2nd UN Regional Commissions Interregional Dialogue on AI - Towards AI Structured Collaboration Across Regions: Scoping, alignment, and co-design of collaboration pathways for the WSIS+20 Era

Ayman El-Sherbiny frames the session as occurring at a pivotal moment following the WSIS Plus 20 approval by the UN General Assembly, which he describes as crossing a historical milestone. The session is designed to tackle both the WSIS framework and the global dialogue on AI governance, reflecting the start of a decade of action.

He noted that the session takes place after the WSIS Plus 20 approval by the General Assembly, describing it as 'crossing a historical milestone' and 'starting a decade of action' . The session is structured to address both the WSIS Plus 20 framework and the specific AI governance dialogue belonging to the GDC framework .

Ayman El-Sherbiny explains that the global dialogue on AI governance required regional consultations as part of its procedures, and three regional commissions—ESCWA, ECA, and ECLAC—have fulfilled this requirement. This demonstrates that regions are not passive recipients but contributors to shaping global AI governance.

He explained that the global dialogue necessitated regional consultations according to its procedures, and that three regions had conducted them: the ESCWA region held its event on 19 May jointly with Egypt's Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, ECA led the African consultation, and ECLAC conducted the Latin American and Caribbean dialogue .

Ahmad Said highlights that Egypt assumes the chair of the WSIS Forum at a historic moment, bringing with it a strong belief in the power of partnership. He emphasises that the challenge has shifted from defining a digital vision to accelerating its implementation, with regional commissions now formally positioned as the key drivers of this process.

He stated that twenty years after the Tunis Agenda, the collective challenge is no longer to define a digital vision but to accelerate its implementation , and that the UN General Assembly's extension of the WSIS mandate to 2035 has 'formally positioned our regional commissions as the essential engines to drive this implementation forward over the next decade' .

Ahmad Said articulates that the session's practical purpose is to create coordination mechanisms that connect regional realities with global frameworks. Success will be measured not by the number of discussions held but by the partnerships forged and tangible outcomes achieved, with a view to preparing for the next Global Dialogue on AI in New York in 2027.

He stated that the session aims 'to establish light, flexible coordination mechanisms that bridge the gap between regional realities and global frameworks, laying the groundwork for the next round of the Global Dialogue on AI in New York in 2027' , and that success will be measured by partnerships forged and tangible outcomes achieved .

Mactar Seck notes that despite twenty years of WSIS implementation, Africa still faces significant challenges in connectivity, digital skills, digital sovereignty, and security. The WSIS Plus 20 outcome resolution signals a new phase focused on implementation, accountability, and collaboration, for which ECA has developed the Africa 2035 Digital Implementation Roadmap as a continental framework.

He noted that Africa continues to face challenges in connectivity, digital skills, digital sovereignty, and security after twenty years of WSIS implementation , and that ECA has developed the Africa 2035 Digital Implementation Roadmap to move from fragmented initiatives to harmonised and coordinated continental implementation, aligned with the GDC, SDGs, AU Agenda 2063, and the Digital Transformation Strategy 2030 . The roadmap is structured around nine pillars with key indicators to measure progress and support evidence-based policymaking .

Mactar Seck argues that the question for Africa is not whether to use AI but how to govern it in a way that reflects African values and priorities. An African approach to AI governance must be inclusive and development-oriented, with a particular focus on digital skills, innovation, and job creation for Africa's large youth population.

He stated that ECA organised an African Dialogue on AI Governance in May, from which an African Declaration was adopted, prioritising 'an African approach to AI governance that is inclusive, development-oriented, and aligned with our core value' . He also emphasised the need to invest in digital skills and use AI to promote innovation and create jobs for the youth generation .

Mactar Seck reports that ECA organised an African Dialogue on AI Governance in May, which resulted in the adoption of an African Declaration. This declaration sets out Africa's priorities for AI governance, emphasising inclusiveness, development orientation, and alignment with African values, alongside investment in digital skills and security.

He reported that ECA organised an African Dialogue on AI Governance in May, from which 'we have adopted an African declaration' with the priority of promoting 'an African approach to AI governance that is inclusive, development-oriented, and aligned with our core value' . The declaration also emphasises investment in digital skills, innovation for youth employment, and security development using AI .

