and flexible regulatory frameworks.“1 To have the appropriate mechanisms for such a digital
cooperation in place is crucial to manage the new challenges of the 2020s.
Based on the three HLP proposals for new digital cooperation mechanisms, the Statement takes a pragmatic
approach by proposing to use existing structures, combine them in an innovative way, fill gaps in the present
system and levave room for future enhancements. It combines various elements into a mix and proposes the
introduction of an additional new layer which would liaise existing multistakeholder mechanisms – such as the
IGF and ICANN – stronger with existing intergovernmental negotiations platforms within the UN system and
other inter-state organizations at the regional and global levels.
