Introduction

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in collaboration with the Government of Ethiopia and strategic partners will organize the Africa Regional Consultation on the WSIS+20 Outcomes Implementation from 1 to 2 July 2026 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The consultation follows the twentieth anniversary of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20), which concluded with the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting held from 16–17 December 2025 and the adoption of United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/80/173. The resolution extends the WSIS mandate through 2035 and integrates the Global Digital Compact (GDC) as a guiding framework for inclusive and sustainable digital transformation.

The consultation will focus on translating the outcomes of UNGA Resolution A/RES/80/173 into a coordinated African implementation agenda aligned with the Africa 2035 Digital Implementation Roadmap and regional digital transformation priorities. It builds on previous African regional consultations, including the WSIS+20 Africa Regional Review Meeting in Cotonou (2025), and related global engagement processes that emphasized the need for an implementation-driven digital decade for Africa.

The meeting will bring together governments, regional institutions, private sector actors, civil society, academia, and development partners to strengthen coordination and advance Africa’s role in global digital governance.

Objectives

The consultation aims to:

• Present and discuss the Africa 2035 Digital Implementation Roadmap to operationalize a coordinated WSIS+20 and Global Digital Compact implementation approach.
• Strengthen coordination among Regional Commissions and multistakeholder partnerships to support coherent implementation, monitoring, and reporting of WSIS+20 outcomes across Africa.
• Explore national updates and regional perspectives on the implementation of WSIS+20 outcomes and emerging digital governance priorities.
• Provide policy recommendations to strengthen Africa’s role in global digital governance and advance a coherent, inclusive, and implementation-oriented digital transformation agenda.

Expected Outcomes

The consultation is expected to generate the following outcomes:

• Enhanced understanding of progress in the implementation of WSIS+20 outcomes across Africa, supported by shared national updates and regional evidence.
• A comprehensive Joint Africa 2035 Digital Implementation Roadmap aligning WSIS Action Lines with the Global Digital Compact (GDC) to support Africa’s digital transformation agenda.
• A harmonized reporting framework and mechanisms integrating key thematic priorities, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), in line with UNGA Resolution A/RES/80/173.
• A Policy Declaration.

Target Audience

The consultation will bring together key stakeholders essential for translating global digital governance into national action, including policymakers, ICT experts, regional economic communities (RECs) and intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), representatives of regional and international organizations, telecommunications operators, private sector actors, civil society organizations, academic and research institutions, and other stakeholders.

Documents

Concept note

Venue

United Nations Conference Centre

For more information, please contact:

• Afework Temtime, Economic Affairs Officer, Emerging and Frontier Technologies, Innovation and Digital Transformation Section, Technology, Innovation, Connectivity and Infrastructure Division, ECA (temtimea@un.org)
• Bahta Bekele, Programme Coordinator, Emerging and Frontier Technologies, Innovation and Digital Transformation Section, Technology, Innovation, Connectivity and Infrastructure Division, ECA (bahta.bekele@un.org)

Additional information regarding the programme, registration process, and logistics will be announced in due course.