Geneva served as the centre of global digital dialogue this week as technology leaders, policymakers, and innovators reviewed 20 years of progress and the future of the UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
Co-hosted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Swiss Confederation, the WSIS+20 High-Level Event, held this week at Palexpo convention center alongside the AI for Good Global Summit, contributed to a combined total of over 11,000 participants from 169 countries.
The week-long event laid the groundwork for the United Nations General Assembly’s 20-year review of the WSIS Forum, a multi-stakeholder platform addressing challenges in digital development driven by advancing technologies.
Participants at the event agreed that WSIS principles — rooted in human rights, development, and multilateral cooperation — should guide how the world manages technological progress. Delegates also highlighted the importance of the WSIS process and its role in uniting diverse voices to create solutions.
“After two decades of progress, the multi-stakeholder WSIS community can be proud of our collaborative efforts to build a more inclusive and sustainable information society,” said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin. “At the WSIS+20 High-Level Event, governments, the private sector, academia, civil society, the technical community, and the United Nations reaffirmed our commitment to keep the WSIS spirit alive beyond 2025.”
A renewed call for digital cooperation
Capturing the outcomes of the event, a Chair’s Summary highlighted the role of the WSIS Forum in joining all stakeholders to advance digital development.
According to the Summary, there was strong consensus that existing mechanisms, including the WSIS Forum and the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), as well as initiatives like the AI for Good Global Summit, are not only relevant but indispensable. Their UN legitimacy, proven multistakeholder methodologies, and global reach make them ideal platforms to implement the Global Digital Compact (GDC) and translate its principles into measurable action.
In the Summary, the Chair called for building on the last two decades with WSIS Accelerating Vision & Empowerment, a renewed, ambitious vision for the future of WSIS.
Four key priorities on digital cooperation addressed in over 200 sessions at the event included:
- Universal connectivity: Ensuring affordable, meaningful access to the 2.6 billion people still offline as a top global priority, alongside equipping underserved communities with digital skills and tools.
- Ethical AI and emerging technologies: Strengthening AI governance, data protection, and responsible innovation to safeguard human rights and cultural diversity.
- Sustainability and green tech: Integrating environmental sustainability into digital transformation strategies, from green infrastructure to climate-smart technologies.
- Multistakeholder collaboration: Retaining WSIS’s role as an inclusive platform, bringing governments, youth, civil society, and industry together to co-create solutions to global challenges.
“WSIS remains a cornerstone of global efforts to shape a digital future that prioritizes inclusion, human rights, and sustainable development,” said Solly Malatsi, Chair of WSIS+20 and South Africa’s Minister of Communications. “The commitments made this week will inform the next chapter of WSIS’s journey, which must be underpinned by an increased emphasis on inclusivity, equity and sustainability.”
Looking ahead with purpose
During the week-long conference, participants emphasized the importance of leveraging the WSIS Action Lines, 11 priority areas established in 2005 for UN efforts to connect technology and development. According to the Chair’s Summary, there was a strong movement to redouble efforts to implement the Action Lines in light of challenges and opportunities associated with rapid technological change.
With preparation complete for the UN General Assembly WSIS+20 review, scheduled on 16 and 17 December 2025 in New York, WSIS now looks forward to the future of implementation, monitoring, and ensuring that local realities shape global digital policy.
