High-Level Track Inaugural Leaders TalkX: Forging partnerships for purpose: advancing the digital for development landscape

Summary

This transcript captures the third day of the WSIS Plus 20 High Level Event, focusing on inaugural leaders’ talks about forging partnerships to advance digital development. The session began with highlights from day one, showcasing the progress made since the World Summit on the Information Society launched 20 years ago, when only 16% of the world’s population was online compared to 68% today. Ambassador Rob, President of ECOSOC, delivered a special address emphasizing the need to link digital strategies with UN Sustainable Development Goals, warning that the digital divide will widen without deliberate action to ensure no one is left behind. He stressed the importance of solidarity and coherent governance to ensure AI and emerging technologies benefit all rather than reinforcing global inequalities.

The panel discussion featured ministers and officials from various countries sharing their national digital transformation experiences. Minister Russell from Andorra highlighted their comprehensive fiber-optic deployment and citizen-centered digital administration strategy for 2030. Minister Muchanga from Mozambique emphasized how dramatically the digital landscape has changed since 2003, noting that digital services have become essential for daily life and stressing the urgency of connecting rural populations. Brazil’s telecommunications agency representative discussed their efforts to achieve digital equality, including expanding fiber networks to 75% of municipalities and implementing programs that convert regulatory fines into concrete connectivity projects for vulnerable communities.

Tunisia’s representative acknowledged challenges in digital transformation, particularly resistance to change among government employees and project governance issues, while highlighting their support for startups through procurement processes and incentive programs. UN Under-Secretary-General Gill emphasized the role of multistakeholder cooperation in addressing global digital challenges, noting that the Global Digital Compact centers inclusive digital economy as a priority and calling for updated ways of working together across stakeholders and borders. The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization’s representative identified fragmentation as a major challenge in the digital development ecosystem, advocating for coherent national strategies that international agencies can support rather than operating in silos. The discussion concluded with consensus that partnerships and coordinated approaches are essential for building stable, digitally-enabled societies that serve all communities effectively.

Keypoints

**Major Discussion Points:**

– **Digital divide and connectivity challenges**: Multiple speakers emphasized the persistent gap between connected and unconnected populations, particularly in rural and vulnerable communities. The discussion highlighted how 68% of the world’s population is now online (up from 16% twenty years ago), but significant inequalities remain that require urgent attention.

– **National digital transformation strategies**: Ministers and officials shared their countries’ approaches to digitalization, including Andorra’s 2030 strategy focused on citizen-centered digital administration, Mozambique’s efforts to build climate-resilient infrastructure, and Brazil’s spectrum auction model that converts revenue into investment commitments for rural connectivity.

– **Multistakeholder partnerships and governance**: Speakers stressed the need for coherent collaboration across governments, private sector, academia, and civil society to avoid fragmented approaches. The importance of updating governance frameworks and creating “coherent governance and rule of law” for emerging technologies was emphasized.

– **Beyond connectivity to meaningful access**: The discussion evolved from basic internet access to ensuring people have digital skills, affordable devices, and can meaningfully participate in an increasingly digitalized economy. Brazil’s focus on digital citizenship training and Tunisia’s startup incentives exemplified this broader approach.

– **AI and emerging technologies for development**: The conversation addressed both opportunities and risks of AI, emphasizing the need for “AI for Good” while acknowledging potential harms like misinformation and reinforced inequalities. The Global Digital Compact was highlighted as providing direction for leveraging digital public infrastructure.

**Overall Purpose:**

The discussion aimed to assess progress on digital development goals 20 years after the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), share best practices for digital transformation, and forge partnerships to advance digital-for-development initiatives beyond 2025.

**Overall Tone:**

The tone was collaborative and forward-looking, with speakers sharing both achievements and ongoing challenges in a constructive manner. There was a sense of urgency about addressing digital divides, but also optimism about technological opportunities. The discussion maintained a diplomatic, professional atmosphere throughout, with speakers building on each other’s points rather than expressing disagreement.

Speakers

**Speakers from the provided list:**

– **Alexandre Reis Siqueira Freire** – Commissioner, National Telecom Agency, Brazil

– **Americo Muchanga** – His Excellency, Professor, Minister of Communication and Digital Transformation, Mozambique

– **Marc Rossell** – His Excellency, Minister of Civil Service and Digital Transformation, Andorra

– **Bernadette Lewis** – Secretary General, Commonwealth Telecommunication Organization

– **Amandeep Singh Gill** – Undersecretary General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies

– **Kamel Saadoui** – Engineer, President, Instance National D.E. Telecommunications, Tunisia

– **Robert Rae** – His Excellency Ambassador, President of ECOSOC

– **Amrita Choudhury** – His Excellency Professor, Moderator for the inaugural leaders talks

– **Participant** – Announcer/Host (introduced the event and participants)

**Additional speakers:**

None identified – all speakers mentioned in the transcript were included in the provided speakers names list.

# WSIS Plus 20 High Level Event: Inaugural Leaders’ Talks on Digital Development Partnerships

## Executive Summary

The WSIS Plus 20 High Level Event featured a panel discussion on foraging partnerships for advancing the digital for development landscape, moderated by Amrita Choudhury. The session brought together ministers, regulators, and international officials to discuss progress and challenges in digital development twenty years after the World Summit on the Information Society. Speakers highlighted significant global connectivity growth while emphasizing persistent challenges in bridging digital divides and ensuring inclusive digital transformation.

## Opening Framework

Ambassador Robert Rae, President of ECOSOC, delivered opening remarks establishing the strategic context for digital development partnerships. Rae emphasized the critical need to “link up the strategies that we develop for digital technologies and for artificial intelligence and for quantum” with the fundamental purposes of the United Nations. He positioned the Sustainable Development Goals as representing “common decency of humanity” rather than ideological projects.

Rae warned that “the digital divide will widen unless real steps are taken to bring people together and share technology globally.” He provided nuanced perspective on artificial intelligence, acknowledging its benefits while noting that “AI can be bad when it spreads lies, when it spreads propaganda, when it undermines trust and undermines integrity, when it undermines genuine access to technology and reinforces the inequalities of the world.”

