UNGIS

20 September 2024, 09:00–10:00 (EDT) / 15:00–16:00 (CEST)
UNDP Headquarters, UN Plaza, DC1, New York, 16 floor, Conference room 1608

Recording

The WSIS in Action: Shaping the Future of Digital Cooperation side event, organized by the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS) in collaboration with Romania, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, will take place on September 20, 2024, during the Summit for the Future Action Days in New York. This hybrid event will explore the alignment between the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process, the upcoming WSIS+20 review, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It aims to enhance understanding of digital governance, promote multistakeholder dialogue, and identify actionable strategies for inclusive digital transformation, particularly in the context of the Global Digital Compact. Key stakeholders from governments, international organizations, civil society, and the private sector will participate, contributing to shaping the future of global digital cooperation.

Objectives

This side event aims to:

1. Highlight the Alignment: Examine the alignment between the WSIS process, the upcoming WSIS+20 Overall Review, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, emphasizing their interconnected goals and shared objectives.
2. Promote Understanding: Enhance understanding of the WSIS process and its critical role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in the context of the Global Digital Compact.
3. Highlight the Role of UNGIS: Examine the significant contributions of UNGIS as an inter-agency mechanism in global digital governance processes, emphasizing its role in advancing the WSIS process and fostering international cooperation for sustainable digital development.
4. Foster Multistakeholder Dialogue: Encourage multistakeholder participation, bringing together representatives from government, international organizations, the private sector, civil society, academia, and the technical community to discuss challenges and opportunities in the digital era.
5. Identify Key Priorities and Tangible Actions: Determine key priorities and develop actionable strategies to ensure that digital governance frameworks and policies are effectively implemented. This will include incorporating the perspectives of UN Regional Commissions to ensure regional needs and priorities are addressed. The focus will be on fostering an inclusive, people-centered approach to digital transformation.

Themes and Topics

The side event will cover the following themes and topics:

• WSIS and Sustainable Development: Understanding the impact of WSIS on the SDGs and the critical role of digital technologies in achieving the 2030 Agenda.
• WSIS+20 Review: Preparing for the comprehensive review in 2025, reflecting on past achievements, current challenges, and future directions.
• Global Digital Compact: Discussing the alignment and integration of WSIS objectives with the Global Digital Compact to foster cohesive and coordinated digital governance.
• Multistakeholder Engagement: Emphasizing the importance of multistakeholder participation in shaping the digital agenda and ensuring inclusive, equitable digital transformation.
• Digital Cooperation and Governance: Exploring the role of UNGIS and its members in facilitating digital cooperation and governance at the global level.
• Local and Regional Dimension: Exploring the local and regional perspectives in determining key priorities and actionable strategies to ensure that digital governance frameworks and policies are effectively implemented.