The summit aims to bring together international stakeholders, including policymakers, industry leaders, and technical experts, to discuss and advance the development of global standards for AI.
Key topics will include promoting interoperability, ensuring transparency, and upholding human rights in AI technologies. The initiative aligns with the objectives outlined in theGlobal Digital Compact and responds to calls for enhanced AI governance through international collaboration.
By fostering dialogue and cooperation, the summit seeks to establish a foundation for responsible AI development and deployment worldwide. The event is by invitation only.
Diplo is organising a webinar that explores one of the most exciting emerging frontiers for Africa’s young population: the rise of digital gaming as a potential engine for jobs, innovation, and development.
Africa is home to the largest and fastest-growing youth population in the world, yet millions of young people struggle to secure sustainable livelihoods. At the same time, the continent’s rapid digital transformation has fuelled a vibrant gaming culture that transcends geography, class, and language. What is often labelled as mere entertainment has, globally, become a major creative industry—driving new professions, entrepreneurship, exports, and technological innovation. African youth are not only enthusiastic players; they are potential creators, developers, and competitors in a booming sector.
The conversation ahead asks a crucial question: How can Africa transform its widespread gaming culture into a productive, ethical, and inclusive economic force?
The discussion will unpack several dimensions of this shift:
The potential of the gaming industry to stimulate youth employment and entrepreneurship.
How gaming can support education, psychological well-being, and positive social engagement.
The economic promise of digital gaming as a cross-border, foreign-currency-earning market.
The risks that come with it—addiction, unhealthy habits, gambling elements, and the absence of strong regulation.
What policy, investment, and capacity-building interventions are needed to ensure gaming contributes to development rather than derailing it.
Ultimately, this Diplo event will explore gaming both as an industry and as a tool for learning and empowerment, as its continental potential continues to rise. Yet with that promise comes the need for thoughtful governance to address ethical challenges and safeguard Africa’s youth.
Diplo, UNEP, and Giga are co-organising an event hosted by the Giga Connectivity Centre in Geneva to explore how existing community anchor institutions can accelerate meaningful digital inclusion. Across many countries, post offices, schools, libraries, community centres, and other trusted public spaces form extensive physical networks that already support local populations in their daily lives. By equipping these institutions to offer digital literacy training and access to essential online services — such as e-government, e-commerce, e-learning, and digital financial services — policymakers can extend the benefits of the digital economy to those who are currently unreached, including people in rural and remote areas.
The discussion will showcase concrete examples of how integrating community anchor institutions into national digital transformation strategies can be a cost-effective and sustainable model for expanding connectivity where commercial service providers often do not operate. It will also look ahead at how lessons learned over the past 20 years can inform the next stage of global efforts to close digital divides — advancing the goals of WSIS and feeding into continuing WSIS+20 processes and preparations for the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting in December 2025.
The programme includes the presentation of the new UPU Digital Panorama report, showcasing how posts are successfully supporting governments in enabling inclusive digital transformation; Giga’s experience connecting schools worldwide; and the key role libraries play in digital access and skills development. The event will also benefit from the perspectives of Giga Learning Hub participants — from procurement officers to ICT policymakers — who are directly involved in national school connectivity initiatives.
This is an in-situ event only. Participation is free of charge, but seats are limited.
In 2025, a UN process will review the implementation of outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). Twenty years after the finalisation of the summit (which was held in two phases, in Geneva in 2003 and Tunis in 2005), the WSIS+20 review process will take stock of the progress made in the implementation of WSIS outcomes and address potential ICT gaps and areas for continued focus, as well as addressing challenges, including bridging the digital divide and harnessing ICTs for development.
The overall review will be concluded by a two-day high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), to be held on 16–17 December 2025. The meeting will be preceded by an intergovernmental preparatory process that also takes into account input from all relevant WSIS stakeholders. The process will result in an intergovernmentally agreed outcome document, for adoption at the high-level meeting.
The Blockchain Forum 2026 will be held in Moscow on 14–15 April 2026, bringing together global leaders in Web3, crypto, blockchain, and mining across the rapidly developing CIS region.
The event is expected to draw over 20,000 attendees, including founders, C-level executives, innovators, and investors.
Participants at the two-day forum will gain access to expert insights and forecasts on the evolving industry, engage in high-level networking and deal-making opportunities, and hear directly from founders and senior leaders of major global crypto projects about strategies to capitalise on emerging trends.
The event also features an extensive expo-floor with exhibitions of cutting-edge blockchain and mining technologies, simultaneous translation of sessions, dedicated after-hours networking, and multiple tiers of access for attendees including business and VIP packages.
