Cambodia Internet Governance Forum (CamIGF) 2025 — inaugural edition — In-Depth Report: Minutes Digest & 3-Line Summary

The 3-Line Summary

Cambodia's first national IGF, CamIGF 2025, drew more than 2,000 participants to Phnom Penh's Diamond Island Convention Center on 6–7 December 2025 under the theme 'Building Cambodia's Inclusive Digital Society'.
The forum officially launched the recommendations of UNESCO's Internet Universality (ROAM-X) assessment and ran 14+ sessions on online safety in the AI era, meaningful connectivity, youth participation and digital rights.
Co-hosted by a ministry, a UN agency and civil society, the outsized debut shows a late-starting Southeast Asian country standing up a full multistakeholder dialogue in one stroke.

Welcome — this is the Japan IGF Support Organization. This in-depth report on Cambodia Internet Governance Forum (CamIGF) 2025 — inaugural edition draws on official outputs, session records and on-site reporting. In a hurry? The three lines above and the diagrams carry the gist.

Conference at a Glance (from official records)

Item	Detail
Official name	Cambodia Internet Governance Forum (CamIGF) 2025 — inaugural edition
Edition	Inaugural edition — Cambodia's first national IGF (matching the UN-recorded establishment year of 2025)
Dates	6–7 December 2025
Venue	Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Center, Phnom Penh — hybrid format
Theme	Building Cambodia's Inclusive Digital Society
Participants	More than 2,000 participants from government, civil society, academia, the private sector and the technical community, representing 50+ organizations
Sessions	14+ sessions and workshops with 25+ international speakers
Host	Co-hosted by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications (MPTC), UNESCO, the Cambodia Academy of Digital Technology (CADT) and Open Development Cambodia (ODC); partners included the UN IGF Secretariat, ICANN, ISOC and the APNIC Foundation
Outcome	Official launch of the UNESCO Internet Universality Indicators (IUI/ROAM-X) assessment recommendations, and the launch of Youth IGF Cambodia 2025

(See the source list at the end of this article.)

Discussion Digest — from the Session Records

Key exchanges extracted from session records and transcripts.

1. Launching the ROAM-X Recommendations — Toward Evidence-Based Digital Policy

Sessions: Launch session for the Internet Universality Indicators (IUI) recommendations

"Evidence matters — and Cambodia is acting on it."
— Esther McFarlane, Officer-in-Charge, UNESCO Office in Phnom Penh [1][4]

The IUI assessment by UNESCO and CADT scored Cambodia's digital governance against the ROAM-X principles — human Rights, Openness, Accessibility and Multistakeholder participation [1][4]
The recommendations were formally launched at the inaugural CamIGF, with UNESCO committing to support their implementation [1][4]

2. 'The Internet Is Like a Jungle' — Online Safety in the Age of AI

Sessions: Opening session and online-safety sessions

"The internet is like a jungle — full of opportunities and pathways."
— H.E. Sok Puthyvuth, Secretary of State, Ministry of Post and Telecommunications [1][3]

Online safety amid AI advancement, universal access and meaningful connectivity, data protection and digital skills gaps headlined the agenda [1][3]
Minister of Post and Telecommunications Chea Vandeth stressed coordinated action across sectors so that digital transformation benefits all Cambodians [1][3]

3. A Four-Way Co-Host Design — Government, UN, Academia and Civil Society Together

Sessions: Multiple sessions

"The development and governance of the internet must be guided by open, inclusive, and transparent dialogue."
— Thy Try, Executive Director, Open Development Cambodia [2][4]

The four co-hosts spanned government (MPTC), the UN (UNESCO), academia (CADT) and civil society (ODC), with the UN IGF Secretariat, ICANN, ISOC, APNIC Foundation and APrIGF as partners [2][4]
Chengetai Masango, head of the UN IGF Secretariat, spoke — plugging the debut edition straight into the global IGF mainstream [2][4]
APNIC Foundation funding secured participation by youth representatives, the technical community, Indigenous communities and civil society leaders [2][4]

4. Implementing Inclusion — Provinces, Persons with Disabilities, Indigenous Communities and Youth

Sessions: Multiple sessions

Provincial stakeholders, persons with disabilities and Indigenous communities were explicitly included, embodying the 'inclusive digital society' theme in the roster itself [1][2][4]
Youth IGF Cambodia 2025 launched alongside, linking the youth activities ODC had incubated since 2023 into the national IGF proper [1][2][4]
Over 50 organizations sustained 14+ sessions across two days, with coverage across 55 media outlets in Khmer, English, French and Mandarin (per APNIC Foundation) [1][2][4]

Three-Minute Short Talk — Your Questions Answered

Q. Over 2,000 people at a first edition — really?

A. Yes. With a ministry, UNESCO, a national digital academy and a civil society group as co-hosts — plus APNIC Foundation and ICANN backing — it launched at the scale of a state event.

Q. What was actually decided?

A. The recommendations of UNESCO's Internet Universality (ROAM-X) assessment were formally launched, giving Cambodia a roadmap for digital policy reform. A national Youth IGF launched at the same time.

Q. Why should I care?

A. A whole-of-country adoption of a UN assessment framework is a template other developing states may follow — and a signal of where Cambodia's digital regulation is headed for anyone doing business in ASEAN.

What Is Cambodia IGF? (for first-time readers)

Cambodia IGF is a National or Regional IGF Initiative (NRI), aligning local internet governance discussion with global IGF principles.

Why It Matters to You

What was discussed here becomes the baseline for national digital policy, platform rules and AI regulation worldwide within a few years. The principles confirmed at the 2025 meeting are the foundation of the "next rules" for the phones, social platforms and AI services you use every day.