The Power of the Commons Event – Wikimedia Foundation

Ahead of the 2024 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), world, industry, and civil society leaders convened at the United Nations for the Summit of the Future. There, they voted on the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact: guiding documents that offer an important opportunity to shape our digital world. Two Action Days preceded the Summit of the Future, offering an opportunity for multi-stakeholder discussions on the future of global digital governance.

Event overview

“The Power of the Commons: Digital Public Goods for a More Secure, Inclusive, and Resilient World” was a side event during the Summit of the Future Action Days at the United Nations.

This event explored the transformative potential of Digital Public Goods (DPGs) such as Wikipedia and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPIs) in fostering sustainable development worldwide. It was hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that operates Wikipedia; the Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology; UN Member State Delegations of Mexico, Poland, and Germany; as well as the organizations Access Now, TUM Think Tank, Global Network of Internet and Society Research Centers, Wikimedia Deutschland, Wikimedia Europe, Wikimedia Czech Republic, and Wikimedia Polska.

Special event speakers included Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales and UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology Amandeep Singh Gill.

For press inquiries please reach out at press@wikimedia.org.

Event highlights

This event delved into the critical role DPGs and DPIs play in:

Enabling civil society and communities globally to have a voice in how technology is developed and governed;
Bridging digital divides to ensure equitable access to information and resources;
Advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by harnessing the power of open and inclusive digital systems.

Event discussions will explore:

How online communities are impacted by different digital governance models;
What is needed for DPGs and DPIs to succeed, focusing on community involvement, literacy, funding, and governance;
Success stories from around the world in tackling pressing governance challenges;
Pathways toward a digitally inclusive future for all.

Speakers

Amandeep Singh Gill, United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology, Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology
Eileen Donahoe, Coordinator of Digital Freedom in the US Department of State’s Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy (CDP)
H.E. Mr. Krzysztof Szczerski, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland to the United Nations in New York
H.E. Alicia Buenrostro Massieu, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Mexican United States to the United Nations in New York
Emran Mian, Director General for Digital and Telecoms in the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DIST)
Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency, Nigeria
Dr. Anna Christmann, Member of the German Parliament and Member of the United Nations Secretary-General’s High Level Body on AI (HLAB AI)
Marianne Díaz Hernández, #WhyID Campaigner at Access Now; Venezuelan lawyer and digital rights activist
Prof. Dr. Urs Gasser, Professor for Public Policy, Governance and Innovative Technology, Dean of School of Social Sciences and Technology at Technical University of Munich
Rebecca MacKinnon, Vice President of Global Advocacy, The Wikimedia Foundation
Ivan Sigal, Executive Director, Global Voices
Fabro Steibel, Executive Director of the Institute for Technology & Society (ITS) Rio de Janeiro
Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia Founder and Trustee, The Wikimedia Foundation
Costanza Sciubba Caniglia, Anti-Disinformation Strategy Lead, The Wikimedia Foundation (Moderator)
Nicole Manger, Global/UN AI Governance & Digital Cooperation Lead in the German Federal Foreign Office (Moderator)

Partners

Academia

TUM Think Tank / Munich School of Politics and Public Policy at the Technical University of Munich

Global Network of Internet and Society Research Centers (NoC)

What does the Wikimedia Foundation do?

Did you know that Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, and 11 other free knowledge projects are operated by a nonprofit organization called the Wikimedia Foundation? Watch to learn more.