The high-level meeting marked the conclusion of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20), a process launched in the early 2000s to guide global cooperation on digital development, access and inclusion, at a time when the Internet was just beginning to become an essential part of daily life.
Two decades later, delegates said the challenge was no longer simply getting people online, but ensuring digital technologies – including AI – were governed in a way that protected human rights, built trust and closed widening digital divides.
Why the summit is important
The WSIS was established in 2003 to help countries work together on the opportunities and risks posed by information and communications technologies, or ICTs.
It brought together governments, businesses, civil society and technical experts – a multi-stakeholder approach that remains at the heart of digital governance today.
At this year’s review, participants reflected on the extent to which digital tools now shape the economy, education, healthcare and daily life, while warning that millions remain excluded.
An overview of the General Assembly meeting on the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society.
Digital divides are widening
In her speech to the General Assembly on Tuesday, its president, Annalena Baerbock, said that internet access has become essential – from telemedicine in remote villages to online education and digital financial services – but that progress is slow.
While global internet access affects about two-thirds of the world’s population, she noted that in developing countries it is much lower and women and girls continue to be disproportionately left behind.
“Two decades later, our shared vision of a human-centered, inclusive and development-oriented information society remains unrealized,” she said.
She warned that access alone was not enough, highlighting the need for responsible governance of emerging technologies such as AI, especially as innovation often moves faster than regulation.
New priorities
The meeting concluded with the adoption of an outcome document reaffirming countries’ commitment to a people-centered digital future based on human rights and the principles of United Nations Charter.
The text calls for faster action to close the digital divide, increased investment in digital infrastructure and skills, and more predictable policy environments to support digital development. It also highlights the importance of reliable data and AI governance, building on commitments already made under the Global digital compact.
Member States encouraged stronger international partnerships on AI capacity building, particularly for developing countries, including training programs, access to resources and support for small businesses.
The document also notes plans to create an independent international scientific panel on AI and launch a global dialogue on AI governance in 2026.
Delegates at a WSIS high-level meeting in Geneva in 2016.
People in the center
Throughout the process, speakers emphasized that governments cannot shape the digital future alone. The result strengthens the approach that brings together governments, industry, civil society and the world of technology.
International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin said WSIS was born from the belief that digital innovation must reflect human needs, while the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Associate Administrator Haoliang Xu described the review as a time to both recognize progress and chart a path forward.
This human-centered message has also spread beyond the trading floor.
Creative and inclusive: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Talk to UN News On the sidelines of the meeting, actor and filmmaker Joseph Gordon-Levitt reflected on the human side of digital transformation, focusing on creativity, inclusion and shared responsibility to shape healthier digital spaces as technology becomes increasingly integrated into daily life.
“What inspires me about the UN and the community I have met here is that, although it is an uphill battle – a David and Goliath dynamic – people are trying to work not just for a dollar, but to help, to make the world a better place, often to support the most vulnerable in the Global South,” he said.
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
