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On Sunday – Wednesday, 4–7 October 2026, the Internet Governance Institute, with Internet Exchange Nepal (npIX) and the Internet Society Nepal Chapter as co-hosts, presents APrIGF 2026, the 17th edition of the forum, at The Plaza in Kathmandu and online, under the overarching theme ‘Safeguarding a Resilient Internet in Times of Crisis‘.
The Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF) serves as a regional platform for dialogue, collaboration, and exchange on Internet governance. Bringing together national IGF discussions, it fosters progress in Internet governance throughout the Asia Pacific region. Twenty-nine sessions were selected from 105 proposals, arranged across four sub-themes: Future of APrIGF & Multistakeholder Ecosystem, AI Governance for Good, Digital Resilience and Building of Trust, and Universal and Meaningful Connectivity.
Taking place alongside APrIGF 2026, and organised by a regional youth organising committee, the yIGF runs on Saturday – Sunday, 3–4 October 2026. The Asia Pacific yIGF is a dedicated space for young people across the Asia Pacific to engage with pressing Internet Governance issues, exchange perspectives, and develop a collective youth voice on the issues shaping the region’s digital future.
All times below are Nepal Time (UTC+5:45), with UTC in parentheses.
DAY 0 — SUNDAY, 4 OCTOBER
14:00 (08:15 UTC) – Day 0 Capacity Building Program (2 hours)
For APrIGF Fellows, yIGF participants and newcomers. Registration opens one hour before. Following an introduction to APrIGF and its thematic tracks, participants divide into four onsite breakout groups and one online group, rotating through the four sub-themes with two facilitators drawn from the APrIGF Committees or MSG, then regroup to share key discussion points.
DAY 1 — MONDAY, 5 OCTOBER
PLENARY
09:00 (03:15 UTC) – Opening Ceremony & Plenary (105 mins)
Welcome Note: Babu Ram Aryal – Chair, Host Steering Committee
Opening Remarks: Amrita Choudhury – Chair, APrIGF Multistakeholder Steering Group
Remarks: Jennifer Chung – MAG Chair, UN IGF
Keynote Speech and Chief Guest to be confirmed
Plenary Roundtable: ‘Safeguarding Resilient Internet in Times of Crisis’ (45 mins)
BALLROOM 1
11:15 (05:30 UTC) – Seeing the Bias: A Regional Interactive Ideation Workshop on AI Bias, Misinformation, and Inclusive Digital Futures (60 mins)
Organiser: Omar – Factum
13:15 (07:30 UTC) – The Algorithmic Breach: Brevity Bias, Cognitive Sovereignty, and the Case for a Duty of Care in South and Southeast Asia (30 mins)
Organiser: Priya Lamichhane
13:55 (08:10 UTC) – Who Gets a Say? A Regional Dialogue on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Governance in Asia-Pacific (60 mins)
Organiser: Bea Guevarra – NetMission
15:10 (09:25 UTC) – The Cost of a Click: Unboxing AI and Internet Infrastructures to Shape a Greener Internet in the APAC (60 mins)
Organiser: Titiksha – The Pranava Institute
16:30 (10:45 UTC) – Townhall Session (60 mins)
BALLROOM 2
11:15 (05:30 UTC) – A Guide to Integrating Gender to Cybersecurity Policy (60 mins)
Organiser: Pavitra – Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
13:15 (07:30 UTC) – Governing AI Training Data in the Asia-Pacific: Transparency, Verifiability, and Creator Rights (30 mins)
Organiser: Sodam Kum – Ewha Womans University / Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), EG@IG
13:55 (08:10 UTC) – Community Radio in the Digital Era: Strengthening Internet Resilience and Trusted Communication in South Asia (60 mins)
Organiser: Suman Basnet – World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC), Asia-Pacific
15:10 (09:25 UTC) – Backdoors, Blackouts, and Big Tech: Mapping Encryption Rules Across the Asia Pacific — and Filling the Southeast Asian Gap (30 mins)
Organiser: Masayuki Hatta – Surugadai University / MIAU
15:50 (10:05 UTC) – Let’s Measure the Internet: RIPE Atlas for APAC Digital Resilience (30 mins)
Organiser: Om Prakash – RIPE Atlas
DAY 2 — TUESDAY, 6 OCTOBER
BALLROOM 1
09:00 (03:15 UTC) – From Barrier to Enabler: Rethinking Policy for Community-Driven Internet Access (60 mins)
