Norm Bridge-Building: Crafting Compromises at NETmundial, GGE and OEWG

Brazil practiced norm bridge-building in three instances. First, the Brazilian hosting NETmundial provides a textbook example of the concept. Prior to the conference, the global debate on internet governance was divided between a multilateral and a multistakeholder camp. Brazil reached out to both sides and engaged passive actors during the preparation and organization of the conference, specifically in the drafting process of the outcome document. They crafted a compromise and engaged previously passive actors by ensuring broad participation and addressing the concerns of developing states. Second, Brazil was chosen as chair of the 2014-2015 GGE due to its position outside the two camps. The chair was able to lead the group towards consensus in a politically challenging time and even brokered agreement on issues that had previously been debated without reaching an agreement. Third, Brazil chaired the 2019-2021 GGE and participated in the 2019-2021 OEWG. They assumed a procedural type of bridge-building to guarantee the functioning and coherence between both groupings. The three episodes of Brazilian norm bridge-building efforts differ significantly in their depth. This is due in part to differences in data availability among the three settings. However, this also indicates that norm bridge-building can occur to varying degrees.