Informal WSIS+20 stakeholder consultations on the Zero Draft held on 13–14 October 2025
Member States and stakeholders participated in two days of informal consultations on the Zero Draft of the outcome document for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) +20 Review. The sessions, organised by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) through its Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG), aimed to collect views and recommendations from a broad range of actors ahead of the formal preparatory meeting.
The consultations, held virtually, provided an opportunity for representatives from governments, international organisations, academia, civil society, and the private sector to comment on the ongoing review of WSIS implementation. The discussions focused on refining the Zero Draft, which will inform the upcoming Second Preparatory Meeting scheduled for 15 October 2025 and broadcast on UN Web TV.
Two regional sessions were organised to ensure inclusive participation across time zones. The first, on 13 October, featured interventions from stakeholders in East and South Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. Speakers included Jenna Fung (NetMission.Asia), Umut Pajaro Velasquez (Internet Society Colombia Chapter), Joyce Chen (APNIC), Pari Esfandiari (Global TechnoPolitics Forum), Yuyin Liu (Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association), and Bazlur Rahman (Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication).
The second session, on 14 October, gathered participants from Africa, West Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Statements were delivered by representatives from a wide range of institutions, including the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Colnodo, OHCHR, Global Partners Digital, AT Worthy Technology, ICANN, RIPE, Columbia University, American University, ITU, and the Ministry of Communications of Cuba.
The recordings, chat transcripts, and full statements from both sessions are publicly available on the official WSIS+20 Review website, offering insights into stakeholder perspectives on the future of the information society and digital cooperation.
For more information and access to the statements, visit the official UN WSIS+20 consultation page or contact the UN DESA Secretariat at https://publicadministration.desa.un.org/wsis20.