## National Digital Transformation Experiences

### Andorra’s Comprehensive Strategy

Minister Marc Rossell, speaking in French, outlined Andorra’s systematic approach to digital transformation centered on their national digitalization strategy 2030. The country has prioritized comprehensive fiber-optic deployment and citizen-centered digital administration. Rossell identified cybersecurity as a “top priority when supporting companies in digital transformation” and highlighted initiatives including content-filtering SIM cards for protecting minors and digital well-being programs.

### Mozambique’s Evolution

Minister Americo Muchanga provided historical perspective on the transformation of digital needs since the original WSIS summit. “When we met here back in 2003… the issues that were concerning us back then, they are completely different from what we see today,” Muchanga observed. He noted that “when we talk about Information Society today, we mean things that people wouldn’t live without them,” emphasizing how digital services have evolved from optional to essential.

Muchanga stressed that “connectivity remains fundamental challenge with need for affordable services and resilient infrastructure,” particularly highlighting the importance of climate-resilient infrastructure development for countries facing environmental vulnerabilities.

### Brazil’s Regulatory Innovation

Alexandre Reis Siqueira Freire from Brazil’s National Telecommunication Agency presented innovative regulatory approaches to addressing digital inequality. Brazil has achieved 75% fiber coverage across municipalities and implemented the “Obligation to Do” regulatory tool, which converts financial fines into concrete infrastructure investment commitments for vulnerable communities.

Freire provided compelling insight into the social dimensions of connectivity: “when we connect these communities, we are not only just building infrastructure, we are building something deeper. We are building belonging for black communities. We are building belonging for indigenous peoples… We are restoring their dignity.”

The Brazilian approach includes the Sustainable Amazon program and a 5G spectrum auction where 90% of revenue was directed toward investment commitments in underserved areas rather than government coffers. Freire identified digital skills training as essential, noting that “lack of digital literacy is main barrier to internet adoption” based on Brazilian surveys.

### Tunisia’s Governance Challenges

Kamel Saadoui from Tunisia’s telecommunications authority acknowledged significant challenges in digital transformation, particularly “resistance to change among government employees” and project governance issues. Tunisia has implemented solutions including startup incentive programs and e-procurement processes designed to overcome internal resistance while supporting private sector innovation.

Saadoui highlighted complexities in project governance, noting challenges in “determining whether initiatives are technology or sector-specific issues,” which affects implementation speed and coordination across government services.

## International Cooperation Perspectives

### UN Global Digital Cooperation

Under-Secretary-General Amandeep Singh Gill emphasized that “multistakeholder cooperation essential for addressing global challenges and bridging digital divide through cross-border and cross-stakeholder collaboration.” Gill introduced the important distinction that “before the digital divide, there is the development divide,” challenging participants to consider how countries can “leapfrog there with constraints on energy, on education, financing.”

The Global Digital Compact was highlighted as providing direction for leveraging digital public infrastructure. Gill identified key investment areas including digital public infrastructure, data and AI capacity, talent development, and public sector institutional capacity, while acknowledging the challenge of prioritizing limited resources given significant per capita spending gaps between developed and developing countries.

### Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation’s Systems Analysis

Bernadette Lewis provided critical analysis of coordination challenges, identifying that “the digital for development ecosystem, it suffers from fragmentation. There are many initiatives, but they bear no relevance or synergies with other initiatives that are happening.”

Lewis advocated for establishing “mechanisms at the national level whereby all organizations could participate and anchor their work to national priorities,” emphasizing the need to avoid duplicated activities and ensure coordinated progression rather than scattered approaches.

## Key Themes and Challenges

### Infrastructure and Connectivity

Multiple speakers emphasized digital infrastructure development as fundamental for digital transformation. The discussion revealed consensus around the importance of robust digital infrastructure, particularly fiber-optic networks, while acknowledging varying national contexts and implementation approaches.

### Cybersecurity Integration

Speakers demonstrated alignment on cybersecurity as integral to digital transformation strategies, with recognition that security considerations must be embedded throughout digital development processes rather than treated as afterthoughts.

### Skills and Capacity Building

The discussion highlighted that infrastructure alone is insufficient for meaningful digital inclusion. Speakers emphasized the importance of digital skills training and capacity building, with recognition that technological access must be accompanied by capability development.

### Governance and Coordination

The session revealed significant challenges in coordinating digital development efforts, both within countries and internationally. The fragmentation of initiatives and need for better coordination mechanisms emerged as critical issues requiring systematic attention.

## Session Conclusion

Moderator Amrita Choudhury concluded the session by noting the time constraints and announcing that a summary session would be held “Friday, 11th July at 3 p.m.” The session ended with a group photo opportunity for participants.

The discussion demonstrated both significant progress in global digital development and persistent challenges in ensuring inclusive digital transformation. While connectivity has expanded dramatically since the original WSIS summit, speakers consistently emphasized that meaningful digital inclusion requires comprehensive approaches addressing infrastructure, skills, governance, and social equity considerations.

The session highlighted the evolution from basic connectivity concerns to complex challenges of digital governance, cybersecurity, and social inclusion, while emphasizing the continued importance of international cooperation and partnership in addressing these multifaceted challenges.

