by EVELYN WILLIAMS
Special contributor
GENEVA, (CAJ News) – GLOBAL digital policy will take centre stage in Geneva next month as governments, technology leaders and international organisations gather for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2026, a flagship United Nations platform shaping the future of global connectivity and digital governance.
Scheduled for 6–10 July, the forum is being held amid renewed international commitment to building a “people-centred” digital future, following last year’s 20-year review of the WSIS process by the United Nations General Assembly.
The review reaffirmed global cooperation on bridging the digital divide and set a forward-looking agenda towards 2035.
Organisers say the 2026 edition comes at a critical moment, as the world grapples with widening disparities in internet access, rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI), and growing concerns around online safety, data governance and digital inequality.
According to United Nations estimates, around 2.2 billion people remain offline globally, while billions more are increasingly dependent on digital infrastructure for education, commerce, healthcare and public services. The WSIS Forum aims to address both access gaps and the responsible use of emerging technologies.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which leads the WSIS process, says the forum will bring together ministers, regulators, tech executives, academics and civil society groups to coordinate policy responses to these challenges.
ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin said the renewed mandate offers an opportunity to accelerate inclusive digital transformation.
“With renewed energy from the 20-year review and a new horizon stretching to 2035, there is no better moment to deliver on the WSIS promise of people-centred digital development,” she said.
“The WSIS Forum 2026 is where the world comes together to align tech innovation with the priorities of all people and our planet.”
The event will be hosted at ITU headquarters and the Palexpo Convention Centre in Geneva, and will run alongside the AI for Good Global Summit 2026 as well as the United Nations Global Dialogue on AI Governance, creating one of the largest coordinated gatherings on digital policy in the world.
Experts expect artificial intelligence governance, cybersecurity, digital public infrastructure and universal connectivity to dominate discussions, alongside efforts to strengthen cooperation between governments and the private sector in shaping global tech standards.
The WSIS process, launched in 2003 under the United Nations, has long served as a key multilateral platform for bridging the global digital divide and promoting equitable access to information and communication technologies.
As the digital economy expands, analysts say the stakes are higher than ever, with decisions taken in Geneva likely to influence how billions of people experience the internet, AI systems and emerging digital services over the next decade.
– CAJ News