GNI submits input to the WSIS+20 Elements Paper, urging stronger human-rights commitments

The Global Network Initiative has submitted comprehensive input to the WSIS+20 Stakeholder Consultations as part of the development of the WSIS+20 Elements Paper, urging UN member states to ensure that the forthcoming Zero Draft is firmly grounded in human rights and aligned with the original values of the World Summit on the Information Society. As a multistakeholder organisation bringing together academics, civil society, investors and technology companies, GNI situates its submission within two decades of WSIS achievements and its own prior engagement in the 2025 consultation rounds. The organisation also aligns its recommendations with the civil society five-point plan, the eight recommendations for an inclusive WSIS+20 review, and joint efforts under the Global Digital Rights Coalition.

GNI identifies the creation of the multistakeholder model, the establishment of the Internet Governance Forum and the embedding of human rights into early digital policy debates as the most significant achievements of WSIS. It argues that these foundational gains must be reaffirmed and strengthened in the Zero Draft. The submission calls for explicit references to the UDHR, ICCPR, ICESCR and other international human-rights instruments, and for the inclusion of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights to ensure corporate accountability across the digital ecosystem. It also stresses that remedy mechanisms, redress frameworks and independent oversight must feature prominently in the Zero Draft, given global concerns over biometric surveillance, algorithmic discrimination and online harms.

On governance, GNI urges the Zero Draft to restate the original WSIS Tunis Agenda definition of internet governance and fully recognise all stakeholder groups, including the private sector, civil society, academia and the technical community. The organisation highlights the NETmundial+10 São Paulo Guidelines as an authoritative reference point and supports a permanent mandate for the IGF, accompanied by adequate resourcing and strengthened national and regional IGFs. It further supports the proposal for a joint WSIS–Global Digital Compact implementation roadmap and a multistakeholder advisory mechanism under UNGIS to ensure coherence between parallel UN digital-policy processes.

GNI also emphasises systemic issues that the Elements Paper and Zero Draft must address. These include AI governance, biometric surveillance risks, platform accountability, shrinking civic space, conflict-related digital threats and the rise of digital repression tactics such as shutdowns and spyware. The submission calls for human-rights-based approaches to content governance, clear safeguards against disproportionate restrictions on expression and privacy, and stronger gender-inclusive language. It additionally highlights the need to integrate regional perspectives and existing political commitments such as the Dar es Salaam and Cotonou Declarations.

To strengthen the WSIS framework, GNI recommends embedding international human-rights standards throughout WSIS Action Lines, deepening coordination with adjacent UN tracks, adapting Action Lines to national and regional realities and ensuring adequate resourcing and transparent metrics for implementation. It also calls for sustained multistakeholder participation, regionally targeted engagement mechanisms and ongoing implementation of the civil-society five-point plan.

GNI concludes by reaffirming its commitment to supporting an open, inclusive and rights-respecting information society and looks forward to continued engagement throughout the WSIS+20 process.