Youth leadership program reaches milestone in mentoring next generation of the Internet community across Asia Pacific

SINGAPORE, July 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Asia Pacific Internet Governance Academy (APIGA) today celebrates a decade of preparing the next generation of youth leaders to help shape the future of the Internet across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. Since its launch in 2016, more than 359 participants from 32 economies have successfully completed the academy, building a growing network of future policymakers, technical experts, academics, civil society leaders, and Internet governance leaders.

The milestone was commemorated during a special anniversary ceremony held at the 10^th APIGA in Busan, South Korea on 24 July 2026.

"The Internet's future depends on the next generation of leaders who will help ensure it remains secure, stable, and accessible for everyone," said Sally Costerton, ICANN's Senior Vice President, Global Stakeholder Engagement. "For the past 10 years, APIGA has equipped young leaders across Asia Pacific with the knowledge and practical experience to become active contributors within the global Internet community."

APIGA is an annual five-day workshop focusing on Internet governance and Internet-related topics. The program is co-hosted by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the Korea Internet & Security Agency, together with regional Internet organizations such as the Asia Pacific Network Information Center, DotAsia, and the Internet Society.

Through an immersive, interactive curriculum, participants gain practical knowledge of how the Internet works and the bottom-up consensus-building model of Internet governance that has helped shape the Internet. Most importantly, the program empowers participants to contribute meaningfully to Internet governance discussions at the local, regional, and global levels.

Building on APIGA's success, the program expanded in 2024 with the launch of local APIGAs, bringing Internet governance education closer to communities across the region. Designed around the same immersive and hands-on style of learning, local APIGAs offer shorter, locally tailored programs that address local issues and may be delivered in the local language. In just two years, local APIGAs have expanded to ten economies, extending opportunities for youth engagement and strengthening regional engagement in Internet governance.

As APIGA enters its second decade, the program remains focused on preparing the next generation to help continue to shape an open, secure, stable, and globally interoperable Internet.

APIGA is part of ICANN's broader commitment to develop future Internet leaders through youth engagement initiatives. These efforts include NextGen@ICANN, which introduces university students and early-career professionals to ICANN Public Meetings and the multistakeholder model of Internet governance.

To learn more about APIGA, visit www.apiga.asia.

About ICANN
ICANN's mission is to help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet, you need to type an address - a name or a number - into your computer or other device. That address must be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN helps coordinate and support these unique identifiers across the world. ICANN was formed in 1998 as a nonprofit public benefit corporation with a community of participants from all over the world.

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