Global digital dialogue opens at IGF 2025 in Norway
As global challenges in digital governance intensify, this year’s IGF opening set the stage for unprecedented collaboration between lawmakers and international stakeholders.
The 2025 Internet Governance Forum (IGF) commenced in Lillestrøm, Norway, with a warm welcome from Chengetai Masango, Head of the UN IGF Secretariat. Marking the sixth year of its parliamentary track, the event gathered legislators from across the globe, including nations such as Nepal, Lithuania, Spain, Zimbabwe, and Uruguay.
Masango highlighted the growing momentum of parliamentary engagement in global digital governance and emphasised Norway’s deep-rooted value of freedom of expression as a guiding principle for shaping responsible digital futures. In his remarks, Masango praised the unique role of parliamentarians in bridging local realities with global digital policy discussions, underlining the importance of balancing human rights with digital security.
He encouraged continued collaboration, learning, and building upon the IGF’s past efforts, primarily through local leadership and national implementation of ideas born from multistakeholder dialogue. Masango concluded by urging participants to engage in meaningful exchanges and form new partnerships, stressing that their contributions matter far beyond the forum itself.
Andy Richardson from the IGF Secretariat reiterated these themes, noting how parliamentary involvement underscores the urgency and weight of digital policy issues in the legislative realm. He drew attention to the critical intersection of AI and democracy, referencing recent resolutions and efforts to track parliamentary actions worldwide. With over 37 national reports on AI-related legislation already compiled, Richardson stressed the IGF’s ongoing commitment to staying updated and learning from legislators’ diverse experiences.
The opening session closed with an invitation to continue discussions in the day’s first panel, titled ‘Digital Deceit: The Societal Impact of Online Misinformation and Disinformation.’ Simultaneous translations were made available, highlighting the IGF’s inclusive and multilingual approach as it moved into a day of rich, cross-cultural policy conversations.
Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.