Participant: H.E. Prof. Amrita Choudhury, H.E. Dr. Bosun Tijani, Mr. Valeriu Zgonea, Ms. Bernadette Lewis Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the third day of the WSIS plus 20 high level event. We’ve gathered here for the inauguration of the leaders talks where you will hear ministers, head of regulatory bodies, senior UN officials, technical community, academia, talking about their experiences in implementing digital and the vision of WSIS beyond 2025. So we’d like to request you to please take your seats. We have a very interesting special address from also the president of ECOSOC who has joined us here today. So colleagues, please do take your seats and we will begin with the video highlights of day one, which you can enjoy once the video plays. Thank you so much. Please take your seats and welcome everybody. Good morning. Welcome to the inaugural session of the WSIS plus 20 high level event. Welcome to the inaugural session of the WSIS plus 20 high level event 2025. Swiss Alphorns, once critical for long distance communication, were a fitting way to communicate the start of this high level event. It’s been two decades since the World Summit on the Information Society launched, redefining the way we think about building for a digital future. As the WSIS process marks 20 years, there’s recognition that the forum plays an integral part, now a leading annual platform with more than 50,000 participants. The WSIS plus 20 high level event 2025 is getting underway here in Geneva, and it’s going to start by reflecting on all that’s been achieved in digital development in the last 20 years, and the life changing impact that’s had on people. Co-hosted by ITU and the Swiss Confederation, and co-organized by ITU, UNESCO, UNDP and UNCTAD, ITU’s Secretary General took to the stage at the opening ceremony to praise the groundwork laid to strengthen digital cooperation. 20 years ago, just 1 billion people, 16% of the world’s population, was online. Today, that figure stands at 68%, and that progress stems from the WSIS vision of an open and inclusive information society that drives digital development for all. Next, the handing over of a gavel marked a change of WSIS chair, moving this year from Switzerland to South Africa. It’s a very proud moment for South Africa and for my country, and we’re very grateful to the ITU for making sure that this opportunity is granted to South Africa, and it just also shows the stature of our country in shaping and influencing discussions in global platforms around digitization, connectivity, and closing the digital divide. Then time to celebrate the highly regarded 19 WSIS Prize winners, one in each of the Action Line categories, plus a special recognition. This year’s projects praised for their innovation and positive change across areas such as cyber security and e-government. This winner is recognized for a project helping young people in Indonesia. We’ve seen great improvement in their well-being and their self-confidence when they use these platforms to speak out about specific issues in their communities, and not only that, using their voices to engage stakeholders, including policy makers. And a project to benefit health provision in Zanzibar. All patients will have real-time information on the treatment they get on any healthy facility in Zanzibar, where it will now ease up their health provision and also keep track and record of the healthy data for easy health provision in future visits. Throughout the day, sessions took place to discuss a variety of topics. In this room, youth speakers from all corners of the globe shared their thoughts. One describing a digital tool to enhance the right of access to land information in Vietnam. We conduct the annual evaluation of whether the government publicized the land information and whether it’s accessible to the citizens. So in the project, we engage also different groups, for example, the people from ethnic minorities, the people in remote regions, youth and people with disability in assessing as well. Whilst others spoke about accessibility issues. Every community in Ghana has access to 5G network. Even the cities do not have access to 5G. And recently we have like Starlink, but it’s just the selected few that can afford these services. So if we want to include all these people, we need to first make this infrastructure as less and affordable for all before we can even build more innovative solutions and encourage young people to also create technological solutions to solve these local problems. The day began with a plea to turn the digital divides into digital opportunities. And there’s been a wealth of knowledge sharing around topics such as health, inclusivity and e-learning. Join us tomorrow to continue the conversation on day two of WSIS plus 20 high level event 2025. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. What a wonderful vibe. What a wonderful highlight of what happened on day one. You will be able to see these highlights online. We have daily highlights summarizing what’s happening at the WSIS plus 20 higher level event. Of course, it’s not possible without your energy, without your contributions and without your vision of what you want WSIS to be like. So thank you so much for being here. And without any further delay, I would like to invite the moderator for our inaugural leaders talks, Mrs. Amrita Choudhury, to please lead you and to moderate our first inaugural leaders talks, which comprises of high level delegates from different stakeholder communities. Amrita, the floor is yours.

Amrita Choudhury: Good morning, everyone. I hope I’m audible to all of you. And thank you for coming in the morning for this session, which is the first leaders talk. And we would be discussing on foraging partnerships for the purpose of advancing the digital for development landscape. And today we have a distinguished high level panelists who will help us explore how digital technologies, multistakeholder and multistake sectoral partnerships, innovative measures are helping to advance economic developments of our society at large. We have with us a special guest, His Excellency Ambassador Rob, who is the president of ECASOC. And then we have His Excellency, Mr. Mark Russell, Minister of Civil Service and Digital Transformation, Andorra. We have His Excellency, Professor Emerico Muchanga, Minister of Communication and Digital Transformation, Mozambique. We have Mr. Alexandre Reis Sequeira Freire, Commissioner, National Telecom Agency, Brazil. We have Engineer Kamal Sadaoui, President, Instance National D.E. Telecommunications, Tunisia. Mr. Amandeep Singh Gill, Undersecretary General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies. Ms. Bernadette Lewis, Secretary General, Commonwealth Telecommunication Organization. May I please request all the esteemed guests to be here at the stage. And I would also request each of them to keep to the three minutes time because we have back to back sessions. Thank you so much. And since we have a very packed schedule, I would request Ambassador Reis to actually give his special address to us. And I think he would like to go to the podium and speak. Thank you.

Robert Rae: Thank you very much, Excellencies and participants, ladies and gentlemen. It’s a great honor to be able to speak to you briefly this morning. Let me assure you that I will be brief, although it’s very dangerous to put a microphone in front of a former politician at any time of the day, particularly at this time. But it’s a great honor to be here. I just really wanted to make a few key points as we undertake this summit and continue on our path of figuring out where we’re going and what needs to be done. The first thing is that we need to link up the strategies that we develop for digital technologies and for artificial intelligence and for quantum. We need to link them up with the purpose of the United Nations, the purpose that we are all undertaking together, and for us to understand that the Sustainable Development Goals are not some sort of ideological project, but they’re really just a common decency of humanity. And when we look at the objectives of the STGs to end hunger and poverty, to improve health, to provide access to education, to ensure that we build a world that is peaceful and that is sustainable, these are projects we can all understand and appreciate. But in order to achieve them, we have to take advantage of the tremendous breakthroughs in technology which have been taking place. The second thing is we have to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that with this new technology, no one falls behind. And we’ve been hearing from the video on the first day, and I think it will be a common theme in our discussions, right now there is a digital divide. And the digital divide will widen unless we take real steps to bring people together and to share. And that’s going to require decisions by governments to do just that. We’ve already seen some important signs. The World Bank, together with the Development Bank of Africa, working hard at ensuring that there is much broader access to the Internet and that we are going to be seeing breakthroughs there. But we also have to make sure that the tools that we’re developing are ones that are widely shared throughout the world and not just confined to the richest countries, not just confined to those that are already furthest ahead. I’m proud that my own government in Canada has taken steps together with the British Agency for Development to establish a $100 million fund, which we are sharing with developing countries through our IDRC. And we’re trying to create centers of excellence in developing countries so that the breakthroughs that take place in technology, the breakthroughs in discovery, and the breakthroughs in application are not confined to any one geographical area, but actually come together. And my last point is two words. The first word is solidarity. Our solidarity is being tested. It’s being tested by those who say that the world is all about me first or my country first. And that’s fine to say me first and my country first, but you can’t stop there. We have to understand the solidarity, the obligations we have to one another, and how if we all pursue me first, then the global commons will not get the attention that it really needs and deserves. And my second word is coherence connected to governance. We do have a job to do to create coherent governance and the rule of law that applies to these technologies as they must apply and have applied to every technology in the past. No great technological breakthrough happens without disruption. And it’s the responsibility of the rule of law and good governance, both nationally, locally, and internationally, to ensure that what takes place benefits all and does not harm everyone. The title of the part of our conference these days is AI for Good. But we have to understand as well that AI can be bad when it spreads lies, when it spreads propaganda, when it undermines trust and undermines integrity, when it undermines genuine access to technology and reinforces the inequalities of the world. And so these are the challenges that we face. I think I’m just under three minutes. Thank you very much for the opportunity to be with you this morning. Good luck to everyone.

