WSIS+20 Review: Outcomes and the Role of the Multistakeholder Model in Shaping the Future of the Internet

Introduction

What started over 20 years ago as UN-led summit has, over the past two decades, developed into a strong multistakeholder framework that effectively serves to build a ‘people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society‘. This week marked an important milestone in the field of Internet governance development. On 17 December 2025, the UN General Assembly adopted the Outcome Document of the High-Level Meeting on the Overall Review of the Implementation of the Outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society, commonly referred to as the WSIS+20 Review.

The WSIS+20 process assessed how the principles and mechanisms of Internet governance, as set out in the Geneva Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action (2003) and the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society (2005), have been implemented over the past two decades; whether they remain adequate under current conditions, given rapid and profound technological, economic, and geopolitical changes; and whether the multistakeholder character of Internet governance remains relevant and effective.

The most significant outcome of WSIS+20 is the reaffirmation of the multistakeholder model. In addition, the Internet Governance Forum was granted a permanent mandate, thereby strengthening the legitimacy of the existing Internet governance model.

Why does this matter, and what does it mean in practice?

In this article, we explain:

what WSIS is and its role in the global Internet governance framework;
the outcomes of the Geneva Phase;
the outcomes of the Tunis Phase;
the multistakeholder approach to Internet governance;
the role of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF);
the outcomes of the earlier WSIS+10 review;
the UN Global Digital Compact process and debates around the multistakeholder model;
the main issues discussed during the WSIS+20 process;
Outcomes of WSIS+20 Review adopted by the UN General Assembly on 17 December 2025; and
what these outcomes indicate for the future of Internet governance.

WSIS and its role in the global Internet governance framework

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is a UN-led summit on information and communication held in two phases—Geneva in 2003 and Tunis in 2005—structured around the 11 Action Lines set out in the Plan of Action. It serves as a framework for international cooperation within the UN system, bringing together governments, the private sector, civil society, academia, and the technical community.

Geneva Phase. Geneva Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action

The Geneva Phase (2003) resulted in the Geneva Declaration of Principles and the Geneva Plan of Action.

The Geneva Declaration of Principles determined the vision, commitments and key principles of the Internet Society. With this document, WSIS declared the desire and commitment to build a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society, grounded in the principles of the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. At the core of this approach are freedom of expression, access to information and knowledge, respect for human rights, the rule of law, and the sovereign equality of states. Information and Communication Technologies (hereinafter reffered to as ‘ICTs’) are viewed as tools for socio-economic development, for reducing the digital divide, and for achieving global development goals, rather than as ends in themselves. Particular emphasis is placed on accessible and resilient infrastructure, skills and capacity development, trust and security in the digital environment, the creation of predictable and competitive regulatory frameworks, and the role of education, science, and innovation. The document underscores the need for multilateral and multistakeholder cooperation, involving governments, the private sector, civil society, and international organisations, recognises the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity, independent media, and ethical dimensions of digital development, and affirms the principles of multistakeholder, transparent, and democratic Internet governance at the international level.

The WSIS Plan of Action translates the principles of the Declaration into 11 concrete action lines aimed at using ICTs to support development, reduce the digital divide, and advance internationally agreed development goals. In the Plan of Action, governments are assigned a leading role in developing and implementing comprehensive, forward-looking, and sustainable national e-strategies. The private sector and civil society, in dialogue with governments, are given an important consultative role in devising these e-strategies. The WSIS Action Lines cover the following aspects: role of governments and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development (C1), ICT infrastructure (C2), access to information and knowledge (C3), capacity building (C4), building confidence and security in the use of ICTs (C5), enabling environment (C6); ICT applications: benefits in all aspects of life (C7), Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content (C8), Media (C9),Ethical dimensions of the Information Society (C10) and international and regional cooperation (C11)

While the Geneva phase of WSIS made a significant contribution by adopting the Declaration of Principles and the Plan of Action, it did not reach agreement on the future of Internet governance. As a result, under Action Line C6 of the WSIS Plan of Action, the Summit requested the Secretary-General of the United Nations to set up a Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG). The WGIG was mandated to carry out the following tasks:

develop a working definition of Internet governance;
identify the public policy issues that are relevant to Internet governance;
develop a common understanding of the respective roles and responsibilities of governments, existing intergovernmental and international organisations and other forums as well as the private sector and civil society from both developing and developed countries;
prepare a report on the results of this activity to be presented for consideration and appropriate action for the second phase of WSIS in Tunis in 2005.

