APIGA Celebrates a Decade of Training Future Internet Leaders in the Asia-Pacific Region

Celebrating a Milestone: APIGA's 10 Years of Impact

In an era where the internet finds itself at the center of societal evolution, the Asia-Pacific Internet Governance Academy (APIGA) stands as a beacon of hope and progress. On July 24, 2026, a special ceremony was held in Busan, South Korea, to commemorate APIGA's remarkable journey over the past decade. Since its inception in 2016, APIGA has dedicated itself to training the next generation of young leaders, shaping their understanding and involvement in internet governance across the region.

More than 359 individuals from 32 different economies have participated in APIGA, nurturing a growing network of future policymakers, technical experts, academics, civil society leaders, and internet governance advocates. This 10-year celebration not only highlights the achievements of the program but also emphasizes the crucial role these young leaders will play in ensuring the internet remains secure, stable, and accessible to all.

Sally Costerton, Senior Vice President for Global Stakeholder Engagement, remarked, “The future of the internet will rely on the next generation of leaders who will help ensure that it remains safe, stable, and accessible for everyone.” APIGA's annual workshop, lasting five days, dives deep into key topics regarding internet governance. This immersive experience is co-organized by ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, along with the Internet and Security Agency of Korea and regional internet organizations such as the Asia-Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC), DotAsia, and the Internet Society.

Participants engage in an interactive curriculum that provides them with hands-on knowledge about how the internet functions and understanding the consensus-driven model for internet governance that has shaped the digital landscape. This experience is designed to equip participants with the necessary tools to engage meaningfully in discussions around internet governance at local, regional, and global levels.

Building on its success, APIGA expanded its reach in 2024 by launching local chapters, further bringing internet governance training into communities across the region. These local editions mirror the same immersive learning style, offering shorter, context-specific programs that address local concerns and can be conducted in local languages. In just two years, these local APIGA workshops have reached ten economies, broadening opportunities for youth involvement and strengthening the region’s voice in internet governance.

As APIGA embarks on its second decade, it reiterates its commitment to fostering the next generation of leaders who will continue to shape an open, safe, stable, and interoperable internet worldwide. APIGA is also part of a broader initiative by ICANN, aimed at nurturing future leaders through youth engagement initiatives, including programs like NextGen@ICANN, which introduces university students and early-career professionals to ICANN’s public meetings and the multi-stakeholder model of internet governance.

For more information about APIGA and its impact, visit www.apiga.asia.

About ICANN

ICANN’s mission is to help maintain a unified, stable, and secure global Internet. To interact with others on the Internet, one must input an address – a name or number – into a computer or device, which must be unique for computers to locate one another. ICANN's role is to coordinate and support these unique identifiers worldwide. Established in 1998 as a non-profit public-benefit corporation, ICANN has a community that spans across global participants.