{"id":14613,"date":"2025-11-25T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/2025\/11\/25\/en-iraq-igf-2025-overview\/"},"modified":"2025-11-25T15:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T06:00:00","slug":"en-iraq-igf-2025-overview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/2025\/11\/25\/en-iraq-igf-2025-overview\/","title":{"rendered":"IGF Iraq 2025 (1st National IGF) \u2014 In-Depth Report: Minutes Digest &#038; 3-Line Summary"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/en-iraq-igf-2025-overview_thumbnail.svg\" alt=\"Iraq IGF 2025 \u30d0\u30b0\u30c0\u30fc\u30c9 \u2014 Thumbnail\"><\/p>\n<h2>The 3-Line Summary<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/en-iraq-igf-2025-overview_s3.svg\" alt=\"Iraq IGF 2025 \u30d0\u30b0\u30c0\u30fc\u30c9 \u2014 3-line summary\"><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Iraq&#39;s first national IGF met 30\u201331 August 2025 at the Babylon Rotana Hotel in Baghdad, organized by the NGO Tech4Peace under the UN IGF framework \u2014 over 500 in-person participants from government, business and civil society, and more than 64,000 watching online.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The communications minister laid out a 5G and competition-neutrality roadmap, Meta and Google ran workshops, and four private roundtables \u2014 connectivity, AI governance, misinformation and elections, digital payments \u2014 produced actionable recommendations.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>A conflict-scarred country built its own safe, neutral venue for digital policy. Tech4Peace has pledged to make it annual, with the second edition set for October 2026 in Baghdad.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Welcome \u2014 this is the Japan IGF Support Organization. This in-depth report on <strong>IGF Iraq 2025 (1st National IGF)<\/strong> draws on official outputs, session records and on-site reporting. In a hurry? The three lines above and the diagrams carry the gist.<\/p>\n<h2>Conference at a Glance (from official records)<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/en-iraq-igf-2025-overview_h2.svg\" alt=\"Iraq IGF 2025 \u30d0\u30b0\u30c0\u30fc\u30c9 \u2014 Conference at a glance\"><\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Item<\/th>\n<th>Detail<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Official name<\/td>\n<td>IGF Iraq 2025 (1st National IGF)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Dates<\/td>\n<td>30\u201331 August 2025<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Venue<\/td>\n<td>Babylon Rotana Hotel, Baghdad<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Theme<\/td>\n<td>Regional governance themes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Online participants<\/td>\n<td>64,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>In-person participants<\/td>\n<td>500<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Registered<\/td>\n<td>1,564<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Tracks<\/td>\n<td>5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Opening<\/td>\n<td>Communications Minister Dr. Hayam Al-Yasiri spoke at the opening session<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Host<\/td>\n<td>Organized by Tech4Peace (T4P) under the UN IGF framework, with the Prime Minister&#39;s Office, Ministry of Communications, Communications &amp; Media Commission and Central Bank of Iraq as government partners<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Next<\/td>\n<td>Second edition scheduled for 22\u201323 October 2026 in Baghdad (per UN IGF records)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>(See the source list at the end of this article.)<\/p>\n<h2>Discussion Digest \u2014 from the Session Records<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/en-iraq-igf-2025-overview_minutes.svg\" alt=\"Iraq IGF 2025 \u30d0\u30b0\u30c0\u30fc\u30c9 \u2014 Discussion map\"><\/p>\n<p>Key exchanges extracted from session records and transcripts.<\/p>\n<h3>1. 5G and Telecom Policy \u2014 a New Operator, Competitive Neutrality and Exam-shutdown Protocols<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Sessions<\/strong>: Opening session &quot;Internet Governance in Iraq&quot; and the ministerial &amp; industry plenary (30 August)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Communications Minister Dr. Hayam Al-Yasiri set out law-based Internet governance, faster e-government, linking institutional data to the National Cybersecurity Center \u2014 plus a clear decision flow for exam-period shutdowns and a roadmap for a government-backed operator with a time-limited 5G exclusivity window [1]<\/li>\n<li>In the plenary, the CMC promised transparent spectrum and licensing while Asiacell reported more than 8,300 towers in 2025 (heading to ~9,000 by