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European Commission - Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology
European Commission - Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology
12/18/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 12/19/2025 21:09
EU welcomes WSIS+20 outcome: UN General Assembly commits to inclusive digital future and multistakeholder internet governance
The Commission welcomes the forward-looking WSIS+20 outcome document adopted at the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting yesterday.
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Setting the framework and values for global digital governance in the decade ahead, the outcome affirms the international community's commitment to an open, free, secure and human-centric digital future, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Key parts of the outcome, endorsed by the EU, include commitments to a rights-based digital future - reaffirming that rights protected offline must be protected online - strong commitments to bridge digital divides, including support for universal connectivity - consolidation of the multistakeholder approach to Internet governance and establishment of a permanent mandate for the Internet Governance Forum. It also frames how the landmark Global Digital Compact will be implemented.
The EU will now work with all UN Member States, the private sector, civil society, the technical community and academia to translate the WSIS+20 vision into action. It remains dedicated to a global digital policy that empowers people and drives sustainable and inclusive growth for all.
Coming 20 years on from the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the EU has been deeply engaged with the international negotiations that shaped the outcome document. The WSIS+20 outcome reaffirms the values of the first WSIS while acknowledging the new challenges and opportunities communications technologies are generating.
Securing this outcome was one of the deliverables of the Joint Communication on an International Digital Strategy of June, as endorsed by Conclusions of the Foreign Affairs Council of 20 November.
About WSIS
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), launched in Geneva in 2003 and concluded in Tunis in 2005, established a global multistakeholder framework for addressing information and communication technology (ICT) issues, including digital inclusion, cybersecurity, development, and digital cooperation. The European Commission attaches great importance to its conclusions (the 'Tunis Agenda for the Information Society').
The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) emerged from the WSIS as an annual, multi-stakeholder, non-decisional forum to facilitate discussions on Internet issues. The Commission has supported the IGF since its inception.
The IGF has now become an important element in the Internet ecosystem, bringing together an extensive range of participants and providing a unique opportunity to have frank and open discussions among players with different ideas.
European Commission - Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology published this content on December 18, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on December 20, 2025 at 03:10 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]