The UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2026 will take place from 06–10 July 2026 in Geneva, Switzerland, in parallel with the AI for Good Global Summit, with options for remote participation.
During the open event, a series of workshops [“Partner Insights”], High-Level Policy Sessions [“Leaders TalkX”], and special tracks will be held on various thematic areas addressing issues that were important in helping to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
At the WSIS Forum 2026, IEEE will make High-Level Policy Statements, hold a workshop on “Meaningful Connectivity by Design: The Role of Technical Standards in Connecting the Unconnected” and one on “Case Studies on Connectivity: Young Practitioners in the Forefront – A Future Vision Cafe Event,” and it will host a Knowledge Cafe entitled “Meaningful Connectivity by Design: Exploring Practical Pathways and Solutions Together”.
Continue reading to learn more about how IEEE will contribute to building a standards-based, sustainable, and equitable world during the WSIS Forum 2026.
IEEE Sessions at the WSIS Forum 2026
If you are interested in the WSIS Forum 2026 and seeing IEEE in action, register for the following sessions (hybrid):
Session 1: Monday, 06 July 2026 | 10:00-10:45 CEST
IEEE Workshop: Meaningful Connectivity by Design: The Role of Technical Standards in Connecting the Unconnected
This workshop will explore how global technical standards can help enable and sustain meaningful connectivity by translating policy objectives into implementable technical requirements and interoperable solutions. Standards underpin interoperability across equipment and networks, provide common performance metrics and support resilience, capabilities that are essential for rural connectivity, community networks, emergency communications and more. It will convene experts in an interactive roundtable dialogue to discuss practical approaches for deploying connectivity in underserved contexts, bringing into the discussion how standards can reduce fragmentation, improve cross-border compatibility and strengthen user trust–coalescing in practical insights and solution examples that help advance and accelerate SDG progression.
Session 2: Monday, 06 July 2026 | 11:00-11:45 CEST
Case Studies on Connectivity: Young Practitioners in the Forefront - A Future Vision Cafe Event
The session will provide a view into covering, (i) Digital connectivity and smart infrastructure for sustainable energy systems, (ii) Responsible AI and data-driven decision support for energy efficiency and grid optimization (iii) Digital platforms and governance approaches supporting transparent and inclusive energy transitions (iv) Capacity-building and digital skills for the future energy workforce. This will be followed by a rapid ideation to outline elements for a future-oriented roadmap linking digital technologies with sustainability goals and policy priorities under the theme “Digital connectivity goals for 2030-2045 UN Cycle”. The expected outcome is a set of roadmap elements contributing to WSIS and how young professionals and global technology practitioners can be a part of it.
Session 3: Wedneday, 08 July 2026 | 12:00-13:00 CEST
IEEE Knowledge Cafe: Meaningful Connectivity by Design: Exploring Practical Pathways and Solutions Together
This Knowledge Cafe will create a highly participatory space for WSIS stakeholders to exchange practical experiences and co-develop ideas on enabling meaningful connectivity by design–realiable, secure, affordable and usable access that is sustainable over time. Participants will explore with each other how technical standards and other tools or frameworks can help realize deployable, interoperable solutions. Seated at tables in the room (and at one table online), the discussions will be guided by a series of questions to start the conversation–covering what does meaningful connectivity mean in practice, what are current or emerging barriers or enablers to meaningful connectivity, and how should connectivity evolve in the context of AI-enabled services, energy and sustainability needs, new deployment methods and what standards-aligned practices should be included.