Tunis Phase. The Tunis Agenda

The Tunis Phase (2005) focused on unresolved issues, most notably Internet governance. The Tunis Agenda for the Information Society confirmed that Internet governance should involve all stakeholders and recognised the respective roles of governments, the private sector, civil society, academia and the technical community.

This document also formalised the working definition of Internet governance set out in paragraph 34 of the Tunis Agenda, which defines Internet governance as ‘the development and application by governments, the private sector and civil society, in their respective roles, of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures, and programmes that shape the evolution and use of the Internet ‘.

Another key outcome of the Tunis Agenda was the request to establish the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) as a platform for multistakeholder dialogue on Internet-related public policy issues.

Beyond Internet governance, the Tunis Agenda focuses on the implementation of WSIS commitments. It places strong emphasis on financing ICT for development and on practical measures to bridge the digital divide, including investment in infrastructure, services, capacity building and locally relevant content, as well as a review of existing financing mechanisms and support for initiatives such as the Digital Solidarity Fund. The Agenda also addresses confidence and security in the use of ICTs, including cybersecurity, cybercrime and spam, while reaffirming the protection of human rights online. In addition, it sets out arrangements for implementation and follow-up at national, regional and international levels, based on cooperation among governments and other stakeholders and within the UN system.

The multistakeholder approach to Internet governance

When discussing the term ‘multistakeholder’ in the context of Internet governance, it is important to note that prior to the Tunis Phase, earlier UN processes were largely based on a tripartite model of stakeholder participation, which includes 3 distinct groups: governments, the private sector and civil society. This three-stakeholder configuration is reflected in Action Line C6 of the Geneva Plan of Action, which called on the UN Secretary-General to establish the Working Group on Internet Governance . The WGIG was tasked, inter alia, with developing a working definition of Internet governance and clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the relevant stakeholder groups, through “an open and inclusive process that ensures the full and active participation of governments, the private sector and civil society.”

The outcome of the WGIG’s work was an expansion of the original model from three stakeholder groups to five, with the technical community and academia recognised as distinct stakeholders, as formally set out in paragraphs 35–36 of the Tunis Agenda.

Over the past two decades, the multistakeholder model in global Internet governance has been one of WSIS’s most significant legacies. This model has enabled early discussion of new policy issues, from the Internet of Things to artificial intelligence, and has helped ensure that policy debates are informed by a broad range of perspectives. As a result, the multistakeholder approach promoted through WSIS has become a core element of contemporary Internet governance and remains central to efforts to develop the Information Society with the participation of all stakeholders and to ensure the stability of the Internet.

Although this multistakeholder approach has demonstrated its effectiveness over the past two decades, some states have consistently sought to limit it. One of the most recent examples was the process surrounding the adoption of the Global Digital Compact, an annex to the Pact for the Future, discussed and adopted at the UN Summit of the Future in September 2024. While the final text reaffirmed a multistakeholder approach, the negotiations exposed ongoing differences regarding the role and composition of stakeholders in global digital governance. Another relevant example was the preparatory process to WSIS 10+ review, was the preparatory process for the WSIS+10 review, which initially involved only governmental and intergovernmental organisations. These issues are reviewed in more detail below.

Internet Governance Forum (IGF)

The IGF was designed as a multistakeholder and transparent forum for policy dialogue on Internet governance, bringing together all stakeholders on an equal basis through an open and inclusive process. As set out in paragraphs 72 and 73 of the Tunis Agenda, the IGF was established as an open, inclusive, and multistakeholder forum mandated to:

Discuss public policy issues related to key elements of Internet governance in order to foster the sustainability, robustness, security, stability and development of the Internet.
Facilitate discourse between bodies dealing with different cross-cutting international public policies regarding the Internet and discuss issues that do not fall within the scope of any existing body.
Interface with appropriate intergovernmental organizations and other institutions on matters under their purview.
Facilitate the exchange of information and best practices, and in this regard make full use of the expertise of the academic, scientific and technical communities.
Advise all stakeholders in proposing ways and means to accelerate the availability and affordability of the Internet in the developing world.
Strengthen and enhance the engagement of stakeholders in existing and/or future Internet governance mechanisms, particularly those from developing countries.
Identify emerging issues, bring them to the attention of the relevant bodies and the general public, and, where appropriate, make recommendations.
Contribute to capacity building for Internet governance in developing countries, drawing fully on local sources of knowledge and expertise.
Promote and assess, on an ongoing basis, the embodiment of WSIS principles in Internet governance processes.
Discuss, inter alia, issues relating to critical Internet resources.
Help to find solutions to the issues arising from the use and misuse of the Internet, of particular concern to everyday users.
Publish its proceedings.

