Consultant on Policy Network on Open Digital Infrastructure

Result of Service

The performance of the consultant will be measured by:

• Level of cooperation with the MAG issue coordinator(s) and other PNODI participants;
• Timely submission of outputs;
• Quality of synthesis and summarizing of the community discussions, outputs demonstrating high- level knowledge of the subject matter;
• Readability of the outputs;
• Positive feedback from experts.

Work Location

Remote

Expected duration

55 days

Duties and Responsibilities

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) was established following the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), held in Tunis from 16 to 18 November 2005. In the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, Governments requested the United Nations Secretary-General to convene “a new forum for multi-stakeholder policy dialogue” on Internet governance. The mandate of the IGF, set out in paragraph 72 of the Tunis Agenda, is to discuss public policy issues related to Internet governance in order to foster sustainability, robustness, security, stability, and development of the Internet. The IGF Secretariat is based at the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG).

As the Forum evolved, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Working Group on Improvements to the IGF recommended the development of more tangible outputs to enhance the IGF’s impact on global Internet governance and policy processes. In response, the IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) established a range of intersessional workstreams designed to complement the annual IGF meeting and enable continuous collaboration throughout the year. The outputs produced through these activities are intended to serve as practical resources for stakeholders, inform discussions in relevant policy forums, and evolve over time.

The IGF’s intersessional workstreams provide substantive opportunities for the global multistakeholder community to develop concrete outputs and contribute to policy discussions on emerging and cross-cutting digital issues. Among them, the Policy Networks serve as open, inclusive, multistakeholder and bottom-up platforms that bring together stakeholders from diverse backgrounds to examine specific topics in greater depth, assess the current state of play, identify good and emerging practices, and explore possible ways forward.

Through an open, consultative and multistakeholder methodology, the Policy Networks produce substantive outputs that have proven valuable in informing policy debates and decision-making processes. These outputs are designed as iterative and living resources that remain flexible and can be updated to reflect changing priorities, new evidence, and the rapid pace of technological developments affecting Internet governance and digital policymaking.

In December 2025, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/80/173, which established the IGF as a permanent forum of the United Nations. The Resolution calls upon the Forum to strengthen its intersessional work, support national and regional initiatives, and apply innovative, open, inclusive, transparent, and agile methods of collaboration. The continued development of the Policy Networks directly contributes to the implementation of these objectives by fostering year-round multistakeholder cooperation and producing substantive outputs on key digital policy issues.

Under the supervision of the IGF Secretariat’s head of office, the consultant will be responsible for facilitating and documenting the work related to convening of the Policy Network on Open Digital Infrastructure (PNODI), recommended by the IGF MAG. The Consultant will be responsible for carrying out tasks related to hosting and reporting on IGF PNODI meetings, synthesis and drafting of outputs, presenting and discussing them during dedicated sessions at the 21st Annual Meeting of the Internet Governance Forum.

Qualifications/special skills

Master’s degree in information communication technologies, social sciences, development studies, management or other relevant disciplines or equivalent fields, or or 2 additional years of relevant work experience in lieu of a Master's Degree. A minimum of 5 years of professional experience including analytical work related to ICTs, Internet governance, digital public policymaking, development management, participatory governance, capacity building, etc. Considerable related experience drafting high-level reports, meeting summaries, and synthesizing complex information and inputs. Demonstrated expertise in Internet infrastructure, open-source ecosystems, digital standards, or related areas is required. Excellent written and oral English language skills are required.

Languages

Excellent written and oral English language skills are required. Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.