The Best Practice Forums (BPFs) provide a platform to exchange experiences in addressing Internet policy issues. The objective is to collect existing and emerging good practices from community experience, not to develop new policies or practices.
BPFs are open, bottom-up and collective processes to produce community-driven outputs. BPF outputs intend to contribute to an understanding of global good practice, and to serve as a resource to inform policy discussions, standards development, business decisions, as well as public understanding, awareness, and discourse.
Until 2026, the Best Practice Forums (BPFs) operated as a standalone stream of the IGF's intersessional work. Beginning in 2026, a decision was made to streamline the intersessional work formats by integrating the BPF model into the structure and format of the Policy Networks. This change aims to simplify the IGF's intersessional architecture, enhance coordination among work streams, and strengthen the impact of their outputs.
BPF background
A report produced by the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) Working Group on Improvements to the IGF called for the development of more tangible outputs to ‘enhance the impact of the IGF on global Internet governance and policy’. To enrich the potential for IGF outputs, the IGF has developed an intersessional programme of Best Practice Forums (BPFs) intended to complement other IGF community activities.
All interested stakeholders are encouraged to contribute to the intersessional work-related discussions, through public consultations, surveys, mailing list discussions, online meetings, and other modalities for public engagement. Stakeholders interested in contributing to the thematic activities are encouraged to subscribe to the dedicated mailing lists where online meetings and other activities are announced.
Reference Reading:
- IGF Best Practice Forums, Definitions, Procedures, and Modalities
- All IGF BPF outputs since 2014
- Reviewing past Best Practice Forums (BPFs) to enhance future BPF work: "BPF on BPFs"
- IGF Best Practice Forums (BPFs): Participants Guide
- Looking back on the 2015 BPF process: Observations, Thoughts and Suggestions to Enhance the BPF Process, Participation and Outputs
- Possible collaboration between the BPFs and NRIs
Join a Policy Network and contribute best practices
Participation is open to all stakeholders. Whether you are an expert, policymaker, researcher, practitioner, community organizer or eager to learn and network, you can contribute to the discussions.
- Subscribe to open mailing lists and IGF newsletter
- Join regular monthly meetings
- Share research, experience and case studies
- Engage at the activities organized at IGF annual meeting and others
Subscribe to mailing lists | Subscribe to IGF Newsletter | Contact the IGF Secretariat
