It will address the critical need for capacity building among the public sector to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital technologies, and robust data governance frameworks effectively for sustainable, inclusive, and human rights-based governance, by bringing together senior policymakers, industry leaders, academia, and civil /> Background

As we move towards the WSIS+20 review, which emerged with the goal of building “a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society,” calls to reinforce the potential of digital technologies to foster economic growth, improve accessibility and bridge digital divides through increased global digital cooperation, policy development and capacity building have intensified.

As many stakeholders, including the United Nations Secretary-General, have re-iterated, the key to enabling this transformation lies within public administrations and their power to develop regulations, legislations, and accompanying mechanisms.

It is evident that digital transformation in the public sector is essential for modernizing public service delivery, enhancing transparency, fostering citizen participation, and ensuring secure data-driven decision-making.

Capturing the full potential of government digitization could free over USD USD trillion annually in economic value worldwide, through improved cost and operational performance.

Even as greater investment is being made in infrastructure, almost half of the world’s countries do not have a strategy to improve digital skills, which impedes efficient digital transformation and calls for further investment.

Beyond the digital competencies needed among civil servants, there is also a need to strengthen the capacities of these actors to create an enabling environment for digital transformation, notably through the development of digital and data governance policy frameworks that respect, protect and promote human rights, while ensuring data privacy and security.