Twenty years ago, world leaders gathered in Geneva and Tunis with a shared conviction: that digital technologies must serve humanity's needs, not just advance at the pace of innovation. From those meetings emerged the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) that has since guided global digital cooperation and development.

On 15 December, 2025, the international community came together at UN Headquarters in New York for the Digital@UNGA WSIS+20 Edition to reflect on two decades of achievement and to chart the future. 

Organized by UNDP and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) on the eve of the high-level meeting on the 20 year review of WSIS and its Outcome Document, it reaffirmed WSIS’s central role in collaboration around digital and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to deliver new commitments, resources and partnerships.

From 16 to 75 percent connected

WSIS has delivered lasting institutional and policy impact, anchoring global digital cooperation through a unique model, strengthening inclusive internet governance through the Internet Governance Forum, and fostering shared norms, partnerships and knowledge exchange that continue to shape digital development worldwide.

The progress speaks for itself. In 2005, when the Tunis phase of WSIS concluded, just one billion people, approximately 16 percent of the world's population, were online. Today, nearly three-quarters of humanity has internet access, representing a transformative expansion of digital opportunity.

Yet, these achievements also highlight the work left unfinished. One quarter of people globally remain offline, and millions more lack meaningful or affordable access to digital services. Significant gaps persist in digital identification, digital finance and the skills needed to navigate increasingly complex and often unsafe online environments.

Three priorities 

Three key priorities have emerged to realize the full vision of WSIS.

First, capacity building for inclusive digital transformation. Countries are clear that skills, institutions and governance capacity remain the most critical constraints they face. UNDP supports governments to design and deploy digital and AI systems that are safe and inclusive, and which strengthen capacity and empower countries to lead their own digital futures.

Second, strong digital foundations. Digital public infrastructure and digital public goods serve as foundations for inclusion, innovation and public value. These must be deployed securely, interoperably and be rights-based, grounded in safeguards and public interest.

Third, financing for scale. Sustainable impact requires moving beyond fragmented projects toward systems-level approaches, mobilizing public and private investment aligned with national priorities in climate, health, governance and economic inclusion.

UNDP's role 

UNDP has played a key role in the WSIS process as one of the three UN agencies originally mandated to lead implementation, a co-convenor of the annual WSIS Forum and as part of the leadership of the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS). 

At a moment when digital transformation has become central to development and national priorities, the WSIS+20 Review provides renewed momentum to close persistent digital divides and translate global commitments, such as last year’s Global Digital Compact, into action. 

UNDP is uniquely positioned to realize this ambition and the WSIS vision of a “people-centred, inclusive, and development-oriented information society”. With a long-standing mandate, leadership within UNGIS, and an operational presence in over 170 countries, UNDP brings together the partnerships, development expertise and implementation capacity required to turn rhetoric into impact. 

UNDP is supporting over 130 countries in strengthening their digital ecosystems, including through our digital readiness assessments and shaping national digital strategies. We have trained over 4,000 policymakers representing over 100 countries and have advanced the design and implementation of digital public infrastructure in more than 30 countries.

We have supported national AI landscape assessments in over 20 countries and have also supported their AI strategies. Our AI Hub for Sustainable Development has launched a first wave of core initiatives designed to re-imagine global AI partnerships and empower local AI ecosystems within Africa. At the global level, we are also advancing multi stakeholder partnerships through initiatives such as the Hamburg Declaration on Responsible AI for the SDGs.

To support this work, UNDP has recently established the Digital, AI and Innovation Hub, that reflects a holistic and transformative approach to digital development. Within the digital space, UNDP acts as a new kind of development partner, bringing public and private actors together on terms that are explicitly people-centred and focused on public purpose.

Partnerships for impact and progress 

Throughout the Digital@UNGA event at WSIS, speakers consistently emphasized one theme: partnerships underpin every story of digital progress. With ITU estimating that 2.2 billion people still lack internet access, these collaborations represent critical pathways to ensuring that technology’s benefits reach everyone. 

A highlight of the Digital@UNGA event was the launch of the UN AI Resource Hub, a new platform developed by UNDP, ITU, and UNESCO in collaboration with over 50 UN agencies.

The AI Resource Hub brings together more than 750 AI-related activities in one central, continuously updated space. Built on a standardized taxonomy, it ensures consistency in how AI activities are categorized and presented, making it easier for stakeholders to discover connections, learn from others and build on existing efforts.

The platform enables users to access the UN's diverse global, regional, and local AI initiatives, uncover inter-agency linkages, and identify shared needs and aligned priorities. Its development demonstrates the commitment to inter-agency collaboration across the UN system, through the Inter-Agency Working Group on AI. By consolidating expertise, evidence, and support, it contributes to a more coherent, efficient and impactful UN approach to AI.

Looking ahead 

The next decade of WSIS must be its most ambitious and impactful, backed by bold financing that matches its scale. New forms of partnership must be infused with innovative financing mechanisms to deliver digital transformation.

These partnerships must be imbued with urgency. Artificial intelligence, quantum computing, digital twins and new data applications all hold important promise. But these also require new means of cooperation, novel forms of financing and safeguards to ensure safe and inclusive use of emerging technologies.

As we stand at the threshold of the third decade of WSIS, the challenge is clear: we must act now to scale progress and ensure digital benefits reach everyone, everywhere. WSIS+20 is not only a moment of reflection, but also a turning point.