Amrita Choudhury: Thank you so much, Ambassador. Please be seated. And I’ll go next to Minister and a question for you, Minister Russell. And please wear your headsets. He would be speaking in French. My question is, as Indora embarks on the ambitious digital transformation journey aligned with the European values, could you share with us the key priorities and guiding principles behind your national digitalisation strategy 2030?

Marc Rossell: Thank you very much for the question. First of all, I’d like to say that Indora is at the heart of the Pyrenees and has been involved in this digital transformation for several years. First, we need to focus on connectivity. Indora is a very connected country. We deployed, more than 10 years ago, all the fiber-optic systems that benefit, of course, all citizens and companies in Indora. And now we are increasing, of course, the flows and, of course, the capacity and coverage in Indora. Apart from this part of connectivity, which is very important to establish and highlight the citizens and companies of Indora, we have established a national strategy with ambitious goals for 2030. These goals, of course, allow for a digital administration by focusing on citizenship at the centre. So we want a much more efficient, centralised administration with interconnected tools. So we have an interconnection bus to avoid, for example, bringing different documents to the administration several times. Apart from the focus on administration, we also have the whole project at the level of companies. We have a digitalisation programme for companies and we provide assistance to these companies to try to increase their services at the national level. In no case do we want to leave any company behind. And so this programme obviously allows us to move forward together in this digital transformation. Obviously, cybersecurity aspects are top of the agenda and it is important to support these companies in this area. Apart from the technological part, we obviously give a lot of importance to the digital well-being of citizens. And we are working with the International Telecommunications Union on the protection of minors. We have a SIM card, for example, dedicated to the protection of minors, where impure content is not visible if you have this card. So, of course, this whole strategy goes forward and we have greatly increased the digital transformation of our country. Digital transformation is not just a strategic choice for us, it is a vital necessity for our sustainable development, social cohesion and competitiveness. It is important to highlight the interconnection we have with different countries, with France, Spain and the countries around the world, to try to highlight and move forward together on this digital transformation.

Amrita Choudhury: Thank you, thank you for this opportunity to implement these policies at the national level. Again, this is very short, but we are limited. I’ll now move to you, Minister Muchanga. We are talking about the WSIS plus 20 review. So my question to you is, how can we ensure that this process continues to remain relevant, agile, aligned with the evolving global priorities? And from your perspective, what are the reforms, updates or new areas that need to be addressed?

Americo Muchanga: Thank you so much. I want to remind everyone that when we met here back in 2003, and we were talking about World Summit for Information Society, the issues that were concerning us back then, they are completely different from what we see today. Back then, by talking about Information Society, we meant that we wanted everyone to be connected to Internet, so that they could surf on Google and get some information, perhaps get some knowledge of the vast amount of data that was being poured on platforms like Google. At that time, most of the people, they could find their way using a printed map. They would think about going to the shop to buy some goods and would think about going to the restaurant or hiring, going to a tax ring in order to take a tax. The world has changed a lot since then, today. When we talk about Information Society today, we mean things that people wouldn’t live without them. And today, when everyone thinks about navigating, you always think that, okay, I need to go to Google Maps to be able to navigate from one point to another one. When he thinks about buying things, he thinks about an electronic shop. Even when he thinks about getting food, he thinks about going to the Internet, selecting what he wants to want, and getting it delivered. So, we today have to think, how do we make sure that our nations, they benefit, I mean, they live in such a society. So, the issues of connecting everyone today, it means the only way to make sure that everyone has equal access to the vast amount of knowledge and opportunities that are available today. So, there is a sense of urgency in making sure that we cannot leave anyone behind. Because the challenges of connectivity, they are still there, everywhere in the world. Mozambique being one of them, we still have a lot of challenges in terms of connecting people that live in the rural areas in particular, giving them the amount of bandwidth that they require in order to be able to surf and land and have their own life in that digital space. We need to make sure that the services are affordable and that they have devices, I mean, to be able to use the service. Mozambique being a country that is affected by climate change, we need to make sure that we build infrastructure that is resilient, I mean, for climate change. So, all those challenges, they need to be tackled because only then we can really have a society that benefits from all the development, all the knowledge and opportunities that we have. If we don’t change our shape, I mean, today, the West is much more relevant than back then. Because back then, the economy was not totally digitalized, but today the economy is completely digitalized. So, we need to work together. There are a lot of leaders here. We need to make sure that we reshape our vision in terms of digital economy, digital transformation, and make sure that everything happens in a secure environment. So, the issue of cybersecurity is very important. With that, I pause here and I thank you very much.

Amrita Choudhury: Thank you so much, Minister. And thank you for discussing that there is a holistic approach needed and everyone should have equal access to everything. With that, I would move to Mr. Freira, and I believe he would want to speak from the podium. The question is, what is the National Telecommunication Agency doing to ensure affordable access to information, communication technology, especially in rural areas, and vulnerable communities to promote security and environmental sustainability, and to reduce the digital inequalities in Brazil?

