During the session 'Enhancing CSO participation in global digital policy processes', Diplo launched the four-year Civil Society Alliances for Digital Empowerment (CADE) project, co-founded by the European Union. The CADE project, led by Diplo, will be implemented by a consortium of civil society organisations from various regions in hopes of bringing forth inclusive, evidence-based internet governance policymaking.

Key challenges identified during the discussion include limited opportunities for CSOs to contribute meaningfully to digital policy processes, financial barriers such as membership fees for standard-setting bodies, and a skewed representation with an overrepresentation of organisations from the global north. The CADE project seeks to address these issues by providing tailored training to CSOs to improve their skills in internet governance and facilitate constructive dialogue with policymakers.

The session featured insights from Stephanie Borg Psaila of Diplo Foundation, Karolina Iwa