Youth Internet Governance Forum – South Asia
Not beneficiaries.
Co-governors.
Young people across seven South Asian nations, informed, empowered and structurally included as equal partners in how the internet is governed.
Why yIGF South Asia exists
South Asia is home to nearly two billion people, with youth constituting the largest and fastest-growing share of its population.
The digital future of the region is being shaped now, yet the voices of young people remain largely underrepresented in the regional and global forums and policy processes that determine how the internet develops, who it serves, and who it excludes.
The challenges felt most acutely here – the urban–rural digital divide, threats to freedom of expression, inadequate data protection, the risks of artificial intelligence to marginalised populations – require the active and sustained participation of the region’s youth in multi-stakeholder policy discussions.
Seven thematic priorities
Areas identified as of particular urgency to the South Asian context, while remaining responsive to evolving regional and global internet governance agendas.
Digital Inclusion and Connectivity
Bridging the urban–rural digital divide; universal and meaningful connectivity; a multilingual internet; and the digital inclusion of women, girls, persons with disabilities, and indigenous communities.
Artificial Intelligence Governance
Ethical AI development and deployment; AI and bias; AI risks to privacy and human rights; youth agency in AI policymaking; and AI and labour in South Asia.
Data Privacy and Protection
Data governance frameworks; cross-border data flows; the rights of data subjects; surveillance and state overreach; and personal data protection legislation across South Asia.
Freedom of Expression and Digital Rights
Internet shutdowns; content moderation; online censorship; digital rights as human rights; and platform accountability.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity capacity building; youth safety online; combating online gender-based violence, hate speech, and disinformation; and child online protection.
Critical Internet Resources and Infrastructure
Domain name governance; regional internet exchange points; IPv6 adoption; and internet resilience in South Asia.
Climate and Digital Sustainability
The environmental impact of digital infrastructure; a green internet; e-waste; and the intersection of the climate crisis and digital rights.
Seven countries, one region
The Multi-stakeholder Steering Group actively seeks representation from each of the seven South Asian nations, and no single country may constitute more than forty percent of total active MSG membership.
Founding principles
Openness
Open to anyone aged 15 to 35 across South Asia and its diaspora, regardless of nationality, gender, background, language, ability or affiliation.
Multi-stakeholderism
Equal, active participation from government, civil society, the private sector, the technical community, academia and the media – with youth across all of them.
Transparency
Decisions, processes, financial matters and governance activities conducted and reported openly, with reports published in a timely manner.
Inclusion and Diversity
Geographic diversity across all seven nations, gender balance, linguistic minorities, persons with disabilities, and youth from rural and marginalised communities.
Bottom-Up Process
Agenda, priorities and outputs determined through open consultation with the broader youth community. No hierarchy beyond the roles governance requires.
Non-Commercial
No entity derives commercial benefit from proceedings, and no policy outcome is determined by financial interest.
Youth as Co-Governors
Not passive beneficiaries of internet governance decisions, but active co-creators who bring perspective, innovation and legitimacy to policy processes.
The steering group is open
Membership is open to anyone aged 15 to 35 who is a resident or national of a South Asian country, or a member of the diaspora actively engaged in South Asian internet governance.