Alexandre Reis Siqueira Freire: Good morning, everyone. Thank you very much. In Brazil, we are working hard to make internet access more equal and affordable for everyone, especially for those in remote and vulnerable situations. Today, over 75% of our municipalities are connected by fiber optic networks, reaching near 95% of our population. We also have 4G coverage in our municipalities, all of them, and 70% of rural villages that are not even official city centers. That said, we know these numbers don’t tell the whole history. Many people remain excluded from digital life, not only because of the infrastructure, but because of the deep inequalities. That’s why ANATEL Brazil’s National Telecommunication Agency is taking actions to change this reality. We are expanding telecom networks to rural and remote areas, and at the same time, promoting digital skills training so people can use the internet safely and meaningfully. In 2023, for example, national surveys showed that the main reason why many Brazilians still don’t use the internet is the lack of digital skills. So, we are offering programs that teach safe internet use, digital citizenship, and how to protect oneself online. One of our most important tools for that is how we design spectrum auctions. In our 5G auction, 90% of the revenue was transformed into investment commitments. A key initiative from that is the Sustainable Integrate Amazon program. This program is building over 12,000 kilometers of high-capacity, low-latency fiber optic network, many of them under rivers, linked towns across the Amazon and the connected public institutions. We are also studying how to expand this network for the neighboring Amazonian countries, creating a route from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Another important approach we use is called Obligation to Do, a regulatory tool that replaces financial fines with concrete actions. In 2024, for example, alone, more than $7 million was invested in connecting remote areas, including indigenous lands, quilombola communities, schools with 4G and fiber optic infrastructure. One project also provides training in digital rights, citizenship, human rights, and, of course, human vulnerable situations and refugees, helping them enter the job market with confidence. Because when we connect these communities, we are not only just building infrastructure, we are building something deeper. We are building belonging for black communities. We are building belonging for indigenous peoples. We are building belonging to abandoned children and for human survivors of violence. We are restoring their dignity, and, of course, above all, we are helping the right to the future and the right to learn, to speak, to dream, and to thrive. This is our mission, and we believe that together we can achieve more. Thank you very much.

Amrita Choudhury: Thank you so much, sir. Ambassador has to leave. Thank you so much, Ambassador, for being here. And with that, I’ll come to you, Mr. Segalli. Where we have…

Kamel Saadoui: Thank you. So, in Tunisia, we have a digital transformation plan like every other country. And the plan is very ambitious. We did well in some aspects, but not much in some other aspects due to some obstacles. The main obstacle we faced is resistance to change when we come to government services. By government employees, they are sticking to the old processes and they’re not comfortable with the re-engineering of processes needed for the digital transformation. The other aspect is project governance. Because when you talk about transforming e-health, for example, is it a technology issue or is it a health issue? Because of the governance issue, some of the projects did not go as much as we wanted, as fast as we wanted. Being aware of the gap between e-government employees and the private sector and also the younger generation, the startup generation. Being aware of that, the government decided to take two major measures. One of them is to give more incentives to startups to lead the transformation plan by two measures specifically. One of them, the e-procurement process, opened the procurement process to startups so they can innovate and can adopt their innovation. Some of them even developed AI applications and blockchain. We invited them to showcase them. The other aspect is the Startup Act itself. We have a Startup Act and it’s giving incentives to startups. We’re moving to another Startup Act 2.0, which gives more incentives and opens the market further. We have also one of the things that one of the startups became a unicorn. It’s called Nstudy, working in AI applied to biotechnology and was acquired by a big name like Biontech. It became some kind of pride for the new generation. Thank you.

Amrita Choudhury: Thank you so much, Eng. Kamel Saadoui. You have been well within time. Thank you for that. That gives us some more time. My question to you is, Mr. Gill, as we navigate this rapidly evolving digital landscape, what role do you see for multistakeholder cooperation in addressing global challenges such as bridging the digital divide or ensuring inclusivity in technological advancement? I believe you want to speak from the podium.

Amandeep Singh Gill: Thank you very much, Amrita, for giving me the opportunity to stretch my legs a bit. The organizers of this panel have put the accent on partnerships on digital for development. Your question invites us to think about connecting the dots, about collaboration, not only collaboration across borders but across stakeholders. That’s the strength of the WSIS vision. Last year, the world came together to adopt the Global Digital Compact, which in a way centers the inclusive digital economy as the priority item on the international agenda. There are the enduring paths of progress on connectivity, on content, on multilingual, multicultural representation of content from more than 20 years ago. But as Professor Mochanga reminded us, the world was different at that time. Less than a billion people on the net. There was no misinformation, disinformation, no AI, no big data, only in very esoteric communities. But today, the digital economy is front and center. It’s the fastest-growing component of the global GDP. And there are tremendous leapfrogging opportunities. Before the digital divide, there is the development divide. And how do we leapfrog there with constraints on energy, on education, financing? We just had the financing for development conference in Seville. So, digital and emerging technologies provide us the opportunity. But what to prioritize? Look at global IT spend of 5 to 6 trillion per year. Developing countries cannot afford to spend $175 to $100 per capita, which the developed countries are spending. So, they need to leverage. And what are the leveraging opportunities? So, again, the GDC, the Global Digital Compact, provides us that direction, the investments in digital public infrastructure, digital ID, payments layer, data exchange, use cases on top of that, the investments in data and AI capacity to innovate and create value for the future, investment in talent, investment in public sector capacity, institutional capacity, which is lagging behind the pace of tech developments. So, to close, we have to update our vision. We’ve done that. We have to update our objectives. We’ve done that. Now, we need to update our ways of working together. Back to the topic of this panel, partnerships, partnerships across stakeholder, across countries, but within countries, with the private sector, with academia, with civil society and within regions so that we have more interoperability in digital public infrastructure and we have more scale for entrepreneurs when it comes to opportunities within the digital economy. And we at the Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies in the UN, working with our colleagues from the ITU, UNDP and other entities across the UN system, stand ready to support these partnerships. Thank you.

Amrita Choudhury: Thank you so much, sir. Actually, for talking about the development divide, which is also important and most of the panelists have been speaking from the developing countries’ perspective. And Ms. Lewis, my question to you is, what do you see as the major challenge for advancing the digital for development landscape and what measures would be taken to overcome it?

Bernadette Lewis: Thank you. Thank you very much. Well, the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization, it is the oldest intergovernmental organization of the Commonwealth dedicated to technology networks. And we recognize that the digital for development ecosystem, it suffers from fragmentation. There are many initiatives, but they bear no relevance or synergies with other initiatives that are happening. And largely because developmental agencies at the international level and governments and other organizations at the national level, they operate in silos without a comprehensive or cohesive strategy or plans. And advancing the digital for development landscape, as we’ve heard before, it demands coherent, multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral approaches. Unfortunately, a lot of these organizations and developmental agencies, they have different mandates. They have different ways of funding. They have many, many disparities. And there is a need to anchor these or establish mechanisms at the national level whereby all organizations could participate and anchor their work to national priorities and national plans. So, this is going to help avoid duplicated activities, scattershot approaches, gaps, and over-provision in one area, in other areas. And so, it’s very important for countries to have their plan, to have their vision, to have their roadmap for what they are doing. And then the international development agencies and other organizations can plug into that. And that ensures that there is a progression and not a scattershot of activities. And with that, I will stop there. Thank you. Thank you so much, ma’am. Thank you for finishing well within time.

