As part of the WSIS+20 High-Level Week held in New York in December 2025, the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), under its 2025 Chairship of Estonia and in cooperation with the Kingdom of the Netherlands, convened a side event titled “From Commitments to Action: Operationalising Human Rights-Based Governance for AI and Digital Public Infrastructure.” The event brought together representatives from governments, civil society, the technical community, and the UN system to explore how global digital commitments can be translated into concrete practice.
The session formed part of the FOC’s ongoing efforts to advance the implementation of the WSIS+20 Review and the Global Digital Compact (GDC), with a particular focus on ensuring that artificial intelligence (AI) and digital public infrastructure (DPI) are governed in ways that respect and protect human rights.
From Principles to Practice
Discussions focused on the persistent gap between high-level international commitments and their implementation at national and regional levels. Participants emphasised that while WSIS+20 and the GDC have strengthened global consensus around human rights-based digital governance, these commitments risk losing credibility if they are not operationalised through concrete policies, institutions, and accountability mechanisms. This challenge was framed as particularly urgent given the rapid integration of AI and DPI into public systems and services worldwide.
Participants noted that AI and DPI can play a transformative role in improving access to public services and advancing inclusion. However, this potential can only be realised when such systems are embedded in robust governance frameworks that address structural inequalities, protect fundamental rights, and ensure meaningful oversight.
Human Rights, Multistakeholder Governance, and Capacity for Delivery
Across the discussion, speakers underscored the importance of grounding AI and DPI governance in holistic, human rights-based approaches. Key themes included the need for open, secure, and interoperable digital infrastructure; safeguards against discrimination and misuse; and governance models that meaningfully involve governments, civil society, the technical community, and affected communities.
The value of multistakeholder cooperation was repeatedly highlighted, particularly in supporting implementation through capacity-building, regional coordination, and shared learning. Participants also stressed the importance of aligning global processes and investing in local and regional digital ecosystems to ensure that international commitments translate into tangible outcomes on the ground.
Speakers
The side event brought together high-level representatives from government, civil society, the technical community, and the UN system, moderated by Lea Kaspar, Executive Director of Global Partners Digital.
Panel speakers:
- Ambassador Rasmus Lumi – Under-Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia; Chair of the Freedom Online Coalition (2025)
- Anriette Esterhuysen – Former Executive Director and current Senior Advisor on Global and Regional Internet Governance, Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
- Theresa Swinehart – Senior Vice President, Global Domains and Strategy, ICANN
- Chengetai Masango – Head of Secretariat, UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF)
- State Secretary Bernard Maissen – Director, Federal Office of Communications of Switzerland; Incoming FOC Chair (2026)
Lightning interventions:
- H.E. Jarno Syrjälä – Under-Secretary, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
- Zach Lampell – Senior Legal Advisor, International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL)
- Edetaen Ojo – Executive Director, Media Rights Agenda (MRA)
- Diane Chang – Senior Fellow, Tech Global Institute
- Elizabeth Orembo – International Engagement Lead, Research ICT Africa
- Anke Sikkema – Deputy Director, Digital Economy, Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Netherlands
Looking Ahead
The event underscored broad agreement that translating WSIS+20 and GDC commitments into practice is both urgent and complex. As the FOC transitions from the Estonian to the Swiss Chairship, discussions reaffirmed the Coalition’s role in bridging global commitments with national implementation and advancing inclusive, rights-respecting digital governance in an increasingly complex and fragmented digital environment.
