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. 

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.

To help shape the IGF 2023 Parliamentary Track, Members of Parliaments were invited to respond to a poll for thematic input (EN | FR | SP).

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Parliamentary Roundtable at the European Dialogue on Internet Governance | June 2023 | Tampere, Finland

As part of EuroDIG 2023, a roundtable discussion on Digital cooperation between African and European parliamentarianstook place with European members of parliaments (MPs) with the specific involvement of MPs from the African region.

Parliamentary Track at the Asia Pacific regional IGF | August 2023 | Brisbane, Australia

The Pacific (PACIGF) and the Asia Pacific IGF (APrIGF) are regional IGF initiatives dedicated to fostering exchanges within the region on relevant digital policy topics. 

Building on last year’s parliamentary track experience, the IGF planned to further strengthen its parliamentary track through expanding its regional activities. With the annual IGF meeting scheduled to be held in Japan, a special focus will lie on the engagement with national parliamentarians in the Asia and Pacific region.

In line with this goal, a symposium dedicated to parliamentarians from across the Pacific and Asian Pacific region was organized in the context of the 2023 APrIGF meeting, under the overarching title The Contribution of Parliamentarians to the Internet We Want: An Asia Pacific Perspective.

  • The programme is available here.
  • The key takeaways are available here.
  • The recordings of the regional Parliamentary Track can be viewed here.

Parliamentary Track at the Africa IGF | September 2023 | Abuja, Nigeria

The Africa IGF (AfIGF) is a regional IGF initiative dedicated to fostering exchanges within the region on relevant digital policy topics. 

Building on last year’s Parliamentary Track experience at the Africa IGF in Malawi, a symposium dedicated to parliamentarians from across the African region was organized again this year in Abuja, Nigeria, in the context of the 2023 AfIGF meeting. The overarching theme of the track is The Contribution of Parliamentarians to Shape Digital Trust on the African Continent.

  • The programme is available here.
  • The key takeaways are available here.
  • The recording of the regional Parliamentary Track roundtable can be viewed here. 

Parliamentary Track at the annual IGF | October 2023 | Kyoto, Japan

Shaping Digital Trust for the Internet We Want

This year’s topic is about the role of parliamentarians in shaping digital trust, as we witness an increasing lack of public trusts, or confidence, around privacy, security, consumer and human rights protection. However, trust is a vital element for resilient and sustainable economic growth and recovery. 

  • Concept Note (EN | FR | SP)
  • Invitation Letter to Presidents of IPU Groups (EN | FR |SP)
  • Practical Information Note (EN |FR | SP)
  • IGF 2023 Parliamentary Track output document (EN | FR | SP)

[Day 0 Event] DNS: Foundation for Safe, Secure and Interoperable Internet

Participants in the Parliamentary Track are invited to join this engaging session, co-organized by ICANN and the IGF Secretariat, that offers valuable insights into the Domain Name System (DNS), a critical component of the Internet's foundation. The session will foster discussions on the dynamic interplay between policy and technology, highlighting its implications for Internet governance. By actively participating in this session, MPs will have a unique opportunity to gain comprehensive insights into the DNS and its governance framework, and how these operations shape the Internet and contribute to its overall functionality.

This event is co-organized by ICANN and the IGF Secretariat.

[Parliamentary Session 1] Governing data: what can Parliamentarians do to support a trustworthy online space?

Lack of trust can serve as the rationale for an increasing number of compelled data localisation measures globally, which may result in increasingly fragmented national approaches to data governance. Tackling this lack of trust must be a collective effort to ensure that regional, national or industry initiatives, however well-meaning, do not further fragment the Internet. Trust is strengthened when governments adopt robust and comprehensive commitments to protect the rights and freedoms of individuals, including the fundamental right to privacy.  

  • How can countries strengthen data governance, ensuring data protection and privacy, to support a truly global digital economy? 
  • How to mandate protections for personal data and privacy, based on, for example, OECD’s Declaration on Government Access to Personal Data Held by Private Sector Entities?
  • How can governments and industry collect data with principles and standards for policies and practices that protect data and the right to privacy?

