Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova has participated in the high-level dialogue themed ‘Parliamentary Dialogue on Digital Governance’ organised jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the United Nations Development Programme, and hosted by the International Telecommunication Union within the frameworks of the WSIS Forum 2026.

Having joined the event online, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova remarked in her address that the topic of digital governance is gaining in importance to the international community. Digital transformation is no longer merely a technical process but it has become a key element of modern governance, sustainable development and provision of effective public services.

The Speaker of the Milli Majlis noted that digital governance has become one of the pillars of modern parliamentary institutions. Parliaments can enhance transparency, make legislative activities more effective, increase public involvement and provide for an inclusive dialogue of all the concerned parties by employment of digital technologies. Besides, digital transformation unveils new opportunities to implement inter-parliamentary co-operation and expand the exchange of experience and advanced experience beyond actual borders.

At the same time, Sahiba Gafarova emphasised, digital governance ought to be based on the principles of inclusivity, accessibility, accountability, cybersecurity and protection of human rights including the right to privacy. According to her, it is our shared responsibility to close the digital rift so that all parliaments and citizens can equitably benefit from the advantages of the digital transformation process. Digital technologies should serve as a crucial means of supporting democratic governance whilst strengthening public confidence in state institutions and promoting the growth of a parliamentary dialogue that is open, transparent and receptive of citizens’ needs. Joint efforts to strengthen international co-operation and to build up the potential will become one of the key guarantees that digital governance will provide for sustainable development, greater democratic stability and the formation of effective parliamentary institutions.

Sahiba Gafarova underlined the important role of parliaments in this relation and said that their responsibility is not merely limited by passing legislations keeping pace with technological change but, rather, also consists in ensuring that digital transformation is effected on the basis of the principles of transparency, accountability and supremacy of the law.

The Speaker of the Milli Majlis went further to say that Azerbaijan attaches great importance to the development of digital governance and that, in the context of this approach, the Digital Development Council had been established to the Decree of the President of Azerbaijan to co-ordinate state policy concerned with digitalisation, e-Government, artificial intelligence and innovations. She mentioned that the Council is headed by First Vice President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban khanum Aliyeva.

The event participants were informed that the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan is actively working on strengthening the legal frameworks for digital innovations and, at the same time, on ensuring legal certainty. A significant part of the Azerbaijani Parliament's legislative activity is dedicated to the development of digital governance and e-Government. New laws are being adopted to support Azerbaijan's digital transformation while existing legislation is regularly improved in line with technological progress and new requirements in the field of governance.

Speaker Sahiba Gafarova let it be known that such new notions as digital technologies, innovative products and technology transfer are being introduced to the national legislation in the course of the legislative reforms done currently. The legal status of artificial intelligence is being defined; long-term tax benefits are envisaged for digital technology, AI and cybersecurity companies. According to her, those reforms demonstrate once again that digital transformation calls for the formation of a consistent and future-oriented legal foundation capable of flexible responses to the rapidly evolving technologies.

It was further said that legislative reforms are only a part of this process. Parliaments should also use digital solutions effectively in their own activities. With this in mind, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova said, the Milli Majlis is paying special attention to the digital transformation of its institutional activities. A law has recently been adopted that has created a legal framework for holding public discussions and parliamentary hearings in electronic format, which further expands opportunities for citizen participation in the decision-making process

Sahiba Gafarova also told about the application of digital technologies in the work of the Parliament. She said that digital technologies have become an inseparable component of parliamentary work today. E-documentation as well as e-voting and legislative process e-monitoring systems provide for greater transparency, efficiency and fruitfulness of institutional operation. In the Milli Majlis, artificial intellect is employed also for automatic transcription of speeches made at committee and plenary sessions, which increases the efficiency of parliamentary work and ensures the accuracy of transcripts. In addition, MPs and parliamentary staff have secure access to draft laws, official correspondence and citizens' appeals, and can also promptly receive information about committee meetings, public hearings and other parliamentary events using the mobile application developed by the relevant department of the Milli Majlis.

Sahiba Gafarova observed in conclusion that digital transformation is not a goal in itself but, rather, serves as a means of achieving the governance of a higher quality. It strengthens democratic institutions, improves the quality of legislation and makes parliamentary activities more transparent as well as more efficient and more responsive to citizens’ needs. Co-operation amongst the Member Parliaments of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, exchange of best practices and technical support are important for advancing our common goals.

The Press and Public Relations Department
The Milli Majlis