Internet access, development of media and information literacy in Georgia, information security, disinformation, copyright, personal data protection – these are some of the topics discussed at the 8th Internet Governance Forum (IGF2022). The event is hosted by the Communications Commission, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia and ISOC Georgia, with the institutional support of the Council of Europe Office in Georgia. The event is coordinated by the Small and Medium Telecom Operators’ Association (TOA).    

IGF2022 was opened by the Commissioner Ekaterine Imedadze, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Guram Guramishvili, Member of Parliament Eka Sepashvili and Senior Director for European Government and Regulatory Affairs at ISOC David Frautschy. In her opening speech, Ms Imedadze talked about the importance of development of electronic communications and information technology in Georgia, and noted that elimination of digital inequality, access to the internet and digital services in general, as well as online safety and protection of user rights are the priorities of the Communications Commission. Ms. Imedadze further discussed the important projects that the Communications Commission is implementing together with its partners, including the introduction of universal services and infrastructure sharing in Georgia, as well as the holistic research of the telecommunications market and the introduction of 5G technology in the country. 

“For us as the industry regulators, it has always been clear that digital communications is an area that requires continuous development, innovation and the introduction of modern technologies. The Communications Commission, the sector and the relevant stakeholders have a vital role in this process. I am glad that this year’s forum will discuss issues such as internet access, development of media and information literacy in Georgia, the country’s information security, protection of personal data, disinformation, copyright, artificial intelligence and others. I believe that the strength of this forum lies in the sharing of common ideas and principles, which is also one of the main principles of the UN Global IGF Forum and is an open, transparent and stakeholder-led process. Therefore, the Communications Commission as the oversight body for telecommunications and media services attaches special value to open dialogue with stakeholders on internet governance issues,” Ekaterine Imedadze stated. 

The forum devoted significant time to the panel on development of media and information literacy in Georgia, which was opened by the Commissioner Natia Kukuladze. The Commissioner talked about the existing media literacy challenges in Georgia and noted that the active involvement of stakeholders is of utmost importance in this process. “As you know, the Communications Commission has been actively working on the development of media literacy in the country since 2018. Disinformation and fake news constitute one of the greatest challenges in today's world, and the most effective weapon to combat them is a citizen armed with media literacy and knowledge. For the fourth year now, the Communications Commission has been successfully implementing projects with international and local partners, the target audience of which is teenagers, teachers and parents. We are proud to have achieved impressive results and ensured that the development of media literacy will become even more sustainable with our complex approach,“ Natia Kukuladze stated.  

The media and information literacy development panel was led by Head of Media Literacy Department of Communications Commission Mariam Dakhundaridze. Participants included media literacy expert Natalia Ingorokva, technology expert Sandro Asatiani, digital citizenship specialist Marika Sikharulidze and reporter Nini Balarjishvili. The discussion focussed on past media literacy projects, development of the required skills among the target audience and the existing challenges in this field. 

The forum also included a panel on internet accessibility, which was lead by Head of the Spectrum and Technology Department of the Communications Commission Sandro Karumidze. He discussed the development trends of the telecommunications market, the role and powers of the Communications Commission in the field of internet accessibility, as well as the competitive environment and the correct distribution of resources in the market. The forum also hosted a discussion on copyrights, which included a presentation by Head of the Audio-Visual Media Services Regulation Department of the Communications Commission Konstantine Koridze. He spoke about the role and importance of the Communications Commission in the field of copyright protection and related rights in the online space, as well as about the results achieved by the broadcasters in this regard.