IGF and WSIS platforms must be strengthened, not replaced, say leaders
ITU was praised for its coordinating role in WSIS outcomes.
At the Internet Governance Forum 2025 in Lillestrøm, Norway, stakeholders gathered to assess the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) role in the WSIS Plus 20 review process.
The session, moderated by Cynthia Lesufi of South Africa, invited input on the achievements and future direction of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), now marking its 20th year.
Speakers from Brazil, Australia, Korea, Germany, Japan, Cuba, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, and Bangladesh offered their national and regional insights.
There was strong consensus on maintaining and strengthening existing platforms like the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and WSIS Forum, rather than creating new mechanisms that might burden developing countries.
Renata Santoyo, representing Brazil’s telecommunications regulator ANATEL, affirmed ITU’s coordinating role: ‘The WSIS architecture remains valuable, and ITU has been instrumental in supporting its action lines.’
Australia’s William Lee echoed this, commending ITU’s work on integrating WSIS with the SDGs and the Global Digital Compact, and noted: ‘The digital divide is now less about access and more about usability.’
Korean vice chair of the ITU Council Working Group, Mina Seonmin Jun, stressed the continued inequality in her region: ‘One third of Asia-Pacific remains offline. WSIS must go beyond infrastructure and focus on equity.’
Swantje Jager Lindemann from Germany backed extending the IGF mandate without renegotiation, saying: ‘The mandate is broad enough. What we need is better support and sustainable funding.’
Japan’s Yoichi Iida, former vice minister and now special advisor, also warned against reopening existing mandates, instead calling for a stronger IGF secretariat. ‘We must focus on inclusivity, not duplicating structures,’ he said.
ITU’s Gitanjali Sah outlined its leadership on WSIS action lines, noting the organisation’s collaboration with over 50 UN bodies. ‘2.6 billion people are still offline. Connectivity must be meaningful and inclusive,’ she said, highlighting ITU’s technical support on cybersecurity, capacity building, and standards.
Cuba’s representative stressed that the WSIS outcome documents remain fully valid and should be reaffirmed rather than rewritten. ‘Creating new mechanisms risks excluding countries with limited resources,’ they argued.
Local voices called for grassroots inclusion. Louvo Gray from the South African IGF asked, ‘How do we ensure marginalised voices from the Global South are truly heard?’ Ghana’s Kweku Enchi proposed tapping retired language teachers to bridge digital and generational divides.
Abdul Karim from Nigeria raised concerns about public access to the review documents. Sah confirmed that most contributions are published on the ITU website unless requested otherwise.
The UNDP representative reiterated UN-wide support for an inclusive WSIS review, while Mohamed Abdulla Konu of Bangladesh IGF pressed for developing countries’ voices to be meaningfully reflected.
Speakers agreed that the WSIS Plus 20 review is a key opportunity to refocus digital governance on inclusion, equity, and sustainability. The ITU will submit the compiled inputs to the UN General Assembly in December, while South Africa will include the session’s outcomes in its high-level report.
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