Agenda

Building on the 2025 UN Regional Commissions Interregional Dialogue: AI and Emerging Technologies; Public Policies Issues in Different Regions, held on Thursday 10 July 2025, within the WSIS Forum 2025 (Session 548), 

And on the outcomes of the WSIS+20 Review process leading to the UNGA 80/173 historical resolution of December 2025 that extended the WSIS process till 2035, and created interlinkages with the GDC process of 2024, plus reinforced the major role of regional commissions as the regional implementation and follow-up mechanisms of the WSIS till 2035.

ESCWA during 2025-2026, has been spearheading regional and interregional efforts of all UNRECs under the UNGIS umbrella as well as under the PACT of the Future, and GDC umbrella too. 

During 2026, all five regional commissions will convene regional activities to strengthen the understanding and alignment in their respective regions, of all their member states and stakeholders, on the road ahead for their regions for the next decade.

In during 2026, a meticulous regional consultation process pertaining to the Global Dialogue on AI Governance took place in three of the UN Regional Commission of the global south during March to June 2026, namely:

·       Arab Region’s Expert Meeting and Open Consultations on the Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance, organized by ESCWA in cooperation with the League of Arab States, and hosted by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology – Arab Republic of Egypt, on Tuesday, 19 May 2026,

·       ECA Regional Consultation on Artificial Intelligence Governance, held in Addis Ababa on 27 April 2026, 

·       ECLAC Regional Dialogue on Governance of Artificial Intelligence for Latin America and the Caribbean (AI4LAC), in coordination with the Government of Costa Rica, the United Nations Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies (ODET), and the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Costa Rica, virtually on 26 May 2026

As such, this session will reconvene the UN Regional Commissions to advance interregional exchange on both the WSIS 2035 as well as on the global dialogue on AI.

It will build on the above and will continue shaping more structured approaches to collaboration across regions and strengthening regional–global linkages between WSIS, IGF, the Global Digital Compact and the global dialogue on AI Governance; and will also focus on (a) the regional tracks of WSIS+20, and on (b) the outcomes of the above regional events in the global south, ECA, ESCWA and ECLAC in particular.

Objectives

In the above context, and the evolving global digital cooperation agenda, there is increasing recognition of the need to move beyond one-off exchanges toward more sustained and coordinated interregional engagement. However, significant differences in capacities, priorities, and institutional readiness require a progressive and collaborative approach.

This session will contribute to:

•          Sharing updated regional priorities & experiences on AI

•          Identifying common areas of interest & convergence across regions

•          Highlighting potential thematic collaboration pathways/streams where joint work could be developed over time

•          Discussing practical modalities for continued coordination. 

The session will also aim to lay the groundwork for future interregional collaboration, including the possible development of joint workstreams in WSIS and GDC related areas, and most importantly areas of intersection, such as AI Governance.

Among others, it will

•          Take stock of regional AI consultations;

•          Identify areas of convergence & shared challenges;

•          Explore feasible entry points for interregional collaboration;

•          Initiate discussion on light coordination mechanisms among stakeholders.