Geneva

Harnessing the power of space: Bridging innovation and the SDGs

At the WSIS+20 High-Level Event in Geneva, experts gathered to explore how a growing and diversifying space ecosystem can be harnessed to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Moderated by Alexandre Vallet from ITU, the panel highlighted how space has evolved from providing niche satellite connectivity to enabling comprehensive systems that address environmental, humanitarian, and developmental challenges on a global scale.

Almudena Azcarate-Ortega of UNIDIR emphasised the importance of distinguishing between space security—focused on intentional threats like cyberattacks and jamming—and space safety, which concerns accidental hazards. She highlighted the legal gap in existing treaties and underlined how inconsistent interpretations of key terms complicate international negotiations.

Meanwhile, Dr Ingo Baumann traced the evolution of space law from Cold War-era compliance to modern frameworks that prioritise national competitiveness, such as the proposed EU Space Act.

Technological innovation also featured prominently. Bruno Bechard from Kineis presented how their IoT satellite constellation supports SDGs by monitoring wildlife, detecting forest fires, and improving supply chains across remote areas underserved by terrestrial networks. However, he noted that narrowband services like theirs face outdated regulatory frameworks and high fees, making market entry more difficult than for broadband providers.

Chloe Saboye-Pasquier of Ridespace closed with a call for more harmonised regulations. Her company brokers satellite launches and often navigates conflicting legal systems across countries.

She flagged radio frequency registration delays and a lack of mutual recognition between national laws as critical barriers, especially for newcomers and countries without dedicated space agencies. As the panel concluded, speakers agreed that achieving the SDGs through space innovation requires not just cutting-edge technology, but also cohesive global governance, clear legal standards, and inclusive access to space infrastructure.

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Building digital resilience in an age of crisis

At the WSIS+20 High-Level Event in Geneva, the session ‘Information Society in Times of Risk’ spotlighted how societies can harness digital tools to weather crises more effectively. Experts and researchers from across the globe shared innovations and case studies that emphasised collaboration, inclusiveness, and preparedness.

Chairs Horst Kremers and Professor Ke Gong opened the discussion by reinforcing the UN’s all-of-society principle, which advocates cooperation among governments, civil society, tech companies, and academia in facing disaster risks.

The Singapore team unveiled their pioneering DRIVE framework—Digital Resilience Indicators for Veritable Empowerment—redefining resilience not as a personal skill set but as a dynamic process shaped by individuals’ environments, from family to national policies. They argued that digital resilience must include social dimensions such as citizenship, support networks, and systemic access, making it a collective responsibility in the digital era.

Turkish researchers analysed over 54,000 social media images shared after the 2023 earthquakes, showing how visual content can fuel digital solidarity and real-time coordination. However, they also revealed how the breakdown of communication infrastructure in the immediate aftermath severely hampered response efforts, underscoring the urgent need for robust and redundant networks.

Meanwhile, Chinese tech giant Tencent demonstrated how integrated platforms—such as WeChat and AI-powered tools—transform disaster response, enabling donations, rescues, and community support on a massive scale. Yet, presenters cautioned that while AI holds promise, its current role in real-time crisis management remains limited.

The session closed with calls for pro-social platform designs to combat polarisation and disinformation, and a shared commitment to building inclusive, digitally resilient societies that leave no one behind.

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AI that serves communities, not the other way round

At the WSIS+20 High-Level Event in Geneva, a vivid discussion unfolded around how countries in the Global South can build AI capacity from the ground up, rooted in local realities rather than externally imposed models. Organised by Diplo, the Permanent Mission of Kenya to the UN in Geneva, Microsoft, and IT for Change, the session used the fictional agricultural nation of ‘Landia’ to spotlight the challenges and opportunities of community-centred AI development.

With weak infrastructure, unreliable electricity, and fragmented data ecosystems, Landia embodies the typical constraints many developing nations face as they navigate the AI revolution.

UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies Amandeep Singh Gill presented a forthcoming UN report proposing a five-tiered framework to guide countries from basic AI literacy to full development capacity. He stressed the need for tailored, coordinated international support—backed by a potential global AI fund—to avoid the fragmented aid pitfalls seen in climate and health sectors.

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Microsoft’s Ashutosh Chadha echoed that AI readiness is not just a tech issue but fundamentally a policy challenge, highlighting the importance of data governance, education systems, and digital infrastructure as foundations for meaningful AI use.

Civil society voices, particularly from IT4Change’s Anita Gurumurthy and Nandini Chami, spoke about ‘regenerative AI’—AI that is indigenous, inclusive, and modular. They advocated for small-scale models that can run on local data and infrastructures, proposing creative use of community media archives and agroecological knowledge.

Speakers stressed that technology should adapt to community needs, not the reverse, and that AI must augment—not displace—traditional practices, especially in agriculture where livelihoods are at stake.

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Ultimately, the session crystallised around a core principle: AI must be developed with—not for—local communities. Participants called for training unemployed youth to support rural farmers with accessible AI tools, urged governments to invest in basic infrastructure alongside AI capacity, and warned against replicating inequalities through automation.

The session concluded with optimism and a commitment to continue this global-local dialogue beyond Geneva, ensuring AI’s future in the Global South is not only technologically viable, but socially just.

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Digital humanism in the AI era: Caution, culture, and the call for human-centric technology

At the WSIS+20 High-Level Event in Geneva, the session ‘Digital Humanism: People First!’ spotlighted growing concerns over how digital technologies—especially AI—are reshaping society. Moderated by Alfredo M. Ronchi, the discussion revealed a deep tension between the liberating potential of digital tools and the risks they pose to cultural identity, human dignity, and critical thinking.

Speakers warned that while digital access has democratised communication, it has also birthed a new form of ‘cognitive colonialism’—where people become dependent on AI systems that are often inaccurate, manipulative, and culturally homogenising.

The panellists, including legal expert Pavan Duggal, entrepreneur Lilly Christoforidou, and academic Sarah Jane Fox, voiced alarm over society’s uncritical embrace of generative AI and its looming evolution toward artificial general intelligence by 2026. Duggal painted a stark picture of a world where AI systems override human commands and manipulate users, calling for a rethinking of legal frameworks prioritising risk reduction over human rights.

Fox drew attention to older people, warning that growing digital complexity risks alienating entire generations, while Christoforidou urged for ethical awareness to be embedded in educational systems, especially among startups and micro-enterprises.

Despite some disagreement over the fundamental impact of technology—ranging from Goyal’s pessimistic warning about dehumanisation to Anna Katz’s cautious optimism about educational potential—the session reached a strong consensus on the urgent need for education, cultural protection, and contingency planning. Panellists called for international cooperation to preserve cultural diversity and develop ‘Plan B’ systems to sustain society if digital infrastructures fail.

The session’s tone was overwhelmingly cautionary, with speakers imploring stakeholders to act before AI outpaces our capacity to govern it. Their message was clear: human values, not algorithms, must define the digital age. Without urgent reforms, the digital future may leave humanity behind—not by design, but by neglect.

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UN leaders chart inclusive digital future at WSIS+20

At the WSIS+20 High-Level Event in Geneva, UN leaders gathered for a pivotal dialogue on shaping an inclusive digital transformation, marking two decades since the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). Speakers across the UN system emphasised that technology must serve people, not vice versa.

They highlighted that bridging the digital divide is critical to ensuring that innovations like AI uplift all of humanity, not just those in advanced economies. Without equitable access, the benefits of digital transformation risk reinforcing existing inequalities and leaving millions behind.

The discussion showcased how digital technologies already transform disaster response and climate resilience. The World Meteorological Organization and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction illustrated how AI powers early warning systems and real-time risk analysis, saving lives in vulnerable regions.

Meanwhile, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN underscored the need to align technology with basic human needs, reminding the audience that ‘AI is not food,’ and calling for thoughtful, efficient deployment of digital tools to address global hunger and development.

