Partner2Connect Annual Meeting 15 December 2025
Full speed ahead: United to reach USD 100 billion in commitments
The Digital@UNGA WSIS+20 Edition event, took place on 15 December 2025 at the UN HQ in New York, highlighted public-private cooperation to connect some of the world’s hardest-to-reach communities, with the Partner2Connect (P2C) Digital Coalition’s Annual Meeting for 2025 taking place as part of the programme.
During the event, new P2C commitments were announced, reflecting growing multistakeholder engagement to accelerate global progress on connectivity. P2C pledges are categorized under the WSIS Action Lines, a set of 11 priority areas guiding UN efforts to harness rapidly evolving digital technologies for human development. To date, over USD 80 billion has been mobilized, supporting the collective goal of reaching USD 100 billion in commitments by 2026.
Click here to check the official press release.
Click here to watch the full recording of the session.
P2C Champions Driving Impact at Scale
Opening Act II, ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin emphasised that Partner2Connect provides a practical framework to turn the WSIS vision into concrete action, matching digital transformation needs with real resources, partnerships, and investments. She highlighted P2C’s rapid growth into a global movement and underscored the urgency of accelerating delivery, with 2.2 billion people still offline and the 2030 window narrowing fast.
In a rapid-fire exchange with P2C Champions, speakers showcased how large-scale investments, skills development, and partnerships are already delivering results.
Christopher Hemmerlein, Senior Manager, Public Policy at Amazon, highlighted the company’s dual focus on connectivity and digital skills. Amazon’s pledge to train over 29 million people worldwide reflects its belief that digital infrastructure and human capacity must advance together to unlock real opportunities.
Zhiping Chen, Vice President of ZTE, outlined the company’s sustained investment of USD 400 million annually in digital infrastructure.
Melike Yetken-Krilla, Head of International Organisations at Google, highlighted the company’s investments in global connectivity infrastructure, including subsea cables that have already brought over 100 million first-time users online.
Christopher Sharrock, Vice President, UN Affairs and International Organisations at Microsoft, highlighted the company’s USD 4 billion “Elevate” initiative to expand access and skills for 20 million people, as well as the Airband programme, which has already exceeded its connectivity targets in Africa.
Emilio Pineda, Manager, Institutions for Development Sector at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), showcased IDB’s USD 1 billion P2C commitment supporting digital infrastructure, regulatory modernisation, and ecosystem development across Latin America and the Caribbean.
A key highlight of Act II was the announcement by Flavia Alves, Director and Head of International Institutions at Meta, who confirmed Meta’s decision to join Partner2Connect as a new P2C Champion. She announced major long-term investments in submarine cable infrastructure across all regions, including Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East.
P2C delivering on the WSIS promise: Aligning Pledges with the WSIS Action Lines
This P2C Annual Meeting powerfully demonstrated how Partner2Connect is delivering on the WSIS promise, moving beyond pledges to real investments, partnerships, and measurable impact. Through its growing community of Champions and pledgers, P2C is accelerating progress toward universal meaningful connectivity and ensuring that digital transformation delivers tangible benefits for people, communities, and economies worldwide.
