Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Raafat Hindi, has presented the nation’s Presidency Report for the 2026 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum during the event’s closing session in Geneva, Switzerland.
The high-level session on Saturday was attended by Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and Ambassador Alaa Hegazy, Permanent Representative of Egypt to the UN in Geneva.
They were joined by an international delegation of ministers, ambassadors, senior government officials, private sector leaders, and representatives from civil society and academia.
In his address, Minister Hindi stressed that the forum highlighted the critical role of broad international partnerships in advancing digital transformation.
He emphasised that the next phase requires translating global discussions into practical measures that actively support digital inclusion, responsible artificial intelligence (AI), digital trust, and shared prosperity.
He underlined the urgent need to transform abstract digital strategies into tangible services, skills, employment opportunities, and sustainable benefits for citizens worldwide.
The minister further highlighted that digital inclusion remains a pressing global priority. Achieving this, he noted, requires affordable connectivity, stronger digital skills, relevant localised content, and the safe, meaningful use of technology.
Hindi emphasised the importance of harnessing AI to drive sustainable development, urging that the technology must remain human-centred and deployed ethically and responsibly.
He added that digital finance can expand economic opportunities for individuals, small businesses, women, young people and underserved communities through robust infrastructure, supportive regulation and enhanced digital literacy.
Minister Hindi noted that work has commenced on developing measurable roadmaps and indicators to implement the forum’s new mandates.
These will be presented to the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development in 2027, alongside a review of progress achieved over the past two decades and a shared strategic vision through to 2035.
The minister also highlighted the success of the WSIS Prizes, which recognised 18 winning projects selected from 1,595 submissions across 122 countries, demonstrating the tangible impact of digital innovation on communities worldwide.
On the sidelines of Geneva Digital Week, the Egyptian delegation participated in high-level discussions focusing on digital transformation, artificial intelligence governance, and international standards.
Egypt’s “Digital Citizenship and Online Safety” initiative received a Certificate of Excellence, ranking among the world’s top five projects for building trust and security in the use of information and communication technologies.
