The Global Digital Justice Forum (GDJF) is taking its agenda for digital justice to the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2025 happening in LILLESTRØM, Norway.
At IGF 2025, the Forum is launching #DigitalJusticeNow!— a powerful campaign to amplify voices demanding a just and inclusive digital future. Through a series of short, bold video statements, our campaign features voices from across movements and regions, all grounded in the Forum’s Call to Action for WSIS+20 and Beyond—already endorsed by over 100+ progressive organizations and individuals.
The Forum invites you to join us at IGF 2025 for a critical discussion to consolidate civil society visions for the upcoming WSIS+20 review and beyond, on Day 0 of IGF 2025. We also invite you to join us for events organized by the Forum’s members.
Event Details
Day 0 | 23 June • Monday
Co-Organizer: Global Digital Justice Forum
09:00 – 10:00 CEST | Workshop Room 1
This session will provide a space for civil society to brainstorm on how to reclaim the WSIS vision of the ‘people-centred, inclusive, development-oriented’ information society in the contemporary conjuncture – particularly the society-wide transformations that data-driven and AI technologies have wrought, while at the same time address persistent challenges for digital inclusion. It will enable a joint reflection on what we, civil society organizations, seek from the WSIS+20 review outcomes, with respect to furthering meaningful progress on the digital rights and structural justice agenda. The intended outcome is to produce a report that will consolidate civil society visions for WSIS+20 review outcomes in terms of actions and implementation mechanisms.
Day 1 | 24 June • Tuesday
WS #257 Data for Impact: Equitable & Sustainable DPI Data Governance
Co-Organizer: Research ICT Africa
16:00 – 17:00 CEST | Workshop Room 2
Participants and attendees take away insights, diverse perspectives, understanding and practical guidance for effective data governance. This includes the need for adequate national and international data governance frameworks, decentralised data-sharing mechanisms, open standards, and regulatory safeguards for data protection and safeguarding and ensuring a competitive data ecosystem. Speakers will discuss innovation options such as data trusts that can provide a mechanism for secure data pooling, balancing public and private interests while maintaining compliance with data protection regulations. Case studies drawn from African countries, India, Canada and public private-sector-driven DPI models will be discussed. Participants and audience will have an opportunity to discuss policy and regulatory options, including the need for data governance oversight, interoperability mandates, and equitable data-sharing mechanisms to protect digital rights, and foster open innovation.
Day 2 | 25 June • Wednesday
Open Forum #29 Advancing Digital Inclusion through Segmented Monitoring
Co-Organizers: Global Digital Inclusion Partnership, Cetic.br, Global Digital Inclusion Partnership, LirneAsia, & Research ICT Africa
15:30 – 17:00 CEST | Conference Hall
Digital inclusion is not simply about increasing internet penetration rates—it is about ensuring that marginalized individuals and communities have equitable access to meaningful connectivity, digital content, and services in a way that fosters economic opportunity, social empowerment, and the realization of human rights. Yet, one-third of the world remains offline due to barriers like access, affordability, web-accessibility, literacy (traditional and digital), and systemic inequalities such as geography, gender, ability, and income disparities. Existing measurement frameworks rely on broad national data, missing crucial local insights needed for effective interventions. A segmented, demand-driven approach is essential, shifting focus from supply-side metrics to user needs and socio-economic realities. Without detailed data on who is excluded and why, digital inclusion strategies risk being misaligned with the realities of marginalized communities. This Open Forum and report will present actionable recommendations for a global, standardized framework to enable precise, evidence-based policies that truly address digital exclusion.
