Agenda

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruptions to the global community's efforts to achieve a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable world as envisioned in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. However, it has also led to the widespread adoption and diffusion of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) critical to continuing the functioning of businesses and institutions, responding to challenges, and developing solutions. The pandemic has highlighted the multidimensional impact of the digital and knowledge divides, reflecting and widening inequalities, and demonstrated the critical importance of laying inclusive and resilient digital foundations of economies and societies.

This session, organized by the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS), WSIS, and Peru, will address the two major challenges of advancing the world's digital transformation: enabling universal meaningful connectivity and developing the competencies to address related risks and to harness its opportunities across UNGIS’ fields of competence.

The session will feature panel discussions and presentations from experts in the fields of digital innovation and sustainable development, including the question on how to harness and prevent harm of generative AI (such as ChatGPT). The session aims to share knowledge and experiences, highlighting the need for cross-sectoral collaboration and partnerships to leverage the full potential of digital innovation for a sustainable post-COVID-19 world. The session will explore ways to ensure that digital transformation is inclusive and benefits everyone, leaving no one behind and empower users to address related risks. Its outcome will also be of direct relevance to the ongoing process related to the proposed Global Digital Compact.

This side-event will be organised during the HLPF 2023 that will take place in Conference Room C, UN Headquarters, New York. Remote participation will not be available for this session.