The International Telecommunication Union ITU, the Permanent Mission of Lebanon in Geneva and the RIPE NCC today co-hosted a session of the ITU Demystifying Digital Series, titled “How the Internet Works: Technical Coordination, Public Policy and Practical Cooperation”.
The session brought together representatives from 35 diplomatic missions and delegations, demonstrating strong interest in how the Internet works, how its technical foundations are coordinated, and how cooperation between governments, international organisations and the technical community can translate policy objectives into practical outcomes.
Tomas Lamanauskas, Deputy Secretary-General of the ITU, H.E. Caroline Ziadeh, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva, and Hans Petter Holen, CEO of the RIPE NCC, opened the session.
Lamanauskas highlighted the importance of cooperation among the ITU, industry, the technical community and other stakeholders. He stressed the value of the multistakeholder environment and the role of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum in bringing together complementary expertise, as well as the importance of connectivity and resilient digital infrastructure as foundations for inclusive digital development. He emphasised that connectivity is fundamental to digital development and that achieving it requires close cooperation among governments, international organisations, industry and the technical community. By bringing together the expertise and perspectives of these stakeholders, digital resilience can be strengthened and shared ambitions translated into meaningful connectivity and practical outcomes.
H.E. Ambassador Caroline Ziadeh emphasised the importance of resilience in all its dimensions, including the resilience of connectivity and digital infrastructure, particularly in light of the challenges Lebanon is facing today. She underlined that reliable communications and resilient infrastructure are essential not only for economic and digital development, but also for maintaining continuity and supporting societies during difficult circumstances.
She also highlighted Lebanon’s commitment to multistakeholder cooperation and the importance of bringing technical expertise, public policy and diplomacy closer together. She noted: “Resilience must be understood in all its dimensions, including connectivity and digital infrastructure. For Lebanon, especially in the context of the challenges we face today, strengthening this resilience requires close cooperation between government, operators, the technical community and international partners.”
Hans Petter Holen highlighted the importance of cooperation between the RIPE NCC, governments, regulators, the ITU and the wider Internet community. He emphasised that the Internet depends on globally coordinated resources, open standards, interoperable networks and cooperation across borders, and encouraged policymakers and diplomats to bring technical expertise into policy discussions early, before positions and negotiating language become fixed.
The session explored the Internet ecosystem from technical coordination through to public policy and implementation.
Hisham Ibrahim, Chief Community Officer at the RIPE NCC, examined how the Internet ecosystem works and the role of the technical community within it. He highlighted the distinction between Internet technical coordination, Internet governance and broader digital governance, stressing that while these areas increasingly intersect, they serve different functions and should not be treated as interchangeable. The discussion also addressed the importance of open standards, globally unique identifiers, interoperability and trust in maintaining one global Internet.
Hans Petter Holen presented the role of the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) and the RIPE NCC within the global Internet ecosystem. He explained how the RIR system supports the coordination and registration of Internet number resources and how the RIPE NCC works with network operators, governments, regulators and other stakeholders to support a stable, secure and resilient Internet.
The final section, delivered by Chafic Chaya, Regional Manager for Public Policy and Government Affairs at the RIPE NCC, focused on moving from policy dialogue to implementation. Drawing on RIPE NCC cooperation with governments, regulators, the ITU and regional and international processes, he illustrated how shared policy objectives can be translated into institutional partnerships, operational capability, capacity building and measurable progress.
He connected this implementation model to the WSIS+20 outcome, the Global Digital Compact and the Sustainable Development Goals, highlighting that international commitments provide important political direction, but their impact ultimately depends on implementation.
A central message of the session was that the technical community can provide an operational bridge between international commitments and outcomes on the ground through open standards, trusted coordination, capacity building, measurement and multistakeholder implementation.
The discussion also focused on the practical role diplomats and policymakers can play: engaging technical expertise early, investing in national capability, and connecting international policy processes with those responsible for implementation at the national and operational levels.
The session concluded with a shared message: good digital policy starts with understanding how the Internet works, who is responsible for what, and where cooperation is more effective than control.
The event was followed by an open dialogue, providing diplomats, ITU representatives and members of the technical community with an opportunity to continue the exchange and identify areas for further cooperation.