year-end) and 5G readiness pending licences [1]<\/li>\n<li>The CMC disclosed negotiations with Saudi Arabia and Oman to position Iraq as a regional Internet transit hub; the connectivity roundtable urged route diversity, open licensing and civil-works coordination to protect fibre [1]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>2. Digital Payments and Fraud \u2014 Central Bank, Meta and the Banks Join Forces<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Sessions<\/strong>: E-Payment panel &quot;Digital Fraud &amp; Awareness&quot; (30 August) and private roundtable #4<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Central Bank of Iraq&#39;s cybersecurity head, Meta&#39;s public-policy director, the Iraqi Private Banks League and the National Security Service shared a stage to align platform and banking fraud controls and launch joint public-awareness campaigns [1]<\/li>\n<li>With fraud rising, panelists agreed reporting, data-sharing and user education must scale rapidly [1]<\/li>\n<li>The roundtable got specific: simplified KYB\/KYC onboarding for small merchants, standardised dispute and chargeback timelines, and financial literacy embedded in school curricula [1]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>3. Women&#39;s Safety in the Digital Space \u2014 Confronting Digital Violence and Barriers to Participation<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Sessions<\/strong>: Panel &quot;Women&#39;s Safety in the Digital Space&quot; (31 August)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Iraqi Lawyers Association, UNFPA, the civil group Al Amal and Tech4Peace&#39;s &quot;Tech for Her Protection&quot; initiative addressed privacy, digital violence, hate speech and the barriers keeping women offline [1][4]<\/li>\n<li>The direction set: cross-institutional coordination on safety responses, digital literacy and safety education in schools, and scaled-up NGO support services [1][4]<\/li>\n<li>The panel drew notably strong attendance from women-led NGOs and digital-rights groups, and the report logs it among the peaks of the livestream audience [1][4]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>4. The Content Economy and Meta\/Google Workshops \u2014 Building a Creator Nation<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Sessions<\/strong>: Panel &quot;Digital Content in Iraq&quot; (31 August) and the Meta and Google workshops<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A deputy national security adviser from the PM&#39;s office, sports broadcaster Al Rabea, distributor Iraqi Cinema and the International Trademark Association debated content&#39;s economic and cultural role and creator sustainability [1][5]<\/li>\n<li>Meta trained creators and SMEs on content strategy, monetisation and platform-safety tools; Google ran hands-on generative-AI fundamentals \u2014 international expertise delivered straight to Iraqi developers and students [1][5]<\/li>\n<li>Commitments logged included building Arabic and Kurdish fact-checking capacity and aligning brand safety with the local context [1][5]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>5. AI Governance and Election Misinformation \u2014 Toward a National AI Committee<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Sessions<\/strong>: Private roundtables #2 &quot;AI Governance&quot; and #3 &quot;Misinformation &amp; Elections Integrity&quot;<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&quot;Convening IGF Iraq 2025 represented a shared responsibility and collective message uniting government, the private sector, and civil society (as reported in English by Iraq Business News)&quot;<br \/>\n\u2014 <strong>Aws Al-Saadi (founder and president of Tech4Peace, closing remarks)<\/strong> [1][4][2]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li>The AI roundtable recommended interim data-use and privacy guidance, a national AI committee with technical authority, IEC\/ISO-aligned standards and open data pipelines for research [1][4][2]<\/li>\n<li>The misinformation roundtable examined election-period harms and gendered online abuse, calling for a national coordination cell, expanded Arabic\/Kurdish fact-checking and standing platform liaisons [1][4][2]<\/li>\n<li>Tech4Peace declared IGF Iraq an annual platform, assigning focal points and 90-day check-ins per roundtable; the second edition is scheduled for 22\u201323 October 2026 [1][4][2]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Three-Minute Short Talk \u2014 Your Questions Answered<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Q. So what did the meeting actually decide?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A. Nothing binding \u2014 but the communications minister publicly laid out a new 5G policy, and four roundtables produced recommendations with named focal points and 90-day check-ins. It was built not to end at talk.