Riyadh, Aug 28 (IANS): Saudi Arabia will host the 19th edition of the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Riyadh from December 15-19, with an aim to improve Internet governance, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported Wednesday.

The five-day event, under the theme of "Building our Multistakeholder Digital Future," will gather more than 10,000 participants from 160 countries, including over 1,000 international speakers, Xinhua news agency quoted SPA as saying.

According to the official website of the IGF, the forum, organised since 2006, is dedicated to facilitating a common understanding of how to maximize digital opportunities and address digital risks and challenges.

This year's forum will focus on harnessing innovation and balancing risks as well as advancing human rights and inclusion in the digital age, enhancing the digital contribution to peace, development, and sustainability, and improving digital governance for the Internet, the website showed.