Chafic Chaya argues that AI readiness is not simply about having AI strategies or frameworks, but about having the capability to implement, govern, and secure AI in service of national priorities. He proposes that WSIS Plus 20 should serve as the implementation lens connecting AI readiness to specific WSIS action lines.

He referenced the warning from the UN Independent International Scientific Panel on AI that AI alone will not close digital development gaps , and argued that WSIS 2035 should link AI readiness to WSIS action lines, specifically C2, C4, C6, C9, and C11, which relate to capacity building, infrastructure, security, and collaboration . He suggested that UN inter-regional commissions can help countries translate AI strategies into AI implementation plans by assessing whether countries have scalable, secure, resilient internet and meaningful affordable connectivity .

Chafic Chaya warns that having AI strategies or frameworks is insufficient for countries to benefit from AI; what is needed is genuine AI readiness, which includes the practical capability to implement, govern, and secure AI systems. Without internet infrastructure, trusted data, and capacity development, countries will fall further behind.

He cited the warning from the UN Independent International Scientific Panel on AI report that 'AI alone, by default, will not close any digital development gap' and that countries without access to internet infrastructure, trusted data, and capacity development 'will lag behind' . He argued that AI readiness requires 'the capability, the ability to implement, to govern and to secure AI to serve their national priorities' rather than merely having AI strategies or frameworks .

Jaroslaw Ponder expresses ITU's satisfaction with the processes designed by member states and the reconfirmation of the role of UN Economic Commissions in WSIS implementation. He highlights ITU's work with the UN Economic Commission for Europe across more than 57 countries, emphasising the importance of translating broad visions into meaningful regional and country-level actions.

He noted that ITU is 'very much pleased that the role of the UN Economic Commissions was reconfirmed because this is the history of the great delivery of the commissions on the rollout of the WSIS at the regional level' , and described his personal work with the UN Economic Commission for Europe on digital transformation across over 57 countries . He also highlighted the importance of coordinating with the UN development group and the RC system to ensure a 'one UN for digital' approach at the country level .

Thilmeeza Hussain argues that the traditional separation between digital development, AI governance, and sustainable development has dissolved, and these are now converging into a single global development agenda. This convergence is embodied in the WSIS framework extending to 2035 and the Global Digital Compact.

She stated that 'digital development, AI governance and sustainable development are no longer separate policy domains' and that 'they are converging into one global development agenda spanning WSIS through 2035 and the Global Digital Compact' . She also noted that the first global dialogue on AI governance brought every country to the same table for the first time, informed by the first report of the Independent International Scientific Panel .

Thilmeeza Hussain articulates a dual role for UN Regional Commissions: they must translate global consensus into workable regional frameworks while simultaneously bringing regional evidence back into global processes. This bidirectional function is essential for ensuring that global agreements are grounded in regional realities.

She stated that the role of regional commissions 'is not simply to transmit regional perspectives upward' but 'to translate global consensus into workable regional' frameworks and 'to create regionally grounded frameworks and to bring regional evidence back into the global processes' . She also noted that regions can cooperate on computing capacity, multilingual datasets, and common standards to avoid fragmentation .

Thilmeeza Hussain identifies specific areas where regional commissions can make a unique contribution to AI governance, including cooperation on computing capacity, multilingual datasets, and common standards. This regional cooperation is essential to prevent fragmentation as the AI ecosystem continues to evolve.

She stated that 'regions can cooperate on computing capacity, multilingual datasets, and common standards, and learn from one another to avoid fragmentation as the AI ecosystem evolves' . She also highlighted that the newly launched UN-supported Global AI Capacity Development Network, backed by more than 20 countries, 'will not deliver from headquarters alone' but 'will deliver through regions' .

Thilmeeza Hussain conveys the Secretary General's stark warning that the existing digital divide must not be allowed to harden into an AI divide with multiple dimensions: a development gap, a security gap, and a sovereignty gap. This warning frames the urgency of the dialogue on AI governance and digital cooperation.

She relayed the Secretary General's message that 'the choices between governing AI by design, or drifting by default' and that 'we cannot allow the digital divide to harden into an AI divide, a development gap, a security gap, a sovereignty gap' . She noted that this warning 'goes to the heart of today's dialogue' .

