WSIS+20 Outcome Document adopted: The wins and regrets from a civil society and global south perspective

The High-Level Meeting on the overall review of the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20) just took place at UN Headquarters in New York on 16 and 17 December 2025, conducing to the adoption by consensus of the WSIS+20 Outcome Document. 

This document sets out guidelines for implementing the WSIS vision in the coming years, reflecting both victories and shortcomings in relation to the main recommendations made by civil society and from a global south perspective. Over the past few years, the APC network has been actively involved in the review process and has participated in important coalitions to influence it. This coordination has resulted in important publications, such as the Global Information Society Watch (GISWatch) special edition on the theme, multiple joint statements, campaigns and, more recently, very concrete contributions to the outcome document zero draft. 

Among APC's priorities were a human-rights based approach to development, ensuring gender integration, including tackling technology facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), strengthening the Internet Governance Forum, improving the multistakeholder approach and the voices present in decision-making spaces, and fostering a dedicated focus on financing.

"If economic and social development are not placed at the heart of the next phase of WSIS, we risk perpetuating a new, quality-based digital divide and missing the opportunity to harness connectivity for a more inclusive and just world," explained Anriette Esterhuysen while presenting APC's statement during the High-Level Meeting on the 17 December. To avoid such an outcome, in our final considerations, APC highlighted some victories, regrets, and recommendations for the next steps. Here is an overview of them. 

The wins

The continuation of the WSIS process and its integration with the Global Digital Compact, underscoring the importance of coherence within the United Nations’ digital agenda, was an important outcome of this review process. This also creates an incentive for APC members and partners to continue to collaborate with local communities, government, the technical community and other stakeholders on achieving the WSIS vision of tech-enabled, people-centred development at national and local levels. APC also welcomed the expanded consideration of human rights in the context of digital development, reflecting their growing relevance in shaping inclusive and equitable digital societies.

The granting of a permanent mandate to the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) was also highlighted as a significant step during our recent intervention, once it provides long-term stability to a key space for multistakeholder dialogue on internet governance. The approved outcome document further recognises the value of alternative connectivity models, including community networks, as part of broader efforts to address persistent digital divides, as we have been pointing out for multiple years in the Local Networks initiative. The document also reaffirms support for inclusive, multistakeholder implementation and governance, explicitly referencing the São Paulo Multistakeholder Guidelines – which aimed at strengthening inclusive, transparent, and effective multistakeholder internet governance processes – as a guiding framework.

In addition, the WSIS+20 Outcome Document calls for all WSIS Action Lines to address gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls as a core theme across their work – a fundamental step pushed by civil society. 

The regrets

One important limitation, on the other hand, is that the call for government participation in the IGF appears to focus only on developing countries. "We need open dialogue among all governments on an equal footing with participation from other stakeholders for a strong and sustainable IGF," explained Esterhuysen.

The lack of a serious framework for financing digital development is also one of the main regrets pointed out during the High-Level Meeting. "We welcome the planned inter-agency task force to be convened by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in its capacity as the Secretariat of the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS)", stated Esterhuysen, adding, "but are disappointed that it will not be multistakeholder and will not explicitly include member states and financial institutions. Financing is a critical, non-negotiable part of the solution." She went on to say, "We urgently need financial ecosystems that support viable, innovative demand-driven initiatives – drawing on public, private and community-based sources."

The need for a financing ecosystem 

The focus on financing – endorsed by many developing countries and other stakeholder groups – is a direct response to one core concern: deepening digital inequality, which will continue to widen if current patterns persist. 

This topic was the focus of a side event organised by the Global Digital Justice Forum, IT for Change and APC in partnership with UNDP and Co-Develop on 15 December, on the eve of the High-Level Meeting, bringing together different actors – all pointing to the need for a funding ecosystem.

The event provided an opportunity to clarify that the term ecosystem reflects a shift away from siloed approaches and points to a broader understanding of the challenge. It stressed that the solution is not about simply throwing more money at any particular sector, but about deliberately building more sustainable ecosystems. These should ensure the availability of investment, public sector support, directed private sector financing, and funding for entrepreneurs and start-ups, alongside financing mechanisms that operate both within and beyond the public sector – and that allow resources to flow between these spheres.

Such an approach, participants noted, would require setting clear standards of public accountability and defining public value in the financing of digital infrastructures. It would also mean rejecting extractivist models in favour of innovation ecosystems that enable co-creation at the national level. This, in turn, would involve, among other things, reshaping the narrative around what digital inclusion means, considering fair digital tech taxation, and producing more and better data to help financing mechanisms operate where and how they are most needed.

A background paper outlining APC’s proposals in this area further explains that the task force’s initial priority should be precisely to map and analyse the existing financing landscape, identifying what has worked, where gaps remain, and how funding flows could better.

At the same time, it needs to promote innovative and blended financing mechanisms to mobilise resources at scale, including reforms to universal service funds, development bonds for digital equity, solidarity-based contributions, and potential revenues from global digital transactions and technology companies. These efforts should be underpinned by strong accountability and transparency measures, with public tracking of commitments and outcomes. Finally, recognising that financing alone is not enough, capacity-building support in the Global South is also needed to help local institutions develop bankable projects and translate funding into sustainable and inclusive digital ecosystems.

"People need affordable access, but also the skills, local content, governance frameworks and trust to use digital technologies safely and effectively. This calls for a holistic financing approach that prioritises infrastructure deployment but is not limited to it," points out the document developed within the framework of the WSIS+20 review. 

Next steps

Going forward, we urged member states, action line facilitators and all stakeholders to work with UNGIS and the ITU to convene a truly inclusive financing task force – involving all stakeholder groups, member states and relevant financial institutions – co-locating its meetings with major events on the WSIS calendar to facilitate participation.

We also noted the importance of approaching the IGF’s permanent mandate with creativity and courage, not complacency. "Remember that WSIS is about harnessing digital tools for people-centred development, not about developing digital tools and processes," highlighted Esterhuysen.

To follow up on the next steps, the dialogues and joint action agreements that have taken place so far should continue next year, including a more careful joint assessment of this milestone achieved at the High-Level Meeting by the APC network and its main partners. In other words, investing in joint action, demanding digital justice and equity, and basing the design of solutions on listening carefully to those whose human rights are most deeply impacted by persistent problems remains a compass on the horizon.