Amrita Choudhury: And thank you to all the esteemed speakers to share how partnerships, et cetera, are very important and has given us results, but we need to work more, which is also one of the wishes, action line one, I would say. And we would have a summary, final summary of today’s discussion shared on Friday, 11th July at 3 p.m. So, we would like to have you there for this. And I think to summarize, if we want our communities to be uplifted and to build a good and stable society, we need to use digital technologies in the way which we started using from the business action lines. And with this, may I request all of you for a photograph here? Thank you so much, everyone. And could you have a round of applause for our panelists?

Agreement points

Digital infrastructure development is fundamental for digital transformation

Speakers

– Marc Rossell
– Americo Muchanga
– Alexandre Reis Siqueira Freire

Arguments

Andorra focuses on connectivity through fiber-optic deployment and national digitalization strategy 2030 with citizen-centered digital administration

Connectivity remains fundamental challenge with need for affordable services and resilient infrastructure

Brazil expands telecom networks to rural areas with 75% fiber coverage and focuses on digital skills training to address inequality

Summary

All three speakers emphasize that robust digital infrastructure, particularly fiber-optic networks, is essential for successful digital transformation and connecting citizens to digital services

Topics

Infrastructure | Development

Cybersecurity is a critical priority in digital transformation

Speakers

– Marc Rossell
– Americo Muchanga
– Robert Rae

Arguments

Cybersecurity aspects are top priority when supporting companies in digital transformation

Digital transformation must happen in secure environment with cybersecurity as important consideration

AI can be beneficial but also harmful when spreading misinformation and undermining trust, requiring rule of law and good governance

Summary

Speakers agree that cybersecurity must be a top priority and integral part of any digital transformation strategy to ensure safe and secure digital environments

Topics

Cybersecurity | Development

Digital skills and capacity building are essential for meaningful digital inclusion

Speakers

– Alexandre Reis Siqueira Freire
– Amandeep Singh Gill

Arguments

Digital skills training essential as lack of digital literacy is main barrier to internet adoption in Brazil

Investment in talent and public sector institutional capacity needed to keep pace with technological developments

Summary

Both speakers recognize that infrastructure alone is insufficient and that digital skills training and capacity building are crucial for effective digital participation

Topics

Development | Sociocultural

Multistakeholder cooperation is essential for effective digital development

Speakers

– Amandeep Singh Gill
– Bernadette Lewis

Arguments

Multistakeholder cooperation essential for addressing global challenges and bridging digital divide through cross-border and cross-stakeholder collaboration

Digital for development ecosystem suffers from fragmentation and requires coherent multi-stakeholder approaches anchored to national priorities

Summary

Both speakers emphasize that effective digital development requires coordinated multistakeholder approaches rather than fragmented, siloed efforts

Topics

Development | Legal and regulatory

Similar viewpoints

All three speakers share concern about digital inequality and the need for concrete actions to ensure no one is left behind in digital transformation, particularly focusing on rural and underserved communities

Speakers

– Robert Rae
– Americo Muchanga
– Alexandre Reis Siqueira Freire

Arguments

Digital divide will widen unless real steps are taken to bring people together and share technology globally

Connectivity remains fundamental challenge with need for affordable services and resilient infrastructure

Brazil expands telecom networks to rural areas with 75% fiber coverage and focuses on digital skills training to address inequality

Topics

Development | Infrastructure

Both speakers recognize that WSIS needs to evolve and adapt to current realities where digital services have become essential for economic participation and daily life

Speakers

– Americo Muchanga
– Amandeep Singh Gill

Arguments

WSIS process must adapt from basic information access to addressing today’s digitalized economy and essential digital services

Need to update ways of working together through partnerships across stakeholders, countries, and regions for better interoperability

Topics

Development | Economic

Both speakers identify governance and coordination challenges as major obstacles to effective digital transformation, emphasizing the need for better organizational structures and clearer mandates

Speakers

– Kamel Saadoui
– Bernadette Lewis

Arguments

Project governance challenges arise when determining whether initiatives are technology or sector-specific issues

Development agencies operate in silos without comprehensive strategy, requiring mechanisms to anchor work to national priorities

Topics

Development | Legal and regulatory

Unexpected consensus

Climate resilience in digital infrastructure

Speakers

– Americo Muchanga

Arguments

Climate-resilient infrastructure needed in developing countries like Mozambique to ensure sustainable connectivity

Explanation

While only explicitly mentioned by one speaker, the integration of climate considerations into digital infrastructure planning represents an unexpected but important consensus area that bridges environmental and digital development concerns

Topics

Infrastructure | Development

Protection of minors in digital spaces

Speakers

– Marc Rossell

Arguments

Digital well-being of citizens important with focus on protection of minors through specialized services

Explanation

The specific focus on protecting minors through specialized digital services like content-filtering SIM cards represents an unexpected area of detailed policy implementation that goes beyond general digital inclusion discussions

Topics

Human rights | Cybersecurity

Overall assessment

Summary

Speakers demonstrated strong consensus on fundamental principles including the importance of digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, multistakeholder cooperation, and addressing digital inequality. There was particular alignment on the need for coordinated approaches rather than fragmented efforts, and recognition that digital transformation requires both technical infrastructure and human capacity building.

Consensus level

High level of consensus on core principles with speakers from different regions and sectors sharing similar priorities. This suggests strong foundation for collaborative action on digital development, though implementation approaches may vary by national context. The consensus implies that WSIS framework remains relevant but needs updating to address current digital economy realities.

