At the opening of the RIGF 2025 participants will be greeted by representatives of the government and business, the relevant ministry, Internet companies and academic circles. They will talk about the main topics of RIGF 2025, outline the topics for discussion at the forum, and note the main trends in the development of digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence and new technologies. The opening participants will also remind that 2025 marks the 15th anniversary of the Cyrillic domain .РФ, which is celebrated on May 12, 2025.

Over the past three years, a new threat contour has formed around the Runet and its users – from DDoS attacks with hacking and data destruction to propaganda and fraud. How sovereign is the Runet today, has it been possible to ensure the safety of citizens, both physical and moral, and how to limit the abuse of AI. Should we welcome the prospect of the return of foreign IT companies or focus on protecting our own IT sector. And how do we manage to cope with the challenges of digitalization and ensure data protection at the regional level?

In 2010, the Coordination Center for Top Level National Domains established a special award, Virtuti Interneti (Service to the Internet) unique in the Runet. It is awarded to representatives of the worldwide web community, business, sciences and the government who have made a significant contribution to the development of the Runet and the global Internet. Candidates are shortlisted by the Programs Committee of the Russian Internet Governance Forum (RIGF), and the awards ceremony and subsequent lecture by the winner have become a tradition for the RIGF program.

In a fiercely competitive global environment, every IT solution is more than just a product; it is a bridge between different cultures and economic realities. Russian IT companies can become key players in this field, because they are able not only to meet the needs of developing markets, but also to enrich these economies with unique technologies based on many years of experience and recent scientific progress.

How do you teach children not only to use the internet, but also to understand the risks that it carries? Critical thinking is a key tool for being protected in the digital environment. The discussion will focus on ways to foster critical thinking, the right age to start teaching digital hygiene, and online threats the new generation is likely to encounter. The participants will talk about different types of literacy including information, digital and media literacy.

Satellites do not only provide connectivity in the most remote places. They are a major component of the data economy. How is satellite internet developing in Russia and around the world? What barriers are preventing its greater penetration? How do we harmonize space and internet governance? We will have a discussion on how satellites help promote the data economy.

Twenty years ago, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) laid the foundations for a digital world that focused on people and the development of society, information and knowledge. WSIS+20 is a time to take stock and assess the progress made in the implementation of the WSIS outcomes and those of the Internet Governance Forum. We will discuss how the Global Digital Compact, adopted in 2024, can be the key to a more coordinated approach to digital governance, despite the disputes in the international arena.

How can we effectively address disinformation while maintaining a balance between security and freedom of speech? In this session, we will discuss the measures already taken, their impact on society and the digital environment, as well as possible regulatory approaches that will help make the internet cleaner and safer.

The closing ceremony of RIGF 2025 will feature the results of the work of the RIGF Youth Special Course participants. Also, the curator of the special course, Anastasia Savelyeva, will talk about the next Summer School on Internet Governance, which will be held in July-August 2025. Head of the Academy of Innovative Education and Development Olga Rubtsova will present educational projects that are jointly carried out by AEER and the Coordinaion Center for TLD .RU/.РФ. Head of the analytical department of the Center for Global IT Cooperation Andrey Ignatyev will present a new collection of reports of the Center for Global IT Cooperation, and Director of the Center for Global IT Cooperation Vadim Glushchenko will announce the upcoming Global Digital Forum and the IGF in June.