Day 3 | 26 June • Thursday
Open Forum #64 Local AI: Policy Pathways for Sutainable Digtal Economies
Co-Organizers: IT for Change & Association for Progressive Communications
12:00 – 13:00 CEST | Conference Hall
What kind of AI ecosystem powers small-is-beautiful digital economies? This is the core question that the proposed session will examine. As the Global Digital Compact underscores, there is an urgent imperative for digital cooperation that harnesses the power of local AI innovation for the benefit of humanity. Evidence increasingly points to the importance of contextually-grounded local AI innovation trajectories for a just and sustainable digital transition. UNCTAD, as the Secretariat of the UN CSTD, will play a critical role in addressing this global digital cooperation challenge – particularly in facilitating the emergence of an integrated data and AI governance roadmap for development towards this.
WS #479 Gender Mainstreaming in Digital Connectivity Strategies
Co-Organizer: Association for Progressive Communications
12:45 – 14:00 CEST | Workshop Room 5
Participants will explore grassroots initiatives showcasing how local communities, particularly in unserved and underserved areas are driving efforts to enhance digital access for women through community-centered connectivity solutions. It will offer governments, regulators, civil society, and the private sector a platform to reflect on past policy successes and shortcomings, while proposing forward-looking strategies to effectively integrate gender perspectives into digital policies. It will emphasize the role of community-centered connectivity initiatives, inclusive regulatory frameworks, and multi-stakeholder collaboration in advancing gender equality in the digital space. By doing so the session will ensure that WSIS principles remain relevant and deliver concrete recommendations to ensure gender equality remains a central priority in WSIS outcomes beyond 2025.
WS #305 Financing Self-Sustaining Community Connectivity Solution
Co-Organizer: Association for Progressive Communications
15:45 – 17:00 CEST | Workshop Room 4
Community Connectivity initiatives have traditionally largely relied on international aid to fund the infrastructure they require. Through the presentations in this session, participants will obtain a deeper understanding of alternative approaches to achieving self-sustainability in community connectivity initiatives. These strategies can be leveraged to position them for receiving blended finance and other innovative financial mechanisms that multilateral and national development banks could make available. Experiences from social and solidarity economy initiatives in other sectors will additionally contribute to ensuring that communities’ communication needs remain at the centre. These takeaways are unique insofar as it will be the first time such a lens is applied to community connectivity providers.
Day 4 | 27 June • Friday
Open Forum #71 Advancing Rights-Respecting AI Governance and Digital Inclusion through G7 and G20
Co-Organizer: Research ICT Africa
10:00 – 11:00 CEST | Workshop Room 4
This session brings together representatives from civil society, government, the private sector, and technical communities to explore how the G7 and G20 can collaboratively support data driven technologies and systems that are rights-respecting, equitably accessible, and globally inclusive. Drawing on case studies and lived experiences from Africa, Latin America and Asia, participants will examine how the uneven distribution of not only harms, but also economic opportunity can be redressed through global governance, enabling a trusted environment and effective regulation to ensure better development and distribution of infrastructure and tools. Through participatory dialogue, the session will identify actionable pathways to embed human rights, transparency, equitable economic opportunities, and community agency in AI design, governance and outcomes—ensuring the benefits of AI are equitably shared and shaped by those historically excluded from global decision-making.
WS #225 Bridging the Connectivity Gap for Excluded Communities
Co-Organizer: Global Digital Inclusion Partnership
10:15 – 11:30 CEST | Workshop Room 3
Despite significant progress in global internet expansion, millions remain unconnected, particularly in rural, remote, and underserved regions. Bridging the last-mile connectivity gap is crucial for ensuring digital inclusion and achieving meaningful connectivity for all. This session will explore innovative solutions, policies, and business models aimed at addressing last-mile challenges, including community networks, public-private partnerships, emerging technologies like Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, 5G expansion, and alternative spectrum management approaches. The discussion will bring together policymakers, industry leaders, civil society, and grassroots connectivity initiatives to share best practices, examine case studies, and propose scalable solutions. Participants will also explore financial and regulatory strategies that can facilitate sustainable last-mile connectivity efforts. This session aims to generate actionable insights to inform global internet governance discussions, ensuring that unserved and underserved populations can equitably benefit from the digital economy and essential online services.