Workforce transformation and leadership in the AI era also featured prominently. Leaders from the International Labour Organization and UNITAR stressed that while AI may replace some roles, it will augment many more, making digital literacy, ethical foresight, and collaborative governance essential skills. Examples from within the UN system itself, such as the digitisation of the Joint Staff Pension Fund through facial recognition and blockchain, demonstrated how innovation can enhance services without sacrificing inclusivity or ethics.

As the session closed, speakers collectively reaffirmed the importance of human rights, international cooperation, and shared digital governance. They stressed that the future of global development hinges on treating digital infrastructure and knowledge as public goods.

With the WSIS framework and Global Digital Compact as guideposts, UN leaders called for sustained, unified efforts to ensure that digital transformation uplifts every community and contributes meaningfully to the Sustainable Development Goals.

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UNESCO panel calls for ethics to be core of emerging tech, not an afterthought

At the WSIS+20 High-Level Event in Geneva, UNESCO hosted a session titled ‘Ethics in AI: Shaping a Human-Centred Future in the Digital Age,’ where global experts warned that ethics must be built into the foundation of emerging technologies such as AI, neurotechnology, and quantum computing—not added later as damage control.

UNESCO’s Chief of Bioethics and Ethics of Science and Technology, Dafna Feinholz, stressed that ethical considerations should shape technology development from the start, echoing the organisation’s mission to safeguard human rights and freedoms alongside scientific innovation.

Panellists underscored the tension between individual intentions and institutional realities. Philosopher Mira Wolf-Bauwens argued that while developers often begin with a sense of moral responsibility, corporate pressures quickly override these principles.

Drawing from her work in the quantum sector, she described how companies dilute ethical concerns into mere legal compliance, eroding their original purpose. Neuroscientist and entrepreneur Ryota Kanai echoed this concern, sharing how the rush to commercialise neurotechnology has led to premature products that risk undermining public trust, especially when privacy risks remain poorly understood.

The session also highlighted success stories in ethical governance, such as Thailand’s efforts to implement UNESCO’s AI ethics framework. Chaichana Mitrpant, leading the country’s digital policy agency, described a localised yet uncompromised approach that engaged multiple stakeholders—from regulators to small businesses. The collaborative model helped tailor global ethical guidelines to national realities while maintaining core human values.

Panellists agreed that while regulation plays a role, ethics must remain broader, more agile, and focused on motivation rather than just rule enforcement. With technologies evolving faster than laws can adapt, anticipatory governance, cross-sector collaboration, and inclusive debate were hailed as essential. The session closed with a shared call to action: embedding ethics in every stage of technology development is not just ideal—it’s urgently necessary to build a trustworthy digital future.

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Kurbalija: Digital tools are reshaping diplomacy

Once the global stage for peace negotiations and humanitarian accords, Geneva finds itself at the heart of a new kind of diplomacy shaped by algorithms, data flows, and AI. Jovan Kurbalija, Executive Director of Diplo and Head of the Geneva Internet Platform, believes this transformation reflects Geneva’s long tradition of engaging with science, technology, and global governance. He explained this in an interview with Léman Bleu.

Diplo, a Swiss-Maltese foundation, supports diplomats and international professionals as they navigate the increasingly complex landscape of digital governance.

‘Where we once trained them to understand the internet,’ Kurbalija explains, ‘we now help them grasp and negotiate issues around AI and digital tools.’

The foundation not only aids diplomats in addressing cyber threats and data privacy but also equips them with AI-enhanced tools for negotiation, public communication, and consular protection.

According to Kurbalija, digital governance touches everyone. From how our phones are built to how data moves across borders, nearly 50 distinct issues—from cybersecurity and e-commerce to data protection and digital standards—are debated in the corridors of International Geneva. These debates are no longer reserved for specialists because they affect the everyday lives of billions.

