Youth leadership initiative achieves key milestone in guiding the emerging Internet community throughout Asia Pacific.

/PRNewswire/ -- The Asia Pacific Internet Governance Academy (APIGA) today marks ten years of training the next generation of youth leaders to influence the Internet's direction across the Asia Pacific region. Launched in 2016, the academy has seen more than 359 participants from 32 economies complete the program, creating an expanding network of future policymakers, technical specialists, academics, civil society advocates, and Internet governance experts.

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

"The Internet's future relies on emerging leaders who will work to keep it secure, stable, and open to all," said Sally Costerton, ICANN's Senior Vice President, Global Stakeholder Engagement. "Over the past decade, APIGA has provided young leaders across Asia Pacific with the insights and hands-on skills needed to become active participants in the worldwide Internet community."

APIGA runs as an annual five-day workshop centered on Internet governance and related subjects. It is co-hosted by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the Korea Internet and Security Agency, along with regional partners including the Asia Pacific Network Information Center, DotAsia, and the Internet Society.

Through an engaging and interactive program, attendees acquire practical understanding of Internet operations and the bottom-up consensus model that has guided its development. The initiative particularly enables participants to take part effectively in governance discussions at local, regional, and international levels.

Building on its achievements, the program grew in 2024 through the introduction of local APIGAs, which bring Internet governance education nearer to communities in the region. These shorter, locally adapted sessions follow the same immersive approach, focus on regional concerns, and may be conducted in local languages. Within two years, local APIGAs have reached ten economies, broadening youth involvement and deepening regional participation in Internet governance.

As APIGA begins its second decade, the program continues to prepare emerging leaders to support an open, secure, stable, and globally connected Internet.

APIGA forms part of ICANN's wider efforts to develop future Internet leaders via youth programs. These include NextGen@ICANN, which introduces university students and early-career professionals to ICANN Public Meetings and the multistakeholder model of Internet governance.

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.

SOURCE ICANN