On December 17, 2025, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the final outcome document for the overall review of the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20) – Resolution A/RES/80/173.
The RCC actively contributed to the development of the 2025 outcome document. In its formal input to the UN General Assembly review process, the Commonwealth submitted a thematic Declaration approved by the RCC Council of Ministers.
The Resolution assesses progress in implementing the WSIS process, which is founded on the Geneva Plan of Action and the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society. It also outlines future steps for advancing and evaluating the process's main goals and outcomes, taking into account new digital frameworks such as the Global Digital Compact.
Notably, the 2015 outcome document was structured in five sections with 71 paragraphs in total, while the 2025 document is organized into 17 balanced sections containing 127 paragraphs.
In general terms, the document:
• focuses on and reaffirms commitments to bridging the digital divide in all its forms.
• aims to create a digital future based on human rights, stipulating that rights protected offline must also be protected online.
• preserves the architecture of the WSIS process and emphasizes the need to align UN digital processes, initiatives, and projects with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Digital Compact.
• advocates for consolidating a multilateral approach to Internet governance.
• establishes a permanent mandate for the Internet Governance Forum.
Agreed milestones:
• 2026: The UN Group on the Information Society (with its secretariat at the ITU), which will monitor the interconnectedness of UN-led digital processes, will present a roadmap for their joint implementation.
• 2027: The General Assembly will consider a biennial report on progress toward the Global Digital Compact goals, including their linkage to the implementation of the WSIS outcomes.
• 2030: The 2025 outcome document will serve as a contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development review, including the corresponding UN Sustainable Development Goals.
• 2035: The next WSIS review will be conducted.
As anticipated, the 2025 outcome document includes a dedicated section on Artificial Intelligence. It sets a course for inclusive, equitable, and open AI, highlighting the need to share resources (such as open models and data), train specialists, and support developing countries as well as small and medium-sized enterprises.
At the same time, in line with the general discourse, the document also placed increased emphasis on socio-humanitarian issues.
Regarding the 2025 outcome document, the US delegation stated: “…this resolution unnecessarily advances divisive social themes such as climate change, diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts, which bias immutable characteristics over the merit of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement”.
Delegation statements from the high-level meeting are available online:
• December 16, 2025 – https://journal.un.org/en/new-york/officials/2025-12-16
• December 17, 2025 – https://journal.un.org/en/new-york/officials/2025-12-17
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