IGF Parliamentary Track

In recent years, the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) has sought to strengthen the participation of parliamentarians in discussions on some of the most pressing issues related to the use, evolution and governance of the Internet and related digital technologies. In 2019 and 2020, a parliamentary roundtable was held in the context of the IGF annual meeting. In 2021 and 2022, an extended Parliamentary Track was introduced, which included a series of activities for parliamentarians in the lead-up to and at the annual IGF meeting.

Building on past year’s Parliamentary Track experience, the IGF plans to further strengthen its Parliamentary Track, in particular through expanding the set of intersessional activities dedicated to fostering inter-parliamentary dialogue and cooperation on key digital policy issues and delivering more action-oriented outputs.

Objectives
  • Create inter-regional cooperation leading to global cooperation among members of parliaments themselves, and members of parliaments and other stakeholders. 
  • Raise awareness on Internet governance among legislators and other stakeholders
  • Develop capacity for and with legislators
 

Contacts: igf [at] un [dot] org

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Parl Track roundtable picture

Parliamentary Track 2024

The track will continue its global activities, with sessions being held at the various regional and annual IGF meetings, while expanding partnerships with various stakeholders.

With the aim to continuously improve the track activities and adjust to Parliamentarians' needs, the preparation of the Parliamentary Track in 2024 will incorporate the feedback collected from IGF 2023 Members of Parliaments, speakers and moderators.

The 2024 workplan will soon be published on the Parliamentary Track 2024 webpage here. 

Parliamentary Track 2023

The track expanded its global activities, with regional sessions being held at the European Dialogue on Internet Governance in June 2023, at the Asia Pacific regional IGF in August 2023, at the African IGF in September 2023, and presumably at the LACIGF in December 2023. Building on the regional Parliamentary Track, a series of parliamentary activities were held at the annual IGF 2023 in Kyoto on the theme Shaping Digital Trust for the Internet We Want.

Visit the Parliamentary Track 2023 webpage here. 

Parliamentary Track 2022

In 2022, the IGF parliamentary track started with a digital policy symposium held in the context of the Africa IGF, on the theme The role of parliamentarians in shaping our common digital future: An African perspective. Building on this regional Parliamentary Track, a series of parliamentary activities were held at the annual IGF 2022 in Addis Ababa on the theme Addressing cyberthreats: national, regional and international approaches. 

Visit the Parliamentary Track 2022 webpage here. 

Parliamentary Track 2021

In the lead-up to IGF 2021, a series of preparatory sessions were held online allowing Members of Parliaments to become familiar with the IGF and the broader Internet governance ecosystem and to engage in dialogue and exchanges of experiences on key digital policy issues. A series of parliamentary activities were held at the annual IGF 2021 in Katowice on the theme Legislative approaches for a user-centric digital space.

Visit the Parliamentary Track 2021 webpage here. 

Parliamentary Track 2020

The IGF 2020 featured a Parliamentary Roundtable to support continuity and linkages between the annual meetings of IGF ‎‎with other global, regional and national legislative bodies. ‎The Parliamentary Roundtable focused on Building trust in a time of COVID-19 response and post-COVID-19 recovery‎.

Visit the Parliamentary Track 2020 event page here. 

Parliamentary Track 2019

The IGF 2019 organized the first meeting of Parliamentarians held at the 14th UN Internet Governance Forum in Berlin. The meeting focused on the role of Parliamentarians around cybersecurity, the digital economy, human rights in the digital age as well as latest development in the field of Internet technology.

The message from the meeting is available here. 

Quick Links

Annual IGF Parliamentary Track Output Documents
  • IGF Parliamentary Track 2023 (EN | FR | SP)
  • IGF Parliamentary Track 2022 (EN | FR | SP)
  • IGF Parliamentary Track 2021 (EN | FR | SP)
  • IGF Parliamentary Track 2020 (EN)
  • IGF Message from the meeting of Parliamentarians 2019 (EN)
Toolkit for parliamentarians on key Internet and digital policy issues

Parliamentarians can learn more by using this  guide to key digital policy issues and related processes and organizations: Towards a Global Digital Compact. This is a living document and will be updated accordingly. 

Parliamentary Track recordings

Parliamentary Track activities can be viewed here on our IGF YouTube channel.

Reading Corner

Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies
Avoiding Internet Fragmentation
Cybersecurity, Cybercrime and Online Safety
Data Governance and Trust
Digital Divides and Inclusion
Global Digital Governance and Cooperation
Human Rights and Freedoms
Sustainability and Environment