23-27 June 2025, Lillestrøm, Norway – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) along with its Centre for Global Studies (CGS), contributed to the United Nations 20th Internet Governance Forum (IGF 2025), hosted by Norway, in the city of Lillestrøm.
On this occasion, PAM-CGS was represented by Hon. Abdelouhab Yagoubi (Algeria), PAM Rapporteur on Artificial Intelligence, as well as by Mr. Marco Emanuele, Senior Researcher at CGS.
The IGF, held under the overarching theme Building Digital Governance Together, is a global multistakeholder platform mandated by the UN Secretary-General to facilitate dialogue on Internet governance and related public policy issues. This year, the Forum is bringing together more than 7000 participants from governments, the private sector, civil society, academia, and the technical community.
IGF 2025 is taking place at a pivotal moment for global digital governance, following the adoption of the Global Digital Compact in September 2024 and ahead of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) +20 Review.
The 2025 IGF included, on 23-24 June, a dedicated Parliamentary Track, jointly organized by UN DESA, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), and the Norwegian Parliament.
Hon. Yagoubi intervened in the opening panel of the Parliamentary Track, entitled “Digital Deceit: The Societal Impact of Online Mis- and Disinformation”, which examined emerging trends, propagation mechanisms, and global policy responses to online disinformation, with contributions from experts across sectors.
On 24 June PAM-CGS representatives attended the Opening Ceremony of the IGF, which was addressed among others, by the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. In his remarks he commended the role of the IGF in advancing inclusive collaboration on internet public policy through dialogue across sectors, regions, and generations.
The Opening Ceremony was further addressed by several distinguished officials, including, H.E Krzysztof Gawkowski, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs of Poland, and Ms. Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy of the European Commission, who underscored the European Union’ commitment to shaping a human-centric, inclusive, and secure digital future, grounded in multilateral cooperation, shared values, and the effective implementation of the Global Digital Compact and AI governance frameworks.
Among other notable contributions were those of Mr. Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA); Ms. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU); Dr. Tawfik Jelassi Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information of UNESCO; and Mons. Lucio Adrian Ruiz, Secretary of the Dicastery for Communication of the Holy See, each of whom reaffirmed the centrality of ethical and rights-based digital cooperation in ensuring that technological progress serves the common good.
The Centre for Global Studies (CGS), is increasingly engaging with the IGF, particularly through its participation in the 19th IGF in Riyadh, in December 2024, as well as the regional IGFs held in Belgrade and Vilnius.
These platforms offered key opportunities to present CGS research on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies, most notably its Report on the Malicious use of AI, developed in partnership with the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED).
The CGS will continue to strengthen its engagement in global and regional digital governance dialogue, ensuring that the parliamentary perspective remains central in shaping ethical and inclusive policies on emerging technologies. //