Organiser: Adrian Wan – Internet Society
10:15 (04:30 UTC) – Closing the Last-Mile Gap: A Civil Society Approach to Internet Quality Measurement in Rural Indonesia (30 mins)
Organiser: Unggul Sagena – Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet)
10:55 (05:10 UTC) – From Compliance to Confidence: How Asia’s Startups Are Shaping the Future of AI Governance (30 mins)
Organiser: Yong Hao Choo – Digital Prosperity Asia
11:35 (05:50 UTC) – EcoInternet Index (EII): APAC Leads the Way (30 mins)
Organiser: Evin Erdogdu – DotAsia Organisation
12:15 (06:30 UTC) – Community Wi-Fi and Cyclone Alert Systems for Marginal Fisher Villages Barguna, Coastal Bangladesh to Improve Internet and Save Lives (20 mins)
Organiser: Mustafa Bakuluzzaman – Shushilan
13:30 (07:45 UTC) – When An Energy Crisis Becomes a Connectivity Crisis (60 mins)
Organiser: Neeti Biyani – APNIC Foundation
14:45 (09:00 UTC) – Assistive Technology for Meaningful Participation and Successful Integration in Education and the Workplace (60 mins)
Organiser: Udit Pandey – Internet Society Accessibility Standing Group
16:00 (10:15 UTC) – Connected but Not Safe? Rethinking Digital Inclusion Through the Experiences of Young Women in Taiwan (20 mins)
Organiser: Chiuyin Wang – National Cheng Kung University
16:30 (10:45 UTC) – Townhall Session (60 mins)
BALLROOM 2
09:00 (03:15 UTC) – Building the Next Generation of Pacific Cybersecurity Professionals: Partnerships, Skills and Regional Resilience (60 mins)
Organisers: Russell Deka and Takehiko Harada – PICISOC / University of Papua New Guinea
10:15 (04:30 UTC) – Drawing the Line: Online Harm, Queer Expression, and Platform Governance in Asia-Pacific (60 mins)
Organiser: Jeremy Malcolm – Center for Online Safety and Liberty
11:30 (05:45 UTC) – From Local Evidence to Regional Dialogue: Trust, Inclusion, and an Open Internet in the Age of AI (60 mins)
Organiser: Anthony Lee – Taiwan Network Information Center (TWNIC)
13:30 (07:45 UTC) – Governing Generative AI in Southeast Asia: Addressing Electoral Manipulation and Political Campaign Risks & Ensuring Electoral Integrity through Resilient Digital Practices (60 mins)
Organisers: Catherine Setiawan and Santosh Sigdel – Digital Rights Nepal
14:45 (09:00 UTC) – The Role of Regulators and Regulations in Cybersecurity (60 mins)
16:00 (10:15 UTC) – AI in the Kill Chain: Accountability, Human Control, and the Case for a Binding Regime in Asia Pacific (20 mins)
Organiser: Paula Claire Cuasay – Chatham House, Common Futures Conversations
DAY 3 — WEDNESDAY, 7 OCTOBER
BALLROOM 1
09:00 (03:15 UTC) – Beyond Access: Who Keeps Children Safe Online Once They are Connected? (60 mins)
Organiser: Velislava – EDDS Institute
10:15 (04:30 UTC) – From Shutdown to Solidarity: Co-Designing a South Asia Rapid-Response Protocol for Internet Shutdowns (60 mins)
Organiser: Shumaila Hussain – Tech Global Institute
11:30 (05:45 UTC) – When Submarine Cables Go Dark: From Public Fear to Internet Governance through Open Research and Community Engagement (30 mins)
Organiser: Irvin Chen – Open Culture Foundation
12:10 (06:25 UTC) – Appealing Hate Speech: Using the Grievance Appellate Committee to Hold Platforms Accountable (20 mins)
Organiser: Nilay Shah – Software Freedom Law Center, India (SFLC.in)
BALLROOM 2
09:00 (03:15 UTC) – From Technical Debt to Strategic Liability: Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Resilience, and Internet Governance in the Asia-Pacific (60 mins)
Organiser: Crystal Hsu – Cisco Systems
10:15 (04:30 UTC) – The Right to Be Forgotten by AI: Who Owns Human Knowledge in the Age of Foundation Models? (60 mins)
Organiser: Uzair Farooqi – Jazz
11:30 (05:45 UTC) – APrIGF Fellowship Presentation (60 mins)
PLENARY
12:30 (06:45 UTC) – Lunch, venue transition to one ballroom, and MSG Debrief (30 mins, separate room)
13:30 (07:45 UTC) – Open Dialogue: ‘Role of APrIGF in implementing the permanent mandate of the IGF’ (60 mins)
Organised by the APrIGF Working Group on Global Internet Governance Processes (AP-WGIGP)
14:45 (09:00 UTC) – Townhall Session (60 mins)
16:00 (10:15 UTC) – Closing Remarks + Plenary (90 mins)
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