Scope of the strategy

Objectives and expected outcomes

The conference aims at triggering a global discussion on the principles for the global governance of Web 4.0 and virtual worlds feeding into the World Summit on the Information Society 20 years review (WSIS+20).

The event will bring together, from all over the world, high-level policymakers, technologists, academics, and community leaders who will collaboratively propose governance models of virtual worlds. It will focus on policy solutions for an ethical, value-driven shift to Web 4.0. and standardisation issues related to virtual worlds (including internet standards) and its technical management. Alignment of those governance frameworks with the multi-stakeholder model of internet governance will also be a salient topic of discussion.

Outcomes of the conference

The conference Input paper (available under the tab “background document” below), produced before the conference based on extensive stakeholder consultations, was discussed and subject to rough consensus during the event, paving the way for the production of the conference Outcome paper.

The discussion notably enriched the outcome document by explicitly integrating concrete governance challenges and opportunities related to emerging technologies, particularly regarding digital divides, human rights – including children’s rights – and the evolution of the multistakeholder model.

The conference Outcome paper is a contribution to the global debate on high-level, foundational principles for the emerging fourth generation of the web.

Call for participants statements and contributions (closed)

Each conference parallel session (see agenda below) will consist in:

1. Short opening remarks from the moderators and subject matter experts, to frame the discussion;
2. Several participants statements;
3. A general open discussion.

To facilitate informed and productive dialogue during these parallel sessions, participants will have access to background documents prior to the conference. These materials have been developed through extensive consultations with a wide range of stakeholders, ensuring that diverse perspectives are included in the preparation process. For more information on the steps and methodology underpinning the background documents please consult the project website.

The background documents provide both technical background and prescriptive insights on the governance of Web 4.0, furnishing participants with valuable insights and context to inform their contributions and enhance the overall quality of the discussions. They will be published under background material on this page. Attendees are encouraged to review these documents in advance to fully engage with the subject matter and contribute meaningfully to the conference.

Individuals and organisations interested in sharing their position on the topic, highlighting key areas of agreement or disagreement, are invited to register their willingness to provide participant statements through this survey by the 14th of March 2025. Two minutes will be allocated to each statement.

For logistics reasons, only in person participants will be able to register and deliver participants statements. Individuals and organisations can choose to deliver participants statements in as many parallel sessions as they wish. Online participants are invited to take part in the open discussions, without any requirement to indicate ex ante their willingness to intervene.

Individuals and organisations who will deliver participants statements will be able to share a written input (i.e., transcript of their statement and/or additional considerations) to be made available to all participants through the conference website.

Logistics

The event will take place at the Charlemagne Building, Rue de la Loi 170, Brussels and online. Connection details for online participants will be shared shortly before the start of the conference.

Background

The conference delivers on Action 9 of the European Commission Communication “An EU initiative on Web 4.0 and virtual worlds: a head start in the next technological transition“ which was adopted in 2023. This action requires the European Commission to “engage with existing multi-stakeholder internet governance institutions to design open and interoperable virtual worlds [from Q4 2023]; and support the creation of a technical multi-stakeholder forum to address certain aspects of virtual worlds and Web 4.0 beyond the remit of existing internet governance bodies [from Q1 2024].

You can read the outcome document of the Conference “A Space for the Metaverse – Virtual World and the Transition to WEB 4.0”    HERE