Geneva, 24 June 2025 – The WSIS+20 High-Level Event 2025, a United Nations multistakeholder forum on digital development and cooperation, will take place from 7 to 11 July 2025 at Palexpo in Geneva, Switzerland.
Co-hosted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Swiss Confederation, the event marks 20 years of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process, a UN initiative aimed at promoting inclusive and people-centered digital societies.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations agency for digital technologies, driving innovation for people and the planet with 194 Member States and a membership of over 1,000 companies, universities, civil society, and international and regional organizations. Established in 1865, ITU coordinates the global use of the radio spectrum and satellite orbits, establishes international technology standards, drives universal connectivity and digital services, and is helping to make sure everyone benefits from sustainable digital transformation, including the most remote communities. From artificial intelligence (AI) to quantum, from satellites and submarine cables to advanced mobile and wireless broadband networks, ITU is committed to connecting the world and beyond.
This year’s forum will bring together Ministers, regulators, UN leaders, industry executives, and civil society advocates from over 150 countries to help shape the vision for the next phase of the world’s digital transformation. Outcomes will contribute directly to the UN General Assembly’s 20-year review of WSIS, scheduled for December in New York.
Discussions will tackle critical issues like the digital divide, AI governance, and sustainability, while exploring strategies for maximizing the social and economic benefits of digital technologies.
Key sessions of the five-day event include:
- Inaugural Session: Celebrating Two Decades and Achieving Future Milestones Together (7 July)
- WSIS+20 High-Level Dialogue: WSIS Legacy in Motion: Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future (7 July)
- WSIS Prizes 2025 Ceremony, recognizing global projects driving digital inclusion and innovation (7 July)
- Leaders TalkX sessions (9 and 11 July)
- High Level Dialogue: Strengthening the Resilience of Telecommunication Submarine Cables (9 July)
- United Nations High-Level Leaders’ Dialogue (10 July)
- High-Level Dialogue on Space: How a growing space ecosystem can be better leveraged to achieve the SDGs? (11 July)
- WSIS+20: Vision of WSIS beyond 2025 – Closing Ceremony (11 July)
See the list of high-level speakers here.
The WSIS+20 event takes place alongside ITU’s AI for Good Global Summit 2025, providing a platform that brings together global communities to engage on the impact and future of digital technologies.
