Twenty years ago, world leaders gathered in Geneva and Tunis with a shared vision that digital technologies should serve humanity, not just advance with innovation. These meetings led to the creation of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), which has since guided global digital cooperation and development. On 15 December 2025, the international community convened at UN Headquarters in New York for the Digital@UNGA WSIS+20 Edition to celebrate two decades of progress and chart the future of digital transformation.
WSIS has had a profound impact on global digital development, anchoring international cooperation, strengthening inclusive internet governance, and fostering partnerships and knowledge exchange. Since the Tunis phase in 2005, when only one billion people were online, internet access has expanded to nearly three-quarters of the global population. Despite this progress, a quarter of people remain offline, and millions more lack meaningful or affordable access to digital services, highlighting persistent gaps in digital identification, finance, and skills.
Three key priorities have emerged to advance the WSIS vision. First, capacity building for inclusive digital transformation, where UNDP supports governments in designing safe, inclusive digital and AI systems to empower local leadership. Second, establishing strong digital foundations through digital public infrastructure and public goods that are secure, interoperable, and rights-based. Third, mobilizing financing for scale, moving beyond fragmented projects to systems-level approaches with aligned public and private investments in areas such as climate, health, governance, and economic inclusion.
UNDP has played a central role in WSIS as one of the original UN agencies mandated to lead implementation, a co-convener of the annual WSIS Forum, and a leader within the United Nations Group on the Information Society. Through its operational presence in over 170 countries, UNDP supports digital ecosystem strengthening, national digital strategies, AI landscape assessments, and the development of digital public infrastructure. The organization has trained over 4,000 policymakers and launched the AI Hub for Sustainable Development to foster local AI ecosystems, particularly in Africa, while advancing multi-stakeholder initiatives such as the Hamburg Declaration on Responsible AI for the SDGs.
Partnerships remain central to digital progress, particularly as 2.2 billion people globally still lack internet access. At the Digital@UNGA event, the launch of the UN AI Resource Hub demonstrated inter-agency collaboration, consolidating over 750 AI-related activities across the UN system. The platform standardizes AI activity classification, making it easier for stakeholders to learn from, connect with, and build upon existing initiatives, promoting a more coherent and impactful UN approach to AI.
Looking ahead, the third decade of WSIS demands ambitious goals, bold financing, and innovative partnerships to scale digital transformation. Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, digital twins, and new data applications offer tremendous potential but require coordinated cooperation, robust safeguards, and inclusive implementation. WSIS+20 represents both a reflection on past achievements and a turning point to ensure that digital benefits reach everyone, everywhere.
