Meet the new INTERNET BOSS, from South Africa

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Ms. Anriette Esterhuysen of the Republic of South Africa ‎as the new Chair of the Internet Governance Forum’s (IGF) Multistakeholder Advisory Group.

Ms. Esterhuysen currently serves as a Commissioner on the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace. She was the executive director of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) - the largest ICT-focused civil society network in the world - from 2000 to 2016. She continues to work with APC as a consultant and convenes the African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG) a joint initiative of APC, the African Union Commission and Research ICT Africa. Ms. Esterhuysen has served on the African Technical Advisory Committee of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa's African Information Society Initiative (1996-1999), the United Nations ICT Task Force (2002-2005), the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Working Group on Financing Mechanisms (2003-2005), the Commission on Science and Technology for Development Working Group on Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Improvements (2011-2012) and on Enhanced Cooperation (2017-2018), the Global Commission on Internet Governance and the Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) of the IGF (2012-2014).  She was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame as a Global Connecter in 2013.

Esterhuysens appointment comes at a time when the world is need of a stronger international body to govern the internet according to the UN Secretary General,António Guterres.

In a recent interview with an international technology magazine, Wired, he mentioned that society has serious technological challenges which requires the Internet Governance Forum,  he said “It is an institution that can do more, in my opinion, can be enhanced, can be strengthened.

Esterhuysen has the task of leading the global body which has the responsibility to bring various people and stakeholder groups to the table as equals to exchange information and share good policies and practices relating to the Internet and technologies. While the IGF may not have decision-making mandates, it informs and inspires those who do. It facilitates common understandings and knowledge exchange of how to maximize Internet opportunities and address risks and challenges.

Speaking about the value of this UN body, Guterres said during the interview “I think first we need to bring people together. That's why we appointed a high-level panel on digital cooperation. And there are a number of recommendations that were made. For each recommendation, we are now creating a group of championsgovernments, companies and other entities to try to push for digital cooperation, which means in each area, and these are complex issues, we need to bring together actors. And we can be the platform where they come together”

Esterhuysen will lead a group of global entities with the responsibility to ensure tha the internet adheres to international norms and standards.