Today, the Forum covers key issues related to Internet governance, including access, digital rights, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, critical Internet infrastructure, digital cooperation and the protection of human rights online.

It is important to note that the IGF was originally established with a time-limited mandate, with the intention of reviewing the need for its continuation after five years. In 2010, following the initial cycles of the IGF, the United Nations extended the Forum’s mandate for a further five years, and after the WSIS+10 review in 2015, its mandate was extended until 2025. Countries and stakeholders have consistently recognised the value of the IGF as a unique space for dialogue and have repeatedly called for its continuation. This week, the United Nations agreed to grant the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) a permanent mandate. This decision reinforces the legitimacy of the multistakeholder approach to Internet governance and confirms that the IGF will continue to serve as a central platform for discussions on the future of the Internet on a permanent basis.

WSIS+10 review

Following the completion of the two WSIS phases in 2003 and 2005, the international community continued to review progress in implementing WSIS outcomes. The first major review took place in 2015, when the UN General Assembly conducted the World Summit on the Information Society 10-year review process (WSIS+10 review).

During the preparatory process, many non-governmental organizations expressed concern that, contrary to the established multistakeholder approach, the WSIS 10+ Review process involved only government and intergovernmental organizations. In response, the Internet community created a dedicated website through which these organizations addressed an appeal to the President of the United Nations General Assembly, calling for an open and inclusive preparatory process.

On this website, they published a joint statement urging to support the extension of the IGF’s mandate to continue its important work, and the collective work to support and successfully implement the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this statement, they formulated three key messages to contribute to negotiations in the final phase of the WSIS+10 review.

The first message concerned the importance of the IGF. The statement argued that the IGF mandate should be extended. The second message highlighted the critical importance of the multistakeholder approach for achieving the goals of WSIS. The community stressed that the principles of collaboration, openness, transparency and inclusiveness. The third message focused on the remaining digital divide and the fact that large parts of the world are still unconnected, stressing that progress depends on an open, inclusive and truly multistakeholder process.

The statement was signed by 343 organizations and individuals, including almost all RIRs (APNIC, ARIN, LACNIC, RIPE NCC), ICANN, ISOC, multiple top-level domain associations, and a number of well-known commercial organizations such as Deutsche Telekom AG, Ericsson, Google, Telefónica, S.A., and Yahoo.

Although the WSIS+10 Summit reached a broad consensus on development, security and human rights, the disagreement between inter-governmental (or so-called “multilateral”) and multistakeholder approaches to Internet governance remained. To resolve this disagreement, WSIS+10 first extended the IGF mandate for ten years. Second, in paragraph 57, it reaffirmed that the management of the Internet as a global facility is based not only on multilateral, transparent and democratic principles, but also on multistakeholder processes, with the full involvement of the stakeholder groups explicitly recognised in the Tunis Agenda: governments, the private sector, civil society, international organizations, the technical and academic communities, in accordance with their respective roles and responsibilities.

In addition, beyond reaffirming the Declaration of Principles, the Plan of Action, and the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, the WSIS+10 Outcome Document explicitly anchored its reaffirmations in key documents adopted by that time, including:

General Assembly resolution 70/1 of 25 September 2015, “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, which adopted a comprehensive, people-centred set of universal and transformative Sustainable Development Goals and targets;
General Assembly resolution 69/313 of 27 July 2015 on the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, which forms an integral part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

At the same time, paragraph 71 gave particular weight to the next review cycle by acknowledging that the preparation of the WSIS+10 review had identified challenges and opportunities that required longer-term consultations and higher-level consideration, given the rapid pace of ICT development. On this basis, the General Assembly was requested to convene a high-level meeting in 2025 to conduct an overall review of the implementation of WSIS outcomes, with the participation of all stakeholders, including in the preparatory process, to take stock of progress on the outcomes of the World Summit and identify both areas of continued focus and challenges.

On the eve of WSIS+20, it became clear that the confirmation or revision of a twenty-year compromise was at stake. Its outcomes could either consolidate the multistakeholder approach or open the door to greater fragmentation of Internet governance. Thus, in 2023, a heated debate took place around the Global Digital Compact, which was adopted exclusively by governments. The Compact finally became a part of the basis for WSIS+20, alongside the Declaration of Principles, the Plan of Action, the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development.

