Session
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), held two decades ago, helped lay the foundation for today’s digital cooperation architecture. At its heart was the vision of a people-centred, inclusive, and development-oriented information society – a vision that continues to shape much of the digital governance ecosystem, including the IGF. Twenty years on, connectivity has dramatically expanded across the world, offering unprecedented opportunities, and the WSIS framework has promoted a coordinated, multistakeholder approach that clearly links digital progress with development goals, foregrounding the needs of underrepresented populations. But the global digital environment is now also more complex, more fragmented, and more deeply embedded in economic, political, and social life. Institutions have multiplied and priorities have evolved. Trust, equity, security, and sustainability must continue to guide digital policy. The WSIS+20 review by UN member states, culminating in a General Assembly resolution at the end of 2025, presents a strategic opportunity to both recommit to WSIS’ founding values and reorient strategically.
This session will bring together leaders from across the stakeholder spectrum, including the senior-most institutional actors in the WSIS+20 process, to reflect on the legacy of WSIS and consider how its framework should adapt to rapidly changing circumstances and technologies. A secondary focus will be on the IGF: its contributions over the past twenty years, its strengths as an open, inclusive and multistakeholder platform whose network has grown exponentially, and how it can take a leading role in a system increasingly seeking actionable outcomes and institutional coordination. The IGF’s multistakeholder model has enabled diverse actors to meet on equal footing and has helped shape the contours of digital policy through vibrant exchange and shared understanding. But as the IGF mandate comes up for review as part of the WSIS+20 process, and as digital governance becomes more crowded and more urgent, there are growing calls to sharpen its impact, extend its reach, and strengthen its place in WSIS and the broader ecosystem. Within the discussion on WSIS renewal, this session will also explore how the IGF can build on twenty years of success and open a new chapter post-2025.
Segment 1 - Panellists
- Mr. Ekitela Lokaale, Co-facilitator of the WSIS+20 Process, Permanent Representative of Kenya to the UN
- Ms. Suela Janina, Co-facilitator of the WSIS+20 Process, Permanent Representative of Albania to the UN
- Mr. Junha Li, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs
Segment 1 - Moderator
- Mr. Jorge Cancio, Swiss Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM)
Segment 2 - Panellists
- Ms. Karianne Tung, Minister of Digitalisation and Public Governance of Norway
- Ms. (Baroness) Maggie Jones, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Future Digital Economy and Online Safety, Minister for Legislation, United Kingdom
- Mr. Tawfik Jelassi, Assistant Director-General, UNESCO
- Mr. Kurtis Lindqvist, CEO, ICANN
- Ms. Fabrizia Benini, Head of Unit Next Generation Internet, EU Commission
Segment 2 - Moderator
- Mr. Thomas Schneider, Vice Director, Swiss Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM)