What is SEEDIG?

Dialogue, collaboration, and impact on digital governance in South Eastern Europe

The South Eastern European Dialogue on Internet Governance (SEEDIG) is a regional initiative that brings together stakeholders from across South Eastern Europe (SEE) to engage in open, inclusive, and multistakeholder dialogue on Internet governance and digital policy. Covering 18 countries in the region – Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo*, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine – SEEDIG serves as a key regional platform for cooperation and exchange.

SEEDIG was launched in 2014 through a bottom-up process initiated by the regional Internet community, responding to a shared need for a dedicated platform to discuss and collaborate on Internet and digital policy issues relevant to SEE.

While formally recognised by the UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Secretariat as a sub-regional internet governance initiative, SEEDIG’s scope, reach, and impact position it as a leading voice for the broader SEE region in the global Internet governance ecosystem.

Vision and mission

We believe that digital technologies have an important role to play in the sustainable economic and social development of SEE. In line with this belief, our vision is that of a healthy, sustainable and inclusive digital advancement of the SEE region.

Our mission is to support such a digital advancement through facilitating multistakeholder dialogue and cooperation on addressing issues related to the use, evolution and governance of the Internet and other digital technologies across the region.

Activities

Tu fulfil our mission, we:

→ Provide a platform for regional dialogue and collaboration on Internet and digital policy issues, through annual meetings and intersessional activities.

→ Raise awareness and promote a better understanding of digital policy issues among SEE stakeholders.

→ Strengthen the capacity of regional stakeholders to meaningfully contribute to Internet governance and digital policy processes.

→ Inspire and support communities throughout the region to launch national initiatives and to get involved in regional, European and international processes focused on addressing digital policy issues.

→ Build partnerships, in SEE and at international level, with entities that help us fulfil our mission.

Impact

SEEDIG does not make decisions, but it can influence those who do. The open discussions held at the annual meetings are reflected in key messages, outlining main takeaways, possible goals and proposals for future actions. These messages are then distributed at national, regional, and global level. SEEDIG discussions and messages can, in turn, help inform and influence decision-making processes within governmental entities, national parliaments, companies, regional organisations, etc.

Our capacity development programmes and intersessional activities also help foster regional cooperation on digital policy issues, and contribute to strengthening the voice of SEE in European and international processes.

Roles

SEEDIG community: Contributes to planning and running SEEDIG activities, in a bottom-up, open, inclusive and transparent manner.

Managing Board: Coordinates SEEDIG activities, with community involvement and support from partners. Is voluntary and elected by the community.

Partners: Support SEEDIG activities in various ways. Include strategic partners, sponsors, and hosts of annual meetings.

Testimonials by SEEDIG partners

I truly believe that SEEDIG, as one of the most successful regional forums on Internet governance, is a remarkable place where we can explore the opportunities for the countries of the region to benefit from digital technologies. The South Eastern European region as a whole is taking important steps towards digitalisation, thanks to its vibrant and creative community of innovators. The citizens of the South Eastern European countries deserve to be an active part of the digital transformation, which provides an opportunity to leapfrog to a modern digital society. [...] Policy- makers, private sector, NGOs, tech industry, startups and citizens, all have a role to play in the digitalisation of society and must engage in a constructive dialogue. SEEDIG is an ideal platform for this dialogue to take place.

We support initiatives like SEEDIG that link regional Internet governance issues with global Internet governance processes through multistakeholder discussions, exchanges and collaboration. South Eastern Europe is a particularly important region in Europe due to its diverse, vibrant, and multicultural character, which certainly brings a valuable contribution to the conversation on Internet governance on a global level.

Among the numerous national and regional Internet governance activities that ICANN supports globally, SEEDIG stands out as a good practice model of community driven, transparent, inclusive, and output oriented multistakeholder dialogue leading the public discussions in the region, but its impact resonates well beyond.

The IGF Support Association (IGFSA) has recognised the value SEEDIG brings to the South East European region and is pleased to have been one of its supporters since its inception in 2015. While the global debate is important, there is a growing recognition that the discussions at the regional and national levels can have a more direct impact, as many decisions that affect the use of the Internet are taken closer to home.

We are very excited to be involved in and support regional Internet governance initiatives such as SEEDIG, and contribute to the dialogue on current Internet governance issues.