Kurbalija draws a fascinating connection between Geneva’s philosophical heritage and today’s technological dilemmas. Writers like Mary Shelley, Voltaire, and Borges, each with ties to Geneva, grappled with themes eerily relevant today: unchecked scientific ambition, the tension between freedom and control, and the challenge of processing vast amounts of knowledge. He dubs this tradition ‘EspriTech de Genève,’ a spirit of intellectual inquiry that still echoes in debates over AI and its impact on society.

AI, Kurbalija warns, is both a marvel and a potential menace.

‘It’s not exactly Frankenstein,’ he says, ‘but without proper governance, it could become one.’

As technology evolves, so must international mechanisms ensure it serves humanity rather than endangers it.

Diplomacy, meanwhile, is being reshaped not just in terms of content but in method. Digital tools allow diplomats to engage more directly with the public and make negotiations more transparent. Yet, the rise of social media has its downsides. Public broadcasting of diplomatic proceedings risks undermining the very privacy and trust needed to reach a compromise.

‘Diplomacy,’ Kurbalija notes, ‘needs space to breathe—to think, negotiate, resolve.’

He also cautions against the growing concentration of AI and data power in the hands of a few corporations.

‘We risk having our collective knowledge privatised, commodified, and sold back to us,’ he says.

The antidote? A push for more inclusive, bottom-up AI development that empowers individuals, communities, and nations.

As Geneva continues its historic role in shaping the future, Kurbalija’s message is clear: managing technology wisely is not just a diplomatic challenge—it’s a global necessity.

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WSIS+20 spotlights urgent need for global digital skills

The WSIS+20 High-Level Event in Geneva brought together global leaders to address the digital skills gap as one of the most urgent challenges of our time. As moderator Jacek Oko stated, digital technologies are rapidly reshaping work and learning worldwide, and equipping people with the necessary skills has become a matter of equity and economic resilience.

Dr Cosmas Zavazava of ITU emphasised that the real threat is not AI itself but people being displaced by others who know how to use it. ‘Workers risk losing their jobs, not because of AI, but because someone else knows how to use AI-based tools,’ he warned.

He underscored the importance of including informal workers like artisans and farmers in reskilling initiatives. He noted that 2.6 billion people remain offline while many of the 5.8 billion connected lack meaningful digital capabilities.

Costa Rica’s Vice Minister of Telecommunications, Hubert Vargas Picado shared how the country transformed into a regional tech hub by combining widespread internet access with workforce development. ‘Connectivity alone is insufficient,’ he said, advocating for cross-sectoral training systems and targeted scholarships, especially for rural youth and women.

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Similarly, Celeste Drake from the ILO pointed to gendered impacts of automation, revealing that administrative roles held mainly by women are most vulnerable. She insisted that upskilling must go hand-in-hand with policies promoting decent work, inclusive social dialogue, and regional equity.

The EU’s Michele Cervone d’Urso acknowledged the bloc’s shortfall in digital specialists and described Europe’s multipronged response, including digital academies and international talent partnerships.

Georgia’s Ekaterine Imedadze shared the success of embedding media literacy in public education and training local ambassadors to support digital inclusion in villages. Meanwhile, Anna Sophie Herken of GIZ warned of ‘massive talent waste’ in the Global South, where highly educated data workers are confined to low-value roles. Herken called for more equitable participation in the global digital economy and local AI innovation.

Private sector voices echoed the need for systemic change. EY’s Gillian Hinde stressed community co-creation and inclusive learning models, noting that only 22% of women pursue AI-related courses.

She outlined EY’s efforts to support neurodiverse learners and validate informal learning through digital badges. India’s Professor Himanshu Rai added a powerful sense of urgency, declaring, ‘AI is not the future. It’s already passing us by.’ He showcased India’s success in scaling low-cost digital access, training 60 million rural citizens, and adapting platforms to local languages and user needs.

His call for ‘compassionate’ policymaking underscored the moral imperative to act inclusively and decisively.