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q. What was the most contentious topic?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A. State Internet shutdowns. Iraq has cut nationwide connectivity to stop exam cheating; the minister&#39;s pledge of a transparent decision protocol for shutdowns was counted a real step.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q. Why should I care?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A. It proves a conflict-scarred country can convene government, Big Tech and citizens through an NGO-led forum. Meta and Google committing to local-language fact-checking is the platform-accountability debate, everywhere.<\/p>\n<h2>What Is Iraq IGF? (for first-time readers)<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/en-iraq-igf-2025-overview_h1.svg\" alt=\"Iraq IGF 2025 \u30d0\u30b0\u30c0\u30fc\u30c9 \u2014 About Iraq IGF\"><\/p>\n<p>Iraq IGF is a National or Regional IGF Initiative (NRI), aligning local internet governance discussion with global IGF principles.<\/p>\n<h2>Why It Matters to You<\/h2>\n<p>What was discussed here becomes <strong>the baseline for national digital policy, platform rules and AI regulation worldwide within a few years<\/strong>. The principles confirmed at the 2025 meeting are the foundation of the &quot;next rules&quot; for the phones, social platforms and AI services you use every day.<\/p>\n<h2>Sources &amp; References<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intgovforum.org\/en\/filedepot_download\/131\/30060\">IGF Iraq 2025 Narrative &amp; Impact Report\uff08\u516c\u5f0f\u5831\u544a\u66f8PDF\uff09<\/a> \u2014 Tech4Peace \/ \u56fd\u9023IGF\u4e8b\u52d9\u5c40filedepot (accessed 2026-07-11)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intgovforum.org\/en\/content\/iraq-igf\">Iraq IGF\uff08NRI\u516c\u5f0f\u8a18\u9332\u30da\u30fc\u30b8\u30fb2024\u5e74\u8a2d\u7acb\/2\u90e8\u69cb\u6210\/\u6b21\u56de2026\u5e7410\u6708\uff09<\/a> \u2014 UN IGF Secretariat (accessed 2026-07-11)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/igfiraq.com\/events\/\">IGF Iraq 2025 \u2013 Events\uff08\u516c\u5f0f\u30b5\u30a4\u30c8\u30fb\u300c\u30a4\u30e9\u30af\u521d\u306eIGF\u300d\u544a\u77e5\uff09<\/a> \u2014 IGF Iraq \/ Tech4Peace (accessed 2026-07-11)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.iraq-businessnews.com\/2025\/09\/04\/iraq-hosts-first-internet-governance-forum\/\">Iraq Hosts First Internet Governance Forum<\/a> \u2014 Iraq Business News\uff082025-09-04\u4ed8\uff09 (accessed 2026-07-11)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.iraq-businessnews.com\/2025\/08\/27\/meta-and-google-at-iraqs-first-internet-governance-forum\/\">Meta and Google at Iraq&#39;s First Internet Governance Forum<\/a> \u2014 Iraq Business News\uff082025-08-27\u4ed8\uff09 (accessed 2026-07-11)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><em>Quotes are translated or condensed from the records listed above. Bracketed numbers [n] refer to the source list.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>Related links<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>IGF official (NRI list): <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intgovforum.org\/en\/content\/national-and-regional-igf-initiatives\">https:\/\/www.intgovforum.org\/en\/content\/national-and-regional-igf-initiatives<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Japan IGF: <a href=\"https:\/\/japanigf.jp\/\">https:\/\/japanigf.jp\/<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Yuki Nakazawa&#39;s blog: <a href=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/category\/igf\/\">https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/category\/igf\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>\u66f4\u65b0\u5c65\u6b74<\/h2>\n<p>\u7b2c1\u7a3f\u6295\u7a3f 2026\u5e747\u670817\u65e5 8\u664240\u5206\uff08\u8a18\u4e8b\u30b3\u30f3\u30c6\u30f3\u30c4\u30a2\u30c3\u30d7\uff09<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2014 \u4e2d\u6fa4\u7950\u6a39<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Iraq&#8217;s first national IGF met 30\u201331 August 2025 at the Babylon Rotana Hotel in Baghdad, organized by the NGO Tech4Peace under the UN IGF fra<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,3,117,11],"tags":[163,161,160,2528,162,164],"class_list":["post-14613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arab-igf","category-igf","category-iraq-igf","category-regional-igf","tag-3-line-summary","tag-deep-dive","tag-english","tag-iraqigf2025","tag-minutes-digest","tag-sourced"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14613","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14613"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14613\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}