Guests from the Pacific in Łódź – a great success of the 2025 Summer School on Internet Governance and International Law

Between 22–26 September 2025, the Summer School on Internet Governance and International Law (SSIGIL 2025) was held at the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Łódź.
The event was organised as part of the third phase of an international research project funded by the Internet Society Foundation and led by Dr Joanna Kulesza (University of Łódź) and Dr Berna Akcalı Gur (Queen Mary University of London).

The School was organized in cooperation with the Global Internet Governance Academic Network (GigaNet), the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE), the United Nations University – Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS), the University of Surrey, and Stetson University College of Law.

The 2025 edition, held under the theme “Satellite Internet: Trust and Data Governance,” focused on the legal, political, and technological challenges associated with the use of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, particularly in areas affected by natural disasters and digital exclusion. Discussions addressed issues such as digital sovereignty, cybersecurity, critical infrastructure protection, Internet fragmentation, and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A special role in the programme was played by GFCE Fellows from the Pacific region, representing Tuvalu, Fiji, Palau, and the Cook Islands. Their contributions highlighted the importance of satellite technologies in building climate resilience, enhancing crisis response, and bridging the digital divide in small island developing states.

The SSIGIL 2025 also featured the launch of the book Global Governance of Low Earth Orbit Satellites, published by the University of Łódź Press. The publication serves both as a scientific monograph and a practical policy guide on the governance of satellite-based Internet infrastructure. The book is available in open access on the University of Łódź Press website – we warmly invite you to read it.

The project will continue in the coming years, and updates can be followed on the project website and at www.cyber.uni.lodz.pl.