Different viewpoints

Approach to overcoming digital transformation resistance

Speakers

– Kamel Saadoui
– Alexandre Reis Siqueira Freire

Arguments

Tunisia implements digital transformation plan with startup incentives and e-procurement processes to overcome government resistance to change

Brazil expands telecom networks to rural areas with 75% fiber coverage and focuses on digital skills training to address inequality

Summary

Saadoui focuses on addressing internal government resistance through startup involvement and procurement reform, while Freire emphasizes infrastructure expansion and skills training as primary solutions to digital exclusion

Topics

Development | Economic

Primary barriers to digital inclusion

Speakers

– Alexandre Reis Siqueira Freire
– Americo Muchanga

Arguments

Digital skills training essential as lack of digital literacy is main barrier to internet adoption in Brazil

Connectivity remains fundamental challenge with need for affordable services and resilient infrastructure

Summary

Freire identifies digital skills as the main barrier based on Brazilian surveys, while Muchanga emphasizes connectivity and infrastructure as fundamental challenges, particularly for rural areas in developing countries

Topics

Development | Infrastructure

Unexpected differences

Role of government versus private sector in digital transformation

Speakers

– Kamel Saadoui
– Marc Rossell

Arguments

Tunisia implements digital transformation plan with startup incentives and e-procurement processes to overcome government resistance to change

Andorra focuses on connectivity through fiber-optic deployment and national digitalization strategy 2030 with citizen-centered digital administration

Explanation

Unexpectedly, Saadoui acknowledges government resistance as a major obstacle and turns to startups to lead transformation, while Rossell presents a more government-led approach with centralized digital administration. This reveals different philosophies about government capacity in digital transformation

Topics

Development | Legal and regulatory

Overall assessment

Summary

The discussion shows relatively low levels of direct disagreement, with most speakers focusing on different aspects of digital development rather than contradicting each other. Main areas of difference include approaches to overcoming barriers (skills vs infrastructure vs governance), implementation strategies (government-led vs startup-driven), and coordination mechanisms (international vs national focus).

Disagreement level

Low to moderate disagreement level. The speakers generally share common goals of digital inclusion and development but emphasize different pathways and priorities based on their national contexts and institutional perspectives. This suggests a healthy diversity of approaches rather than fundamental conflicts, which could be beneficial for comprehensive digital development strategies that incorporate multiple complementary approaches.

Partial agreements

Similar viewpoints

All three speakers share concern about digital inequality and the need for concrete actions to ensure no one is left behind in digital transformation, particularly focusing on rural and underserved communities

Speakers

– Robert Rae
– Americo Muchanga
– Alexandre Reis Siqueira Freire

Arguments

Digital divide will widen unless real steps are taken to bring people together and share technology globally

Connectivity remains fundamental challenge with need for affordable services and resilient infrastructure

Brazil expands telecom networks to rural areas with 75% fiber coverage and focuses on digital skills training to address inequality

Topics

Development | Infrastructure

Both speakers recognize that WSIS needs to evolve and adapt to current realities where digital services have become essential for economic participation and daily life

Speakers

– Americo Muchanga
– Amandeep Singh Gill

Arguments

WSIS process must adapt from basic information access to addressing today’s digitalized economy and essential digital services

Need to update ways of working together through partnerships across stakeholders, countries, and regions for better interoperability

Topics

Development | Economic

Both speakers identify governance and coordination challenges as major obstacles to effective digital transformation, emphasizing the need for better organizational structures and clearer mandates

Speakers

– Kamel Saadoui
– Bernadette Lewis

Arguments

Project governance challenges arise when determining whether initiatives are technology or sector-specific issues

Development agencies operate in silos without comprehensive strategy, requiring mechanisms to anchor work to national priorities

Topics

Development | Legal and regulatory

Key takeaways

Digital transformation has evolved from basic internet access to essential services that people cannot live without – from navigation to shopping to food delivery

The digital divide will widen unless concrete steps are taken to ensure technology sharing and equal access globally

Multistakeholder cooperation and partnerships across borders, sectors, and stakeholders are essential for addressing digital development challenges

Digital for development ecosystem suffers from fragmentation with organizations operating in silos without comprehensive strategies

National digitalization strategies must be citizen-centered and focus on connectivity, digital skills training, and cybersecurity

Infrastructure development must be climate-resilient and affordable, particularly for rural and vulnerable communities

The Global Digital Compact has established inclusive digital economy as a priority with focus on digital public infrastructure investments

AI and emerging technologies require proper governance and rule of law to ensure benefits for all while preventing harm from misinformation

Digital skills training is crucial as lack of digital literacy remains a main barrier to internet adoption

WSIS process must continuously adapt and update its vision, objectives, and working methods to remain relevant

Resolutions and action items

Final summary of the day’s discussion to be shared on Friday, July 11th at 3 p.m.

Countries need to establish mechanisms at national level for organizations to anchor their work to national priorities and plans

Development agencies should plug into national plans and visions to avoid duplicated activities and ensure progression

Need to update ways of working together through partnerships across stakeholders, countries, and regions for better interoperability

Investment priorities identified: digital public infrastructure, data and AI capacity, talent development, and public sector institutional capacity

Unresolved issues

How to effectively overcome government employee resistance to digital transformation processes

Project governance challenges in determining whether initiatives are technology-specific or sector-specific issues

Specific mechanisms for coordinating fragmented development initiatives at international and national levels

How developing countries can prioritize limited resources given the $5-6 trillion global IT spend and per capita spending gaps

Balancing AI benefits while preventing harm from misinformation and ensuring equitable access

Ensuring climate-resilient infrastructure development in vulnerable regions

Addressing affordability challenges for digital services and devices in rural and remote areas

Suggested compromises

Using ‘Obligation to Do’ regulatory tool that replaces financial fines with concrete infrastructure investment actions

Leveraging spectrum auction revenues (90% in Brazil’s 5G auction) for investment commitments in underserved areas

Opening e-procurement processes to startups to drive innovation while providing them market access

Creating startup incentive programs (like Tunisia’s Startup Act 2.0) to bridge gap between government and private sector innovation

Establishing international cooperation funds (like Canada’s $100 million fund) to create centers of excellence in developing countries

Developing regional approaches for digital public infrastructure interoperability to provide scale for entrepreneurs

We need to link up the strategies that we develop for digital technologies and for artificial intelligence and for quantum. We need to link them up with the purpose of the United Nations… and for us to understand that the Sustainable Development Goals are not some sort of ideological project, but they’re really just a common decency of humanity.

Speaker

Robert Rae (ECOSOC President)

Reason

This comment reframes the entire digital transformation discussion by connecting technological advancement to fundamental human values and UN purposes. It challenges the notion that SDGs are merely political constructs and positions them as basic human decency, providing moral grounding for digital initiatives.

Impact

This opening statement set the philosophical foundation for the entire discussion, establishing that technology should serve humanity’s basic needs. It influenced subsequent speakers to consistently reference inclusivity, equity, and leaving no one behind as core principles rather than afterthoughts.

AI can be bad when it spreads lies, when it spreads propaganda, when it undermines trust and undermines integrity, when it undermines genuine access to technology and reinforces the inequalities of the world.

Speaker

Robert Rae (ECOSOC President)

Reason

This comment introduces critical nuance to the ‘AI for Good’ narrative by acknowledging technology’s potential for harm. It’s particularly insightful because it connects technological risks to broader societal issues like inequality and democratic governance.

Impact

This balanced perspective on AI influenced the discussion’s tone, making it more realistic and comprehensive. It prompted other speakers to address challenges and obstacles rather than presenting purely optimistic views of digital transformation.

When we talk about Information Society today, we mean things that people wouldn’t live without them… So, we today have to think, how do we make sure that our nations, they benefit, I mean, they live in such a society. So, there is a sense of urgency in making sure that we cannot leave anyone behind.

Speaker

Americo Muchanga (Minister, Mozambique)

Reason

This comment provides a powerful historical perspective, contrasting the optional nature of internet access in 2003 with today’s essential digital services. It transforms the discussion from technical connectivity to existential necessity, emphasizing the urgency of digital inclusion.

Impact

This historical framing shifted the conversation from incremental improvement to urgent necessity. It influenced subsequent speakers to emphasize the critical nature of their digital initiatives and the consequences of digital exclusion, particularly for vulnerable communities.

Before the digital divide, there is the development divide. And how do we leapfrog there with constraints on energy, on education, financing?

Speaker

Amandeep Singh Gill (UN Under-Secretary-General)

Reason

This comment introduces a crucial conceptual distinction that challenges the focus on digital solutions alone. It suggests that digital divides are symptoms of deeper developmental inequalities, requiring more fundamental approaches to development challenges.

Impact

This reframing elevated the discussion beyond technical solutions to address root causes of inequality. It connected digital transformation to broader development challenges, influencing the conversation to consider holistic approaches rather than technology-first solutions.

Because when we connect these communities, we are not only just building infrastructure, we are building something deeper. We are building belonging for black communities. We are building belonging for indigenous peoples… We are restoring their dignity.

Speaker

Alexandre Reis Siqueira Freire (Brazil’s National Telecommunication Agency)

Reason

This comment transforms the technical discussion of connectivity into a profound statement about human dignity and social justice. It connects infrastructure development to identity, belonging, and restoration of dignity for marginalized communities.

Impact

This emotional and philosophical depth added a human dimension to technical discussions. It influenced the overall tone by demonstrating how digital initiatives can address historical injustices and social exclusion, moving beyond mere service delivery to social transformation.

The digital for development ecosystem, it suffers from fragmentation. There are many initiatives, but they bear no relevance or synergies with other initiatives that are happening… there is a need to anchor these or establish mechanisms at the national level whereby all organizations could participate and anchor their work to national priorities.

Speaker

Bernadette Lewis (Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization)

Reason

This comment identifies a systemic problem in the development sector – the lack of coordination and coherence among various initiatives. It provides a structural critique that goes beyond individual project success to examine the effectiveness of the entire ecosystem.

Impact

This systems-level analysis shifted the discussion toward governance and coordination challenges. It influenced the conversation to consider not just what digital initiatives to implement, but how to organize and coordinate them effectively for maximum impact.

Overall assessment

These key comments fundamentally shaped the discussion by elevating it from a technical conference about digital tools to a comprehensive dialogue about human development, social justice, and systemic change. Robert Rae’s opening philosophical framework established moral grounding that influenced all subsequent speakers to address equity and inclusion. Muchanga’s historical perspective created urgency around digital inclusion, while Gill’s distinction between digital and development divides provided analytical depth. Freire’s emphasis on dignity and belonging added emotional resonance, and Lewis’s critique of fragmentation introduced systems thinking. Together, these comments transformed what could have been a routine policy discussion into a nuanced exploration of how digital transformation can serve fundamental human needs while addressing structural inequalities. The speakers consistently built upon these foundational insights, creating a coherent narrative about the need for inclusive, coordinated, and dignity-centered approaches to digital development.

How to create coherent governance and rule of law that applies to digital technologies to ensure benefits for all and prevent harm

Speaker

Robert Rae (Ambassador, President of ECOSOC)

Explanation

This is crucial for managing technological disruption and ensuring AI and other technologies serve humanity rather than spread misinformation or reinforce inequalities

How to establish mechanisms at the national level for all organizations to participate and anchor their work to national priorities

Speaker

Bernadette Lewis (Secretary General, Commonwealth Telecommunication Organization)

Explanation

This addresses the fragmentation in digital for development initiatives and would help avoid duplicated activities and ensure coherent approaches

How to expand fiber optic networks to neighboring Amazonian countries to create connectivity from Atlantic to Pacific

Speaker

Alexandre Reis Siqueira Freire (Commissioner, National Telecom Agency, Brazil)

Explanation

This represents a significant regional infrastructure project that could enhance connectivity across South America

How to address project governance issues in digital transformation, particularly determining whether projects like e-health are technology or sector-specific issues

Speaker

Kamel Saadoui (President, Instance National D.E. Telecommunications, Tunisia)

Explanation

This governance challenge affects the speed and success of digital transformation projects across government services

How to prioritize digital investments in developing countries given constraints on energy, education, and financing

Speaker

Amandeep Singh Gill (Undersecretary General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies)

Explanation

Developing countries cannot afford the same per capita IT spending as developed countries, so strategic prioritization and leveraging opportunities are essential

How to overcome resistance to change among government employees in digital transformation initiatives

Speaker

Kamel Saadoui (President, Instance National D.E. Telecommunications, Tunisia)

Explanation

Employee resistance to process re-engineering is a major obstacle to successful digital transformation in government services

How to build climate-resilient digital infrastructure in countries affected by climate change

Speaker

Americo Muchanga (Minister of Communication and Digital Transformation, Mozambique)

Explanation

Climate change poses significant challenges to digital infrastructure sustainability, particularly in vulnerable countries like Mozambique