Thilmeeza Hussain highlights the newly launched UN-supported Global AI Capacity Development Network as a key mechanism for delivering AI capacity development at scale. She emphasises that this network, already backed by more than 20 countries, will be effective only if it operates through regional structures rather than from a centralised headquarters.

She stated that 'the newly launched UN-supported Global AI Capacity Development Network, already backed by more than 20 countries, will not deliver from headquarters alone' and that 'it will deliver through regions', underscoring the important role regional commissions have to play .

Marco Llinas argues that AI governance frameworks must go beyond risk management and regulation to actively enable innovation, strengthen productive development, and reduce longstanding structural gaps. This development-oriented understanding of AI governance is the key message from ECLAC's regional dialogue.

He summarised the findings of the ECLAC Regional Dialogue held on 26 May in Costa Rica, stating that 'our countries need governance frameworks that not only address risks, but also enable innovation, strengthen productive development, and reduce longstanding structural gaps' . He concluded that 'AI governance should therefore be understood as an instrument for development, not merely as a regulatory exercise' .

Marco Llinas frames the digital and AI agenda for Latin America and the Caribbean within the context of three structural development traps that mutually reinforce one another. Digital transformation and AI are identified as key instruments for overcoming these traps, but only if they move beyond connectivity to real and effective use of digital technologies.

He identified the three development traps as: the low capacity to grow trap, the trap of high inequality and low social mobility, and the trap of weak institutional capacities and ineffective governance . He stated that 'digital transformation, and especially AI, is one of the region's main instruments for overcoming these development traps' but that achieving this requires 'moving beyond connectivity towards the real and effective use of digital technologies' .

Marco Llinas reports that ECLAC convened a regional dialogue on AI governance in Costa Rica on 26 May, which produced clear conclusions about the nature of effective AI governance frameworks. The dialogue found that governance must be understood as a development instrument rather than a purely regulatory exercise.

He described how ECLAC, along with the government of Costa Rica, convened the AI for Latin America ECLAC Regional Dialogue on 26 May in preparation for the global dialogue, bringing together governments, regional organisations, and other stakeholders . The main findings, also presented by Costa Rica's Minister of Science, Innovation, Technology, and Telecommunications, were that countries need governance frameworks that 'not only address risks, but also enable innovation, strengthen productive development, and reduce longstanding structural gaps' .

Mehdi Snene highlights the historic nature of the global dialogue on AI governance, which brought every country together at the same table for the first time. This dialogue was informed by the first report of the Independent International Scientific Panel, representing a significant milestone in global AI governance.

He noted that the global dialogue on AI governance took place the previous day and described a strong bottom-up approach emerging from it, with different member states claiming that the Global South must be included and that different countries, contexts, and languages must be represented . He also referenced the International Scientific Panel representing all regions and bringing different perspectives and gender equality into the newly launched report on AI .

Mehdi Snene observes a growing and strong bottom-up approach in AI governance discussions, with member states from the Global South asserting the need for their inclusion. He argues that regional and inter-regional dialogue is the mechanism through which diverse voices, contexts, and languages can be brought into global governance processes.

He described a 'very strong bottom-up approach' emerging during the global dialogue, with 'different member states claiming that the Global South must be included, but also different countries, different contexts, different languages must be included into the discussion' . He encouraged participants to 'get these kind of coalitions, bringing more voices, gaining interest into bringing some regional and inter-regional understanding of the needs' .

Mehdi Snene argues that the challenge of providing computing infrastructure cannot be solved on a country-by-country basis and requires regional coalitions. Without a regional approach to compute access, many countries will be left behind in the AI era.

He used the example of the AI Capacity Building Network's work on computing infrastructure, stating that 'without regional coalition, it would be very hard to provide computing in each and every country today' and that 'only a regional approach to this kind of problems today, beyond the dialogue, it's in the implementation, could provide some access to compute to the different regions' . He warned that 'without being anchored inside of regional thoughts, we may leave a lot of countries behind us because the access to compute will not be done in one day' .

Mehdi Snene identifies a significant gap in the current understanding of AI's impact at the regional and country level, noting that existing assessments come primarily from major powers such as the US and China. He argues that regions must develop their own methodologies and analytical frameworks to understand what AI truly means for their specific contexts.

