This post was written by Kenneth Dimalibot, GDIP Senior Communications Manager.
Global Digital Inclusion Partnership Policy Advocacy Advisor Talant Sultanov has been re-appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General to the Internet Governance Forum Multistakeholder Advisory Group (IGF MAG) for 2025. The group of experts advises the Secretary-General on the programme of the Internet Governance Forum and is instrumental in planning the annual meetings.
The current roster was appointed through an exceptional approach, seeking nominations from the Multistakeholder Advisory Group and Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) alumni pool rather than the traditional broad community nominations process. They will guide the Internet Governance Forum’s preparations for the 20-year World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20) review process and the IGF mandate.
Talant is the co-founder of the Internet Society Kyrgyz Chapter (ISOC.KG) and has been a member of the UN Secretary General’s Multistakeholder Advisory Group for Internet Governance since 2022.
His experience includes working in international organizations such as the World Bank as a Digital Development Specialist and the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) as the Asia Regional Coordinator. He has served in the Kyrgyz Government as the Chief Adviser to the Prime Minister and as the Director of the Government Think Tank NISI.
Under Talant’s leadership, the ISOC.KG team promotes internet connectivity and digital transformation in global majority countries. He has connected the most remote communities of Central Asia to the internet, including villages such as Suusamyr, Zardaly, and Kirchin. Other projects include the European Union-funded “Sanarip Insan” digital skills project for women and youth in rural areas and the “ilimBox” project (Knowledge-in-a-Box), which brings educational content in local languages to unconnected rural schools and libraries.
Our colleague and former GDIP Head of Asia and Pacific, Anju Mangal, was also re-appointed as a member of the Multistakeholder Advisory Group. She was the first Pacific Islander appointed as a member of the IGF MAG during her first tenure in 2012.
Anju is passionate about women, ICT, and cybersafety for women, girls, and persons with disabilities. She was a founding member of the Pacific Women and ICT. She continues to work with key stakeholders in the Asia Pacific region on various areas such as digital rights, digital inclusion, cybersecurity, privacy, and security.
Convened by the United Nations Secretary-General, the Internet Governance Forum is the global multistakeholder forum for dialogue on digital public policy. Each year, the annual meeting brings together thousands of stakeholders from around the world to discuss the most pressing digital governance trends and challenges. The IGF meetings facilitate the exchange of information, and the sharing of good policies and practices related to key elements of digital governance to foster the sustainability, robustness, security, stability and development of the internet.
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About GDIP
The Global Digital Inclusion Partnership is a coalition of public, private, and civil society organizations working to bring internet connectivity to the global majority and ensure everyone is meaningfully connected by 2030. GDIP advances digital opportunities to empower and support people’s lives and agency, leading to inclusive digital societies.