Bridging the Digital Divide: Reflections from WSIS+20 and the Path Ahead

By Dr. Hakikur Rahman
Professor, International Standard University | Speaker, WSIS+20 High-Level Event 2025

---

🌐 Setting the Stage

From 7–11 July 2025, the international community gathered in Geneva for the WSIS+20 High-Level Event, marking two decades since the first World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). I had the honor of presenting during Session 413: Bridging the Digital Divide – Inclusive ICT Policies for Sustainable Development, held on 11 July at Room E, Palexpo.

This interactive and insightful session brought together policy experts, technologists, and development practitioners to examine how inclusive ICT frameworks can meaningfully contribute to global digital equity. Our goal was to identify pathways toward ICT policies that are fair, transparent, environmentally responsible, and globally equitable.

---

📣 My Contribution: A 3-Pillar Framework

In my presentation, I proposed a three-pillar framework for digital policy design:

1. Inclusion – Prioritizing access for marginalized populations, including rural communities, women, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.

2. Ethics – Addressing digital rights, data protection, and algorithmic fairness as foundational design principles.

3. Sustainability – Integrating ICT deployment with environmental considerations and long-term infrastructure resilience.

Drawing on case studies from Bangladesh, I highlighted both achievements and challenges in reducing the urban-rural divide, improving digital literacy, and advancing e-governance. The experience of Bangladesh—like many Global South nations—shows that technological advancement alone is not enough. Institutional readiness, inclusive governance, and ethical foresight must accompany it.

---

🔍 Key Insights from the Session

The WSIS+20 session generated a rich discussion around the following themes:

• Access gaps remain urgent: Despite advances in connectivity, over 2.6 billion people globally remain offline, with the majority concentrated in low-income and remote regions. The digital divide is no longer just about infrastructure—it is about affordability, relevance, and capacity.

• Policy fragmentation is a barrier: Participants emphasized the need to harmonize national ICT strategies with broader development plans, SDGs, and environmental commitments. Cross-sectoral coordination remains limited in many countries.

• Human rights must anchor digital governance: As technologies like AI and big data scale, ensuring transparency, privacy, and accountability becomes more critical than ever. Ethical frameworks are not optional—they are essential.

• Local innovation and multistakeholderism are key: Whether through community networks, public-private-education partnerships, or national Internet Governance Forums, collaboration is vital to create policies that reflect lived realities.

---

📄 Full Report and Executive Summary

To support deeper engagement and policy research, I have compiled a 47-page document covering:

• Session highlights

• Panelist insights and quotes

• Case studies from Asia, Africa, and Europe

• Synthesized policy recommendations

• WSIS+20 reflections and forward-looking actions

An executive summary is also available for quick reference.
📥 [Insert Google Drive or Dropbox link to the summary]
📘 Full report available upon request or in your Google Classroom if you're a student.

---

✍️ Why This Matters

As someone deeply engaged in the WSIS and IGF processes for over two decades, I believe WSIS+20 is not a checkpoint—it is a springboard.

We are transitioning into a phase where digital divides will deepen if we do not act with urgency, empathy, and foresight. WSIS has created a normative foundation; now, we must implement these norms through coherent, localized, and rights-based policies.

---

🛤️ What’s Next?

In the coming months, I will continue contributing to the WSIS+20 discourse through:

• A forthcoming book manuscript titled “WSIS+20: Reflections, Achievements, and Future Pathways for the Global Information Society”

• Public lectures and seminars on ethical ICT policy design

• Further collaboration with IGF, UNDP, and academic stakeholders to bridge research and implementation gaps

---

🙏 Gratitude

My sincere thanks to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the WSIS+20 Secretariat for organizing a vibrant platform that enables multi-actor dialogue at a critical time. Gratitude also goes to my fellow panelists, co-presenter Dr. Ranojit Kumar Dutta, and the participants who enriched the conversation.

---

💬 Join the Conversation

I welcome feedback, questions, and collaborative ideas—particularly from:

• Researchers in ICT4D and global governance

• Policymakers and practitioners in developing countries

• Students working on digital inclusion and policy impact

Let’s work together to ensure that the digital future is open, inclusive, and human-centered.

#WSIS20 #DigitalInclusion #InternetGovernance #ICTPolicy #ITU #SDGs #EthicalTech #Bangladesh #WSIS #FutureOfICT #GlobalSouth