Agenda | WSIS Forum 2026

Agenda and Programme

WSIS Forum 2026 took place from 6 to 10 July in Geneva, Switzerland, co-hosted by the ITU and the Swiss Confederation, and co-organized by ITU, UNESCO, UNDP, and UNCTAD. The Agenda and Programme for the Event were built based on official submissions received during the Open Consultation Process (OCP).

Webcast

High-Level Track Sessions

Monday 6 July

149

Voices of the Digital Future: Youth High‑Level Dialogue

WSIS/ITU

WSIS/ITU

10:00 – 10:45 (UTC+02:00) Room A

This high‑level dialogue convenes young leaders, policymakers, and global digital cooperation stakeholders to examine how youth can shape the next phase of the information society. Grounded in the WSIS Action Lines and informed by the WSIS+20 Review,…

High-Level Dialogue

Tuesday 7 July

556

High-Level Lunch by Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia and ITU

Saudi Arabia and ITU

12:15 – 13:45 (UTC+02:00)

On invitation only

Strategic Partner: Gold High-Level Lunch

Wednesday 8 July

121

WSIS Forum 2026 Inaugural session

WSIS (ITU, UNESCO, UNDP, UNCTAD)

WSIS (ITU, UNESCO, UNDP, UNCTAD)

09:00 – 09:15 (UTC+02:00) Room C

Twenty years after the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) reached its landmark WSIS+20 milestone, the global community enters a new chapter for digital cooperation. The adoption by consensus of the United Nations General Assembly WSIS+20…

High-Level Plenary

600

Handover of Chair and the Appointment of Chair of WSIS Forum 2026

WSIS/ITU

WSIS/ITU

09:15 – 09:25 (UTC+02:00) Room C

Handover of chairship WSIS+20 High-Level Event 2025: H.E. Mr. Mondli Gungubele Deputy Minister Ministry of Communications and Digital Technologies, South Africa Appointment of new Chair of WSIS Forum 2026: H.E. Mr Raafat Hendy Minister, Ministry of…

High-Level Plenary

500

WSIS Forum 2026 Inaugural session: Spotlight session

WSIS

WSIS

09:25 – 09:40 (UTC+02:00) Room C

Spotlight session by the United Arab Emirates, Diamond Strategic Partner Spotlight session by Malaysia, Platinum Strategic Partner Spotlight session by Saudi Arabia (Kingdom of), Gold Strategic Partner

High-Level Plenary

501

WSIS Forum 2026 Inaugural session: High-Level Plenary: The Future We Choose: Leadership for an Inclusive Digital World

WSIS-ITU

WSIS-ITU

09:40 – 10:30 (UTC+02:00) Room C

Rooted in the WSIS vision, this high-level plenary will reflect on progress in implementing the WSIS Action Lines and on the continued relevance of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) framework in guiding global digital cooperation in…

High-Level Plenary

598

WSIS Forum 2026 co-organisers remarks

WSIS/ITU

WSIS/ITU

10:30 – 10:45 (UTC+02:00) Room C

High-Level Plenary

382

High-Level Dialogue: Mayors - Localizing the Twin Transition

Global Cities Hub

Global Cities Hub

11:00 – 11:45 (UTC+02:00) Room C

The Smart City Leaders’ Talk discusses the issue of the twin transition at the level of people-centered and sustainable smart cities and provides a great example of an inclusive dialogue between international organizations and local governments on…

High-Level Dialogue

506

High-Level Lunch

United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates

12:15 – 13:45 (UTC+02:00)

On invitation only

Strategic Partner: Diamond High-Level Lunch

464

Leaders TalkX 1 - From Access to Impact: Leading ICT Infrastructure Development

WSIS

WSIS

14:00 – 14:30 (UTC+02:00) Room C

Connectivity is the foundation upon which every other digital development rests, and yet for many people around the world, essential connectivity remains out of reach. Despite remarkable progress in the last two decades, stark divides remain between…