He stated that 'we have today no methodology that could help us in understanding for each region, for each context, for each country, what is really AI bringing to them' and that 'we keep seeing things coming from big players, the US and China, about the AI impact on their economy' while regions lack this understanding for their own contexts . He emphasised the importance of 'regional people with the same context asking themselves, is this true for our context? Is this true for our region?' .

Felix Guimard outlines ECE's contribution to the WSIS process through chairing the UN Regional Commission group and emphasises the importance of cross-regional collaboration. He specifically proposes a Mediterranean coalition involving ECE, ESCWA, and ECA as a concrete example of inter-regional cooperation.

He noted that ECE is 'chairing the UN Regional Commission group that will represent us in the WSIS process' and expressed the importance of 'exploring the possibility of working together with all the neighbouring regions', specifically mentioning collaboration across the Mediterranean with ESCWA and ECA colleagues . He cited the adoption of fully autonomous driving system rules as a recent regional success that demonstrates the value of regional collaboration and private sector involvement .

Jimson Olufuye argues that scaling up Digital Public Infrastructure to enable cross-border data exchange is essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. He also calls for smart regulatory frameworks, including hybrid sandboxes, and strong commitment from member states with engagement from the private sector, technical community, academia, and youth.

He stated the need to 'scale up DPI to ensure that there is cross-border data exchanges so that we can really achieve the Sustainable Development Goal' , and called for 'smart regulatory frameworks like sandboxes, hybrid sandboxes' . He also emphasised the importance of implementing the Sao Paulo Multistakeholder Guidelines and noted that ECA has long included the private sector in its work .

Fadi Salem shares research findings showing that Arab region governments are approaching AI governance in three fundamentally different ways, ranging from treating it as a genuine policy challenge to viewing it as a control problem or merely a cosmetic exercise. Understanding these different responses is essential for designing effective regional policies.

He described research findings showing that 'the responses in our region to AI governance have been focused on either this is a real policy challenge and a wicked policy problem that has effective measures that we need to take advantage of or actually respond to, but other governments have responded by AI governance as a control problem that we have to control something, and the third group was as a cosmetic ticking a box problem' . He argued that these findings provide policy dimensions that can be applied through the digital agenda platform and regional commissions to align member states' responses .

Fadi Salem argues that schools of government and research institutions, working in collaboration with UN regional agencies, are uniquely positioned to generate data and articulate the role of public administration in AI governance. This research capacity is essential for ensuring that regional perspectives are grounded in evidence and can effectively influence global norms.

He described his roles as head of a research centre in a school of government, co-chair of the Spark AI Alliance by UNESCO, and member of the UN Committee of Experts on Public Administration, arguing that schools of government 'have a very important role to play in generating and articulating in data the role of public administration in the region' . He noted that research conducted in collaboration with ESCWA since 2022 has fed into the development of the Arab Digital Agenda, creating 'a framework that is for the region, by the region' .

Siope Vakataki Ofa outlines ESCAP's three priorities for advancing regional implementation of WSIS Plus 20, with the first being the continuation of efforts to close digital divides through resilient and inclusive digital infrastructure. He highlights the Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway Initiative as a key mechanism for supporting connectivity and digital inclusion, particularly for the most vulnerable countries.

He stated that ESCAP's first priority is to 'continue closing the digital divides through resilient and inclusive digital infrastructure', noting that 'reliable and affordable connectivity remains the foundation of digital transformation' . He referenced the Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway Initiative as ESCAP's mechanism for supporting regional cooperation to strengthen connectivity, infrastructure resilience, and digital inclusion, 'particularly for countries in special situations, LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDs' .

Siope Vakataki Ofa identifies strengthening national capacities for digital transformation and emerging technologies, including AI, as ESCAP's second priority. He notes that ESCAP member states have recently adopted a resolution to establish an Asian and Pacific Technology Solutions Centre for Sustainable Development to support capacity building, particularly for countries in special situations.

He stated that ESCAP's second priority is to 'strengthen national capacities for digital transformation and emerging technologies, including AI' , and that ESCAP member states have 'recently adopted a resolution to establish the Asian and the Pacific Technology Solutions Center for Sustainable Development to help member states, especially those in special situations, build capacities and implement practical technology solutions through regional cooperation' .

