Events

This high-level session discusses the urgent need for open foundation models developed by academia and resource sharing to counter the widening AI gap driven by unequal access to compute, data, and expertise. The session features thought leaders from across the world and presents specific examples from the Swiss National AI Institute and the International Compute for AI Network.

Effective digital cooperation hinges on balanced, diverse and inclusive representation from all stakeholders, including governments, international organizations, the private sector, civil society, academia, and the technical community. True inclusivity and meaningful participation extend beyond enabling connectivity and skills development; they require active participation in the operational management and governance of digital infrastructure. This session will discuss some of the key insights, upcoming opportunities and best practices from technical communities and intergovernmental organizations for strengthening multistakeholder participation. 

Panelists representing diverse stakeholder groups will share insights on the multistakeholder digital ecosystem and global and regional perspectives. 

This session aims to address the gaps and opportunities of the global digital governance ecosystem, especially when it comes to the governance architecture and cooperation, with a special focus on the WSIS framework.

In the last 20 years, the World Summit on The Information Society (WSIS) has been playing the role of being the standard framework for the digital society, for Internet governance and related technologies, as well as a platform to promote the multistakeholder approach and foster collaboration between stakeholders. In recent years, several processes have been launched inside and outside the UN system to advance discussions about global digital governance and especially to improve global digital cooperation. One important example is the Global Digital Compact (GDC), which gathered commitments, proposals and endorsement from a range of States and from multiple stakeholders worldwide. The GDC and other processes have the common objective of bridging gaps in digital ecosystems, strengthening their structures, and moving towards better cooperation and decision-making.