The Global Network Initiative (GNI) is proud to release our 2025 Annual Report: Finding Resilience through Multistakeholderism, charting a pivotal year of expansion, including the evolution of our accountability framework, expanded learning activities, and impactful policy advocacy amidst shifting geopolitical pressures and dynamic technological shifts. The report also provides an overview of GNI’s fifth Assessment Cycle, including the company assessments conducted in 2025.
Explore the full report.
“2025 was a year of tremendous change and challenge as international conflict continued to seep through borders, and governments sought control over the lives of people both physically and in the digital space, even in places where human rights have long been taken for granted,” said GNI’s Board Chair Vicky Bowman. “At the same time, drastic budget cuts have impacted civil society and academia, who responded with nimble adjustments and hardened resolve.”
GNI expanded its global network to 125 members, welcoming 19 new organizations and experts, seven of which are based outside of Europe and North America. Over the course of the year, we deepened our global engagement, launching the Multistakeholder Approaches to Participation in AI Governance (MAP-AI) project with the Centre for Communication Governance, and convening meetings and events alongside RightsCon in Taiwan, the Internet Governance Forum in Norway, and the Center for Studies on Freedom of Expression annual event in Argentina.
GNI produced policy statements and submissions on a wide range of topics, including content regulation, surveillance, and encryption, and jurisdictions, including Bangladesh, Mexico, Pakistan, Russia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, the UK, and Zambia. In addition, we coordinated responses to state-mandated network disruptions in Gaza, Iran, Nepal, and Tanzania. Additionally, through the project Shaping the WSIS+20 Review for a Unified Internet Multistakeholderism (SWUIM) supported by the ICANN inaugural grant program, , GNI partnered with Global Partners Digital to engage civil society across eight Global Majority countries to ensure the UN’s WSIS+20 review reflects national priorities and remains firmly grounded in human rights standards.
Publication of the Fifth Assessment Cycle Report and Case Studies
2025 marked the launch of GNI’s fifth cycle of company assessments. The annual report includes a description of the significant changes that were made to GNI’s assessment process ahead of this cycle, including expanding opportunities for participation to our entire Accountability Committee, as well as information about the six company assessments that took place in 2025. Information about the assessments that take place in 2026 will be published separately in 2027.
Highlighting the role of GNI’s accountability framework, Board Vice Chair Usama Khilji noted,
“The biggest strength of GNI is its conscious effort to evolve as technology, politics, and the digital rights sector rapidly change, which is done through a consultative process that includes companies, civil society, academia, and investors… GNI’s multistakeholder nature, our commitment to consensus-based decisions, and a regular mechanism for accountability make GNI a truly unique and effective space.”
About the Global Network Initiative
The Global Network Initiative (GNI) is the leading multistakeholder forum for accountability, shared learning, and collective advocacy on government and company policies and practices at the intersection of technology and human rights. GNI brings together leading academics, civil society organizations, investors, and tech companies to set a global standard for responsible company decision-making and advance freedom of expression and privacy rights across the technology ecosystem.