W.S.I.S. Forum 2026 and AI For Good: Global Summit opens in Geneva
The 2026 edition of the WSIS Forum, the United Nations' leading multilateral event dedicated to the information society, opens today in Geneva. The Forum is organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in collaboration with UNESCO, UNDP, and UNCTAD.
The Forum serves as the principal multilateral platform for implementing the WSIS Action Lines and advancing global digital cooperation. This role has been further strengthened by the recent WSIS+20 review of the United Nations General Assembly, which, through Resolution A/RES/80/173, formally recognized the Forum as the permanent annual platform for this purpose.
In addition to governments, the Forum brings together representatives from the private sector, civil society, academia, youth organizations, and international organizations, with more than fifty UN system entities taking part. Its High-Level Track, featuring ministerial roundtables, serves as the primary forum for linking political commitments with their practical implementation.
Over the years, the Forum has also established itself as the leading venue for monitoring developments in artificial intelligence and other emerging digital trends, while providing a structured space to address the associated challenges, including online safety, disinformation, and the digital divide.
July 7 will also mark the opening of the AI for Good Global Summit, the United Nations' premier platform dedicated to artificial intelligence. Organized by the ITU in collaboration with more than fifty UN agencies and co-convened with the Swiss Confederation, the Summit focuses on three main pillars: the development of AI technical standards to support innovation and digital transformation on a global scale; strengthening skills and capacities to prepare the next generation of innovators; and assessing the current state of AI standardization, with particular attention to the role of emerging technologies in shaping public policy.
The Governorate of the Vatican City State will participate throughout the week with a delegation led by its President, Sr. Raffaella Petrini, and comprising Antonino Intersimone, Director of Telecommunications and Information Systems, and Davide Giordano, of the Internet Service Provider Office within the same Directorate and a member of the Governorate's Artificial Intelligence Commission.
Several initiatives organized by the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva, headed by the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, are also scheduled to take place during the week.
