WSIS+20 spotlights urgent need for global digital skills

The WSIS+20 High-Level Event in Geneva brought together global leaders to address the digital skills gap as one of the most urgent challenges of our time. As moderator Jacek Oko stated, digital technologies are rapidly reshaping work and learning worldwide, and equipping people with the necessary skills has become a matter of equity and economic resilience.

Dr Cosmas Zavazava of ITU emphasised that the real threat is not AI itself but people being displaced by others who know how to use it. ‘Workers risk losing their jobs, not because of AI, but because someone else knows how to use AI-based tools,’ he warned.

He underscored the importance of including informal workers like artisans and farmers in reskilling initiatives. He noted that 2.6 billion people remain offline while many of the 5.8 billion connected lack meaningful digital capabilities.

Costa Rica’s Vice Minister of Telecommunications, Hubert Vargas Picado shared how the country transformed into a regional tech hub by combining widespread internet access with workforce development. ‘Connectivity alone is insufficient,’ he said, advocating for cross-sectoral training systems and targeted scholarships, especially for rural youth and women.

Similarly, Celeste Drake from the ILO pointed to gendered impacts of automation, revealing that administrative roles held mainly by women are most vulnerable. She insisted that upskilling must go hand-in-hand with policies promoting decent work, inclusive social dialogue, and regional equity.

The EU’s Michele Cervone d’Urso acknowledged the bloc’s shortfall in digital specialists and described Europe’s multipronged response, including digital academies and international talent partnerships.

Georgia’s Ekaterine Imedadze shared the success of embedding media literacy in public education and training local ambassadors to support digital inclusion in villages. Meanwhile, Anna Sophie Herken of GIZ warned of ‘massive talent waste’ in the Global South, where highly educated data workers are confined to low-value roles. Herken called for more equitable participation in the global digital economy and local AI innovation.

Private sector voices echoed the need for systemic change. EY’s Gillian Hinde stressed community co-creation and inclusive learning models, noting that only 22% of women pursue AI-related courses.

She outlined EY’s efforts to support neurodiverse learners and validate informal learning through digital badges. India’s Professor Himanshu Rai added a powerful sense of urgency, declaring, ‘AI is not the future. It’s already passing us by.’ He showcased India’s success in scaling low-cost digital access, training 60 million rural citizens, and adapting platforms to local languages and user needs.

His call for ‘compassionate’ policymaking underscored the moral imperative to act inclusively and decisively.

Speakers across sectors agreed that infrastructure without skills development risks widening the digital divide. Targeted interventions, continuous monitoring, and structural reform were repeatedly highlighted as essential.

The event’s parting thought, offered by Jacek Oko, summed up the transformative mindset required: ‘Let AI teach us about AI.’ The road ahead demands urgency, innovation, and collective action to ensure digital transformation uplifts all, especially the most vulnerable.

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