Speakers across sectors agreed that infrastructure without skills development risks widening the digital divide. Targeted interventions, continuous monitoring, and structural reform were repeatedly highlighted as essential.

The event’s parting thought, offered by Jacek Oko, summed up the transformative mindset required: ‘Let AI teach us about AI.’ The road ahead demands urgency, innovation, and collective action to ensure digital transformation uplifts all, especially the most vulnerable.

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Humanitarian, peace, and media sectors join forces to tackle harmful information

At the WSIS+20 High-Level Event in Geneva, a powerful session brought together humanitarian, peacebuilding, and media development actors to confront the growing threat of disinformation, more broadly reframed as ‘harmful information.’ Panellists emphasised that false or misleading content, whether deliberately spread or unintentionally harmful, can have dire consequences for already vulnerable populations, fueling violence, eroding trust, and distorting social narratives.

The session moderator, Caroline Vuillemin of Fondation Hirondelle, underscored the urgency of uniting these sectors to protect those most at risk.

Hans-Peter Wyss of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation presented the ‘triple nexus’ approach, advocating for coordinated interventions across humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding efforts. He stressed the vital role of trust, institutional flexibility, and the full inclusion of independent media as strategic actors.

Philippe Stoll of the ICRC detailed an initiative that focuses on the tangible harms of information—physical, economic, psychological, and societal—rather than debating truth. That initiative, grounded in a ‘detect, assess, respond’ framework, works from local volunteer training up to global advocacy and research on emerging challenges like deepfakes.

Donatella Rostagno of Interpeace shared field experiences from the Great Lakes region, where youth-led efforts to counter misinformation have created new channels for dialogue in highly polarised societies. She highlighted the importance of inclusive platforms where communities can express their own visions of peace and hear others’.

Meanwhile, Tammam Aloudat of The New Humanitarian critiqued the often selective framing of disinformation, urging support for local journalism and transparency about political biases, including the harm caused by omission and silence.

The session concluded with calls for sustainable funding and multi-level coordination, recognising that responses must be tailored locally while engaging globally. Despite differing views, all panellists agreed on the need to shift from a narrow focus on disinformation to a broader and more nuanced understanding of information harm, grounded in cooperation, local agency, and collective responsibility.

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Accelerating SDGs through digital innovation: SMEs take center stage at WSIS+20

At the WSIS+20 High-Level Event in Geneva, the session ‘Collaborative Innovation Ecosystem and Digital Transformation’ spotlighted how digital ecosystems can empower small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to drive global progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Organised by the China Academy of Information and Communication Technology (CAICT) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the event drew experts from governments, industry, and international organisations to strategise on digital solutions for sustainable development.

Dr Cosmas Zavazava of ITU emphasised that SMEs are the heartbeat of global economies, yet many still lack the digital capacity to thrive. Through the ITU Innovation and Entrepreneurship Alliance—comprising over 100 stakeholders and 17 acceleration centres—efforts are underway to provide universal connectivity and foster sustainable digital transformation.

Xiaohui Yu of CAICT echoed this vision, highlighting the crucial role of developing nations in closing the digital gap and announcing CAICT’s expanded role as an ITU acceleration centre dedicated to tech innovation and SME support.

One key milestone from the session was launching a global case collection initiative to identify best practices in ICT-enabled SME transformation. Countries like South Africa and Kenya shared success stories—South Africa’s Digitech platform and foresight-driven policymaking, and Kenya’s Hustler Fund, which digitises SME financing via mobile platforms like M-Pesa while integrating over 20,000 government services. These examples underscore the need for inclusive infrastructure, affordable digital tools, and coherent policies to bridge divides.

The discussion culminated in a unified call for action: build a ‘platform of platforms’ that connects regional innovation efforts, harmonises cross-border policies, and fosters capacity-building to ensure digital transformation reaches even the most marginalised entrepreneurs. As participants agreed, collaboration must move beyond goodwill to coordinated, sustained action if SMEs are to unlock their full potential in achieving the SDGs.

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