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Dear Ms. Amali DE SILVA-MITCHELL,
Here are the highlights from Day 3 of the WSIS Forum 2026, as the Forum moved to Palexpo for the Inaugural Session and the start of the High-Level Track, featuring the handover of the WSIS Forum Chair from South
Africa to Egypt, the launch of the Leaders TalkX series, and major discussions on digital investment, AI governance, and localizing the digital and green transition. Stay up to date with the latest developments in digital cooperation, AI policy, and global
connectivity.
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Key Takeaways
Day 3 opened with the Forum moving to Palexpo, where the Inaugural Session's High-Level Plenary, "The Future We Choose: Leadership for an Inclusive Digital World," set the tone for the week's
high-level segment. Speakers pressed for coherence the WSIS Action Lines with the SDGs and the Global Digital Compact objectives to avoid parallel tracks. The centrepiece was the handover of the WSIS Forum Chair from South Africa to Egypt, whose Minister of
Communications and Information Technology called for practical, inclusive, and impactful cooperation focused on closing divides, strengthening skills, and expanding digital public infrastructure. Kazakhstan’s shared its ambition to becoming a fully digital
nation within three years, Nobel Peace Prize laureate speaker urged leaders to build compassion into AI, and co-organizers UNESCO, UNDP, and UNCTAD closed with a shared message to move from dialogue to delivery.
UNESCO and ICANN launched their Universal Acceptance policy brief, noting only 12 percent of tested websites support local-language domains, while the IEEE Knowledge Café named affordability,
trust, and geography as the core barriers to meaningful connectivity.
The day also saw the kickoff of the Leaders TalkX sessions, with five back-to-back discussions gathering ministers and senior leaders. They discussed ICT infrastructure development, the role
of multistakeholder partnerships, policy, ethics, and global cooperation on AI, the accessibility of knowledge, and how to build secure and trusted digital public infrastructure.
The High-Level Dialogue on financial mechanisms put numbers on the challenge, citing a $2.66 trillion digital investment gap, met by commitments including Microsoft's $50 billion pledge for
AI in the Global South and the Asian Development Bank's $20 billion for connectivity.
Mayors localized the twin digital and green transition, from Agadir's integrated data platform to digital twins for citizen participation, noting that 1 billion people in informal settlements
remain missing from digital maps.
Finally, Partner Insights showcased the UAE Diamond partner whose AI-powered government transformation, improving service efficiency, accessibility, and digital trust. Following this was Malaysia's people-centric
MCMC Five-Year Plan 2030 and Saudi Arabia's Generative AI Accelerator and 1 million citizens trained in AI, ending with Nigeria, which focused on strategic investments in digital talent, broadband, and responsible AI to drive inclusive growth.
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What’s on for Day 4?
Day 4 features a number of flagship moments, including the Official reception by Switzerland, as well as the WSIS Prizes 2026 Winners Ceremony on the Main Stage, where the ITU Secretary-General will unveil the
18 winning projects drawn from a record 1,595 submissions across 122 countries and more than 2.2 million votes. The Leaders TalkX series continues with sessions on skills for the future, policy frameworks that enable ICT development, and strengthening international
cooperation, alongside further high-level dialogues, country insights, and action-line facilitation meetings, all running in parallel with the AI for Good Global Summit.
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