The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is currently undergoing its 20-year review, with a High-Level Meeting set to take place in Geneva between 7 and 11 July that will bring together stakeholders from around the world to reinvigorate pathways for building “a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society.”
APC has been actively engaging in the WSIS process since the beginning, calling for the equal inclusion of civil society voices in digital governance discussions. In 2024 we invited experts from around the world to write a report for a Global Information Society Watch (GISWatch) special edition on the theme of “WSIS+20: Reimagining horizons of dignity, equity and justice for our digital future”.
The content of this edition features 15 thematic reports from researchers and specialists around the world, some of whom engaged in the initial WSIS forum 20 years ago and have closely followed the process. This wealth of knowledge and expertise touches on important considerations, such as how the digital landscape has radically evolved in the past 20 years, leading to a shifting global terrain, new challenges and an urgent need to ensure that civil society priorities are considered in policies and decision-making processes.
Since the framework for cooperation was set out in the Geneva Plan of Action (2003), much has changed in the global digital context, while many recognised challenges still remain. As explored in this special edition, some of these changes and ongoing challenges include the evolving capabilities of digital technologies. More people are now online, but access has also reinforced social inequalities. Digitalisation is increasingly seen as a cross-sector concern. Public awareness of digital rights issues has grown. Governance frameworks have become more complex. Commitment to multistakeholder participation appears to be flagging, while the big tech sector has become much more powerful. At the same time, the internet has become increasingly unsustainable.
The voices brought together in this special edition also point to necessary alternatives to address these challenges at this critical moment. In this piece, we share highlights from the thematic reports that outline pathways towards a future of digital justice. We hope that these and other marginalised voices will be heard in the upcoming WSIS+20 High-Level Meeting, which is an opportunity to re-evaluate the values and challenges of the WSIS process and explore pathways to ensure that human rights remain at its core.
Connecting with the roots of WSIS
“In the face of the past 30 years of digital transformation, we find ourselves at a critical moment. With the GDC and the WSIS+20 review, we have concrete opportunities to shape and co-create a digital space that is inclusive and safe for all, but in particular for those who have been pushed to the margins.”
– Read more in “Gender in global digital discussions: A timeline” by Paula Martins, APC
“Early digital activists were resisting the foundations on top of which the superstructures that control everything today were built. They understood that digital technologies, their architecture and governance would play a vital role in changing the game, which up until then had enabled activists to shape technology to organise, demonstrate and create alternatives.”
– Read more in “Let’s occupy the internet governance processes!” by Renata Ávila, Open Knowledge
Addressing gaps and challenges
“As it stands, there is a danger that the architecture of digital governance emerging, fragmented as it is, is likely to reinforce the structural inequalities that are being amplified by digitalisation, rather than recognising these inequalities and their causes as unjust, and collectively committing to address these.”
– Read more in “Introduction: Reclaiming a radically changed context” by Alan Finlay, Valeria Betancourt and others
“Redressing this “digital inequality paradox” has become one of the most wicked policy problems of our time. The paradox lies in the fact that as more people come online and as some are able to use digital services more productively, digital inequality has increased.”
– Read more in “From “digital divide” to “digital equality”: Unpacking the digital inequality paradox” by Alison Gillwald, Research ICT Africa and University of Cape Town
“As states are grappling with the reality of needing to balance innovation, job creation and development through technology with responsible business conduct, international mechanisms, regulatory bodies and courts are stepping in to provide the roadmap for sustainable tech-facilitated futures.”
– Read more in “Diminishing returns: Are tech companies opting out of multistakeholder discussions?” by Gayatri Khandhadai
“Recognising that the benefits of digitalisation and connectivity are uneven and that structural asymmetries are emerging and worsening, the current context of multiple, overlapping crises prevents many from reaping the benefits of digital transformation.”
– Read more in “Reflections on WSIS+20: The value of WSIS moving forward and advocacy priorities for civil society” by Ana Neves, Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia – Unidade FCCN
“How can civil society in the global South effectively challenge structural inequality and injustice emanating from the global North (for example, in how international financial mechanisms operate), while also holding their own governments accountable for investing in people, local capacity and resilience, and respecting and promoting human rights?”
– Read more in “Cornerstone, Achilles heel or “fake news”? WSIS and the role of the multistakeholder approach in empowering civil society’s participation in internet governance” by Anriette Esterhuysen, APC
Exploring future pathways for digital justice
“What are the renewed visions of digitality – the bold alternatives that we want to forge for present and future generations? How can we weave together collaboration among the different actors, and a sense of community and solidarity from these visions? The reports contained in this edition are contributions that address these questions; a timely offering that we think can be a beacon in turbulent seas.”
– Read more in the preface by Valeria Betancourt (APC) and Anita Gurumurthy (IT for Change)
“At the end of the day, it is the governance of the whole digital sphere that has to be multistakeholder, open, transparent, inclusive, bottom-up and human-centric.”
– Read more in “The role of governments in policy and regulation in the digital sphere: An academic perspective” by Wolfgang Kleinwächter, European Summer School on Internet Governance
“Much wider public debate and involvement will also be needed if we are to redress the present imbalance between private and public interests in the digital realm.”
– Read more in “Shaping information societies for human needs: The relevance of the WSIS civil society declaration, 20 years on” by Sally Burch, Agencia Latinoamericana de Información (ALAI)
“The future of internet governance must be grounded in agreed standards, commitments and processes that uplift and uphold environmental justice and the rights of Indigenous peoples.”
– Read more in “Free, prior and informed consent: Accountability, environmental justice and the rights of Indigenous peoples in the information society” by shawna finnegan, APC
“To unlock financial mechanisms for digital inclusion and solidarity, it is crucial to ensure community-centred approaches to digital inclusion are featured more prominently in events where financing for development will be discussed.”
– Read more in “Innovative financing mechanisms to bridge the digital divide” by Carlos Rey-Moreno, Laina Greene and Mike Jensen, APC and Angels of Impact
Amplifying marginalised voices
“For connections to be really meaningful for a population, it is essential to recognise value in the community production of knowledge, community understandings of the world, and the ways of life that inhabit unconnected territories.”
– Read more in “What does “meaningful connectivity” actually mean? A community-oriented perspective” by Kathleen Diga (APC), Nils Brock and Bruna Zanolli (Rhizomatica)
“It is not just civil society and international organisations that must be included in multistakeholder discussions and processes. Inclusion means the participation of communities and people who are most affected and vulnerable on account of gender, race, sexuality, caste, their location in cities or rural and remote areas, and Indigenous groups, among others.”
– Read more in “Preliminary feminist provocations on internet governance and WSIS+20” by Namita Aavriti, APC
“What many of us call the “governance of commons” is already a well-developed idea in Indigenous communities. This way of organising in their territories has passed to the virtual space and to their media, where they reproduce their way of life.”
– Read more in “Are we missing anyone? Indigenous peoples in the Global Digital Compact and Summit of the Future” by Erick Huerta Velázquez, Redes por la Diversidad Equidad y Sustentabilidad AC (REDES)
“Civil society involvement is thus critical in reducing the digital divide and improving digitalisation for marginal communities in the Pacific.”
– Read more in “Understanding the marginalisation of Pacific Small Island Developing States through digitalisation” by Sala Weleilakeba, Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN)