This year, the RFSD will focus on the theme “Transforming together: innovative and equitable action for the SDGs” and will conduct in-depth reviews of SDG 6, SDG 7, SDG 9, SDG 11, and SDG 17. The 2026 edition will highlight success stories, assess progress, and exchange best practices and policy solutions to support the 2030 Agenda.
Despite the growing role of digital technologies in advancing sustainable development, the digital divide remains a major challenge. According to ITU Facts & Figures 2025, around 2.2 billion people remain offline globally, and even more lack meaningful access to connectivity, digital skills and digital public services, with persistent gaps across regions, income levels, gender and rural–urban divides. Without stronger cooperation and coordinated action, digitalization risks reinforcing existing gaps rather than helping to close them.
Partnerships are crucial in helping advance the SDGs, and SDG 17 underpins collective efforts to mobilize resources, share expertise and align policies across sectors. Due to rapid digitalization and the expanding use of AI, effective partnerships are essential to ensure that new technologies contribute to sustainable development in an inclusive and responsible way.
This session will bring together governments, UN agencies, the private sector, youth, civil society and other stakeholders to discuss how partnerships can accelerate digital transformation and support progress towards the 2030 Agenda.
The roundtable will explore how digital and AI-enabled solutions can support SDG implementation across various areas such as health, agriculture, education, emergency preparedness, climate action, and public service delivery, while also addressing the risks. These will include issues related to data governance, privacy, cybersecurity, environmental impacts, and unequal access to emerging technologies. The discussion will highlight the need for appropriate regulatory and governance frameworks, supported by international and regional cooperation. It will build on ongoing global discussions, including the upcoming United Nations Global Dialogue on AI Governance and AI for Good Summit, which will both take place in Geneva in July, and the UN system’s coordinated approach to AI, which aims to promote coherence, capacity-building and responsible use of AI across countries. The panel will offer the opportunity to present success stories on the roll out of AI in different countries, thanks to successful digital partnerships.
The session will also contribute to ongoing WSIS follow-up processes, as preparations continue towards WSIS 2026. It will provide an opportunity to reflect on regional progress, remaining gaps and future priorities for digital development, with a focus on building safe, inclusive and resilient digital ecosystems. Relevant analytical work and tools, including global connectivity indicators, AI-related standards, and policy guidance on digital and AI governance, will help inform the discussion.
Experiences and case studies from across the UNECE region will be presented. The discussions will look at trends and achievements, but also barriers to connectivity and technology uptake, the importance of robust digital infrastructure and skills, and the role of multistakeholder partnerships in delivering results on the ground. This session will also provide an opportunity to highlight specific countries’ and/or regional needs and match them with potential stakeholders’ interests in supporting digital development, following the Partner2Connect Action Framework.
Key messages from the roundtable will be conveyed to the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) 2026, with outputs informing the work of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), ensuring that regional perspectives contribute to global policy discussions on digitalization, AI and sustainable development.