Speakers:

Moderator:

  • Lily Edinam Botsyoe, University of Cincinnati 

[Parliamentary Session 2] Facilitating trustworthy innovation: how governance frameworks can enable the safe development and use of artificial intelligence

From a lack to an abundance of information, digital technologies have also revolutionized communication in online spaces. However, modern online disinformation has surged, challenging trustworthiness and reliability of consumed data and even threatening democracy. Emerging technologies, such as AI, are as well intensifying misinformation and disinformation threats, allowing the wide spread of misleading and contradictory pieces of information. While protecting and respecting freedom of opinion and expression, governments may find it difficult to address online disinformation without cooperation among multistakeholders including parliamentarians.

  • How can policy, regulatory and legislative frameworks facilitate collaboration for the development of artificial intelligence in a trusted way, while continuing to foster innovation? 
  • How to ensure that the design and use of AI is safe, fair, accountable, transparent, interpretable and trustworthy?
  • How to strengthen cooperation across Governments, industry, experts and civil society to elaborate and implement norms, guidelines and principles relating to the responsible use of AI?
  • How to ensure that artificial intelligence aligns with universal human rights and values, while its application is wide spreading in our societies, economies, and politics?  

Speakers:

  • Hon. Cedric Frolick, Member of Parliament, National Assembly House Chairperson for Committees, Oversight and ICT, South Africa 
  • James Hairston, Head of International Policy & Partnership, OpenAI 
  • Nicola Morini Bianzino, EY’s Global Chief Technology Officer
  • Genie Sugene Gan, Head of Government Affairs & Public Policy, Kaspersky
  • Eliamani Laltaika, Judge of the High Court of Tanzania, adjunct faculty member of The Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology (NM-AIST)

Moderator:

  • Prateek Sibal, Programme Specialist, Digital Policies and Digital Transformation Section, UNESCO

[Parliamentary Session 3]Counteracting disinformation to make the digital space trustworthy again

From a lack to an abundance of information, digital technologies have also revolutionized communication in online spaces. However, modern online disinformation has surged, challenging trustworthiness and reliability of consumed data and even threatening democracy. Emerging technologies, such as AI, are as well intensifying misinformation and disinformation threats, allowing the wide spread of misleading and contradictory pieces of information. While protecting and respecting freedom of opinion and expression, governments may find it difficult to address online disinformation without cooperation among multistakeholders including parliamentarians. 

  • How to develop robust accountability for digital platforms and users to address disinformation? 
  • How to effectively address online disinformation?
  • How could parliamentarians promptly address the emerging challenges in the digital space including disinformation?

Speakers:

  • Hon. Irena Joveva, Member of the European Parliament 
  • Agustina Ordoñez, Argentinian National Congress
  • Craig Jones, Director Cybercrime Directorate, INTERPOL (remote)
  • Jennifer Bramlette, Coordinator for Information and Communication Technology, UN Security Council, Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) 
  • Sunil Abraham, Public Policy Director, India - Data Economy and Emerging Technologies, Meta (remote)

Moderator:

[Roundtable]The Role of Parliamentarians in Shaping a Trusted Internet Empowering All People

Speakers

Opening Statements

  • Mr. LI Junhua, DESA Under Secretary General
  • Ms. Jeehan Mahmood, Member of Parliament of the Maldives and Member of the Bureau of IPU’s Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights (remotely) 
  • Hon. Tomoko Ukishima, Member of Parliament, Japan
  • Mr. Vint Cerf, Chair, Leadership Panel 

Roundtable Discussion

Moderator

  • Thomas Schneider, Ambassador and Director of International Affairs at the Swiss Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM)

The Parliamentary Track roundtable can be viewed here (Floor | AR | CH | EN | FR |RU | SP | JA).

Meet the speakers of the IGF 2023 Parliamentary Track!

 

Quick Links

Annual IGF Parliamentary Track Output Documents

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. 

Common Principles for Support to Parliaments

Based on more than four decades of experience on parliamentary development, the IPU Common Principles for Support to Parliamentoffer clear guidelines for those receiving or providing support to parliaments. They aim to improve the quality of the support available to parliaments and to encourage the parliamentary community to work together more effectively when planning designing and providing support. 

(العربية| English | Français | Español)

Parliamentary Track recordings

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