The Global Digital Compact

In parallel with WSIS+20, the United Nations has been developing the Global Digital Compact (GDC) – a proposed global framework for digital cooperation and governance. In September 2024, UN member states adopted the GDC as an annex to the “Pact for the Future” (General Assembly resolution 79/1) during the preparatory process for the 2024 Summit of the Future.

During the preparation of the final version of the GDC, discussions concerning the multistakeholder approach continued to arise. First, the document itself was reviewed and adopted exclusively by UN Member States. Second, during the European Dialogue on Internet Governance on 19 June 2023, the U.N. Tech Envoy Ambassador Amandeep Gill stated: “So the preparation (for the new Digital Cooperation Forum) – tripartite, so those words are clearly used across civil society, which includes all the actors from the technical community, academia, and the value of scientific, independent scientific expertise“. Thus, contrary to the expanded list of distinct stakeholder groups adopted in the Tunis Agenda, which explicitly recognises the Technical Community and the Academic Community as distinct stakeholders, this statement narrowed the multistakeholder model to a tripartite structure – governments, the private sector, and civil society – thereby removing the Technical Community and Academia as distinct stakeholders and treating them as part of civil society.

The technical community interpreted this statement as an attempt to change the multistakeholder model of Internet governance. In response, ICANN, APNIC, and ARIN published a joint blog post, co-authored by Sally Costerton, Paul Wilson, and John Curran, entitled The Global Digital Compact: A Top-Down Attempt to Minimize the Role of the Technical Community. The purpose of this publication was to draw attention to the issue and to the need to recognise the technical and academic communities as distinct stakeholders, as already affirmed in paragraphs 35–36 of the Tunis Agenda

This effort did not go unnoticed. In the final text of the Global Digital Compact, the technical and academic communities were formally recognised as distinct stakeholders, as reflected in the following GDC provision:: As Governments, we will work in collaboration and partnership with the private sector, civil society, international organizations, the technical and academic communities and all other stakeholders.

Moreover, the provisions of the GDC align with the established multistakeholder model by reaffirming core principles, including the recognition that Internet governance must remain global and multistakeholder in nature, with the full involvement of all stakeholders. The GDC also acknowledges the importance of the Internet Governance Forum as the primary multi-stakeholder platform for discussion of Internet governance issues.

Although the adoption of the final version of the GDC in this form represented a significant achievement for the Internet community and for the resilience of the multistakeholder model, a key outcome for the community followed in December 2025.

Outcomes of WSIS+20 Review

On 17 December 2025, the UN General Assembly formally adopted the WSIS+20 Outcome Document that will guide the next phase of global digital cooperation.

Despite the many challenges on the path to WSIS+20 and attempts to alter the existing multistakeholder approach, the outcomes of WSIS+20 can be described as a decisive victory for the multistakeholder model over the past twenty years.

First and foremost, as stated at the outset, the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) was finally granted a permanent mandate. What does this mean in the context of the above? Above all, it means that the multistakeholder approach to Internet governance has been recognised as sufficiently effective that its core forum is no longer subject to periodic review every five to ten years, but has instead been acknowledged as significant and established on a permanent basis.

Second, the reaffirmation of the Geneva Principles and the Tunis Agenda confirms that the technical community and academia, previously recognised as distinct stakeholder groups, remain so, and that this recognition must be taken into account in the development of related policy documents.

Finally, alignment with the Global Digital Compact is also broadly positive, as the Internet community was heard during the GDC process and the final document was brought into conformity with the principles set out in the Geneva Declaration of Principles and the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society.

Conclusion

The outcomes of WSIS+20 matter for several reasons. First, they set a clear direction for the global digital agenda in the coming years and serve as a reference point for national policies and the work of international organisations.

Second, WSIS+20 strengthens the legitimacy of the existing Internet governance model. At a time when some proposals have called for greater state control over critical Internet resources, the outcome document clearly supports the multistakeholder approach and the idea of a single, global Internet.

Third, digital inequality remains one of the most serious challenges. Closing the connectivity gap for people who remain offline requires long-term investment, adequate technical capacity, and sustained engagement by all stakeholders.

Overall, WSIS+20 confirms that cooperation among all stakeholders remains central to Internet governance.

Author: Anastasia Kleiman

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