APAN59

The global Internet thrives on openness, interoperability, and inclusivity, serving as the backbone of education, research, and innovation worldwide. However, the rising threats of Internet fragmentation—caused by geopolitical tensions, data localization mandates, cyberattacks, filtering fake news, and proprietary systems—pose a significant challenge to its universal nature. The session will come up with the pivotal role of National Research and Education Networks (NRENs), with their unique position at the intersection of technology, policy, and education, in mitigating these threats.

The session will be organised in panel discussion mode with expectation from NREN representatives [BdREN, NREN, DrukREN, LEARN, CERNET, ThaiREN, REANZ, MyREN, PERN, NKN and PREGINET] about their observations on the specific challenges in respective countries. A questionnaire may be prepared ahead of time to get feedbacks from the participating Asia-Pacific NRENs and the panel consisting of NRENs from both developed and developing economies [as mentioned] may come forward to discuss on the challenges and threats delved out of the questionnaire and the probable remedies to mitigate those threats.