This week, Paradigm Initiative will be at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20) High-Level Event 2025, taking place from 7 – 11 July 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland, co-hosted by the ITU and the Swiss Confederation, and co-organised by ITU, UNESCO, UNDP, and UNCTAD. The event is a United Nations (UN) process on digital governance and cooperation with a vision of fostering people-centered, inclusive, and development-oriented information and knowledge societies.

Represented by PIN’s Executive Director, ‘Gbenga Sesan, Senior Manager Partnerships and Engagements, Thobekile Matimbe, and Partnerships and Engagements Officer, Bridgette Ndlovu, PIN will contribute to this global process by presenting assessments of country priorities towards WSIS Action Lines, promoting the preservation and strengthening of the Internet Governance Forum as a commitment to multistakeholderism, advancing the bridging of digital divides through meaningful connectivity and calling for compliance with international human rights law for an inclusive information society among others. Apart from a series of meetings with partners from various networks, including the Global Digital Rights Coalition for WSIS, PIN will host a session and participate in several others.

PIN is hosting a session titled Approaches Towards Meaningful Connectivity in the Global South on 10 July 2025 from 14:00 – 14:45hrs (UTC+02:00) in Room L, Palexpo and Virtually. The session will assess approaches to achieving meaningful connectivity in the Global South and provide strategies for governments to address the digital divide. The session will highlight opportunities for governments to comply with human rights frameworks to ensure meaningful connectivity by 2030. You can join here.

PIN will also participate in the following sessions:

• “Private sector leadership in human rights-aligned standard-setting: Advancing multi-stakeholder engagement and human rights commitments in standard setting processes”  hosted by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on 8 July 2025 from 16:00 -18:00hrs CEST.
• “Digital Transformation for all: An Information Society that respects and protects human rights” Hosted by the African Union, European Union and UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on 10 July from 14:00 – 14:45hrs (UTC+02:00).
• “From Principles to Practice: Operationalizing Multistakeholder Governance” hosted by the Global Network Initiative and Global Partners Digital (GPD) on 10 July 2025 from 15:00–15:45 hrs CEST Online and in Geneva in Room G, Palexpo. Please register for the session here: https://www.itu.int/net4/wsis/forum/2025/Agenda/Session/207