Suha Osman presents the League of Arab States' partnerships with ESCWA and IACTO as a practical and replicable model of regional digital cooperation. The development and adoption of the Arab AI Ethics Charter, along with a comprehensive action plan for its implementation, demonstrates how regional organisations can translate shared values into concrete governance mechanisms.

She described the partnership with IACTO that led to the development of the Arab AI Ethics Charter, which was adopted by the League of Arab States in 2026, and noted that a comprehensive action plan to translate its principles into practical implementation measures is being developed . She stated that this partnership 'provide[s] a practical model of regional cooperation that can inspire stronger collaboration across the global south' , and that the action plan is to be announced at the upcoming permanent Arab Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies in Tunisia .

Hoda Baraka identifies the shift from principles to implementation as the primary message emerging from the Arab region's expert meeting. She argues that AI governance has spent too long on declarations and must now move to practical operational execution, including pilots, use cases, and mechanisms that allow governments to test and responsibly deploy AI.

She stated that the first key message from the Arab region's consultation is that 'AI governance must shift from this kind of declarations to practical operational execution' and that 'the global dialogue should prioritise the pilots, use cases, mechanisms that allow governments to test, assess, and responsibly deploy AI in real-world contexts' . She also welcomed the AI Capacity Building Network as 'one of the implementation actions that need to be done to make sure that people are ready for AI' .

Hoda Baraka articulates the core message from the Arab region's consultation: that inclusiveness in global AI governance must translate into genuine influence, not merely symbolic participation. Developing regions must transition from being rule-takers to becoming rule-makers and policy architects in the global digital future.

She stated that 'our core message was inclusiveness must mean influence, not symbolic participation' and that 'for developing regions to meaningfully contribute to the global digital future, we must move beyond being treated as rule-takers, and then we have to become rule-makers and policy architects' . She emphasised that every region has its own specificity, culture, and values that need to be heard and transferred to the international dialogue .

Hoda Baraka highlights the lack of access to high-performance computing infrastructure as one of the most significant challenges facing the Global South, including Egypt. She argues that training programmes and capacity building initiatives are rendered ineffective without access to the necessary compute infrastructure for practical application.

She stated that 'in the global south one of our biggest, biggest challenges is compute infrastructure' and used Egypt as an example, noting that while Egypt has skilled young people, 'if we do a training program without having access to compute infrastructure, we are joking' and 'not really doing anything' . She argued that without real practice use cases with compute infrastructure, training programmes amount to 'investing in the air' with no real impact .

Hoda Baraka proposes a broader redefinition of AI sovereignty that goes beyond infrastructure to encompass the capacity to control and shape AI systems, dependencies, knowledge assets, and governance choices. This broader conception includes issues of data sovereignty, large language models, and cross-border data exchange.

She defined AI sovereignty as 'a capacity to control and shape AI systems, dependencies, knowledge assets, and governance choice, rather than merely looking at the infrastructure part' . She elaborated that data, large language models, and cross-border data exchange are all important dimensions of sovereignty that need to be discussed .

Hoda Baraka argues that AI governance must address both economic and environmental sustainability dimensions. On the economic side, this means tackling labour market disruption, wage inequality, and the distribution of AI-driven productivity gains; on the environmental side, it means promoting green AI, particularly given the energy demands of compute infrastructure and quantum technology.

She stated that 'governance must treat the labour market disruption, wage inequality and the distribution of AI-driven productivity gains as core issues' . She also argued that 'you must govern sustainability of AI by promoting green AI', noting that 'green AI is becoming now very important, especially with the compute infrastructure and with quantum technology' .

Hoda Baraka summarises the outcomes of the Arab region's expert meeting and open consultation on the global dialogue on AI governance, which produced 21 key messages. The overarching message is that developing regions must transition from passively absorbing global norms to actively co-authoring them, with inclusiveness meaning genuine influence.

She presented the key outcomes of the Arab region's expert meeting organised by ESCWA in cooperation with Egypt's Ministry of ICT and the Arab League , summarising four main messages: from principles to implementation, redefining AI sovereignty, bridging the systemic divide, and economic and environmental sustainability . The core message was that 'inclusiveness must mean influence, not symbolic participation' and that developing regions must 'become rule-makers and policy architects' . Ayman El-Sherbiny confirmed that the full consultation produced 21 key messages .