The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was a groundbreaking initiative that, for the first time, brought together heads of state, stakeholders from across sectors, and UN agencies in a global forum to develop a shared vision for an inclusive, development-oriented information society.
From the Geneva Plan of Action to the Tunis Agenda and the establishment of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), the outcomes of the original WSIS summits have had lasting influence and remain foundational to digital policy discussions today.
In 2015, the ten-year review (WSIS+10) reaffirmed these frameworks and extended the IGF’s mandate. Now, twenty years on, the WSIS+20 process provides an opportunity to assess whether the WSIS outcomes and the institutions built around them, remain fit for purpose.
With the emerging technologies, evolving security threats, and deepening digital divides raising urgent questions about equity, governance, and rights, the landscape has shifted dramatically. At the same time, new structures such as the Office on Digital and Emerging Technologies (ODET) and the Global Digital Compact are shaping parallel discussions. These developments challenge both the coherence of digital governance across the UN system and the inclusivity of participation, especially for less-resourced stakeholders.
This report, The Road to WSIS+20: Key Country Perspectives in the Twenty-Year Review of the World Summit on the Information Society, supports engagement in the WSIS+20 process by providing insight into the positions and priorities of selected governments.
The chapters in this report were produced as part of the Shaping the WSIS+20 Review for a Unified Internet Multistakeholderism project coordinated by the Global Network Initiative and Global Partners Digital with support from the inaugural ICANN Grant Program. As a project partner, Digitally Right contributed the Bangladesh chapter, highlighting national perspectives, key actors, underlying motivations, opportunities and priorities in the WSIS+20 review process.