Leaders TalkX

481

Leaders TalkX 2 - Shaping Intelligent Societies: The Role of Multistakeholder Partnerships

WSIS

WSIS

14:30 – 15:00 (UTC+02:00) Room C

If the last 20 years have taught us anything, it’s that no single actor can shape the digital society alone. Delivering on the vision of a people-centred, inclusive, and development-oriented information society requires coordinated leadership across…

Leaders TalkX

465

Leaders TalkX 3 - Artificial Intelligence : Policy, Ethics, and Global Cooperation

WSIS

WSIS

15:00 – 15:30 (UTC+02:00) Room C

Artificial intelligence is reshaping every dimension of the information society at a speed and scale that is testing the limits of our existing governance, institutional capacity, and ethical norms. However, it possesses the potential to accelerate…

Leaders TalkX

470

Leaders TalkX 4 - Information Without Barriers: Making Knowledge Accessible

WSIS

WSIS

15:30 – 16:00 (UTC+02:00) Room C

Access to information and knowledge is essential for human dignity, economic opportunity, and sustainable development. However, millions of people remain unable to fully participate in the information society due to barriers outside of just…

Leaders TalkX

466

High-Level Dialogue: Connecting Communities, Unlocking Futures: Strengthening Digital Connectivity for Refugees and Host Communities

ITU/GSMA/UNHCR

ITU/GSMA/UNHCR

16:00 – 17:00 (UTC+02:00) Room C

For people forced to flee, and the communities that host them, connectivity is a lifeline. Meaningful connectivity enables access to education, health services, livelihoods, protection, and participation in society, while also providing life-saving…

High-Level Dialogue

468

High-Level Dialogue on Financial Mechanisms for Digital Development

International Telecommunication Union

International Telecommunication Union

17:00 – 18:00 (UTC+02:00) Room B

The High-Level Dialogue on Finance, convened as part of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) 2026 Forum, will provide a platform for discussion on how to strengthen financing for digital development and advance universal, meaningful…

High-Level Dialogue

483

Leaders TalkX 5 - Building Resilience: Secure and Trusted Digital Public Infrastructure

WSIS

WSIS

17:15 – 17:45 (UTC+02:00) Room C

When a farmer in a landlocked developing country accesses a government service through a shared digital platform, or a small business owner completes a transaction through an open payment system, they are benefiting from something that markets alone…

Leaders TalkX

Thursday 9 July

479

Ministerial Roundtable

WSIS

WSIS

10:00 – 12:00 (UTC+02:00) Room B

Ministers only

Ministerial Round Table

508

Leaders TalkX 6 - Skills for the Future: Leading Inclusive Capacity Building

WSIS

WSIS

10:15 – 10:45 (UTC+02:00) Room C

Digital transformation delivers on its promise only when people have the skills, knowledge, and confidence to fully and meaningfully participate in it. Across developing and least developed countries, as well as underserved communities, capacity gaps…

Leaders TalkX

514

Leaders TalkX 7- Frameworks that Enable: Policy Leadership in ICT Development

WSIS

WSIS

10:45 – 11:15 (UTC+02:00) Room C

Effective policy, legal, and regulatory frameworks are the bedrock of inclusive digital transformation, yet for many developing and least developed countries, building them remains a formidable challenge. Limited technical expertise, institutional…

Leaders TalkX

516

Leaders TalkX 8 - Strengthening International Cooperation for the Information Society

WSIS

WSIS

11:15 – 11:45 (UTC+02:00) Room C

The challenges for building an inclusive, secure, and sustainable digital society are inherently global, because no country can meet them alone. That means we must work together to do everything from mobilizing financing for digital infrastructure in…

Leaders TalkX

510

High-Level Lunch by Malaysia

Malaysia and ITU

Malaysia and ITU

12:15 – 13:45 (UTC+02:00)

On invitation only

Strategic Partner: Platinum High-Level Lunch

520

Regulators Roundtable

WSIS/ITU

WSIS/ITU

14:00 – 16:00 (UTC+02:00) Room B

Regulators only

Regulators Round Table

449

UN Leaders Dialogue

WSIS/ITU

WSIS/ITU

14:00 – 15:00 (UTC+02:00) Room C

The UN Leaders Dialogue @ WSIS brings together senior leaders from across the United Nations system for a strategic and forward‑looking exchange on the future of global digital cooperation. Grounded in the long‑standing WSIS process and energized by…

High-Level Dialogue

478

Leaders TalkX 9 - Cyber Confidence: Enhancing Security in the Digital Age

WSIS

WSIS

15:00 – 15:30 (UTC+02:00) Room C

Trust is the invisible infrastructure within our digital society. Without the confidence that our technologies are safe, secure, and rights-respecting, we cannot fully achieve equitable, sustainable digital transformation. To be sure, with every…

Leaders TalkX

403

Leaders TalkX 10 - Global Perspectives on Emerging Technology

WSIS

WSIS

15:30 – 16:00 (UTC+02:00) Room C

The digital landscape of 2026 looks nothing like the one that WSIS sought to shape two decades ago, and the pace of change is only accelerating. Blockchain systems are redefining trust and transparency in transactions and governance. Quantum…

Leaders TalkX

410

Leaders TalkX 11 - Digital Government, Digital Citizens: Ensuring Accessibility to Public Services

WSIS

WSIS

16:00 – 16:30 (UTC+02:00) Room C

E-government has come a long way since the World Summit on the Information Society first identified it as a cornerstone of inclusivity. Now, governments worldwide deliver a wide range of digital services to citizens and businesses. Yet access to…

Leaders TalkX

420

High-Level Dialogue - LLDCs

ITU

ITU

17:00 – 18:00 (UTC+02:00) Room B

The High-Level Dialogue on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), convened as part of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2026, will examine how digital connectivity can address the structural challenges faced by LLDCs and…

High-Level Dialogue

Friday 10 July

511

Ambassadors Roundtable

ITU

ITU

07:45 – 09:00 (UTC+02:00) Room X

Ambassadors only

Ambassadors Round Table

585

Leaders TalkX 12 - Co‑Creating Tomorrow: Digital and AI in Partnership

WSIS

WSIS

10:00 – 10:30 (UTC+02:00) Room C

Digital technologies and artificial intelligence are rapidly reshaping economies, public services, and societies, creating new opportunities for innovation, inclusion, and sustainable development. Yet significant challenges remain in ensuring that…

Leaders TalkX

429

High-Level Dialogue Parliamentarian: Parliamentary Dialogue on Digital Governance

Inter-Parliamentary Union, International Telecommunication Union, United Nations Development Programme, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association

IPU, ITU, CPA, UNDP

10:15 – 11:15 (UTC+02:00) Room B

The Parliamentary Dialogue on Digital Governance is a high-level panel convened at the WSIS Forum 2026 by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and…

High-Level Dialogue

476

High Level Dialogue: Strengthening the Resilience of Telecommunication Submarine Cables

ITU/Portugal/Nigeria

ITU/Portugal/Nigeria

13:00 – 14:00 (UTC+02:00) Room E

Over 99% of global Internet traffic is carried by submarine telecommunications cables forming the critical backbone of international digital communications. As global dependency on digital services deepens across all sectors of the economy, these…

High-Level Dialogue

531

High-Level Track Facilitators Summary and Certificates

WSIS/ITU

WSIS/ITU

15:00 – 16:00 (UTC+02:00) Room C

This session will provide a platform for the High-Level Track Facilitators to present summaries of their respective Leaders TalkX sessions, highlighting key discussions, outcomes, and emerging priorities from the WSIS Forum 2026. The presentations…

Leaders TalkX

533

Closing Ceremony and Chair’s WSIS Forum 2026 Summary

WSIS/ITU

WSIS/ITU

16:00 – 17:00 (UTC+02:00) Room C

Closing Ceremony

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