WCC NEWS: Digital justice will be front-and-center at world information summit in Geneva

Faith-based groups, collaborating with their partners, including the World Council of Churches, will be advocating for digital justice at the “World Summit on Information Society +20,” to be hosted by the International Telecommunication Union from 7-11 July in Geneva.  Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 02 July 2025 The World Association for Christian Communication is sending a 7-member delegation of staff and national partners from the Global South. In collaboration with international civil society organizations, the delegation will advocate for a fundamental shift in digital governance – a new digital paradigm rooted in communication rights, with digital justice at the center. The upcoming event marks 20 years since the original two-phase World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). Government representatives and stakeholders from around the world will gather to review progress on original outcomes and actions from 2003 and 2005, while discussing the future of digital governance and the Internet Governance Forum. “The current digital system has failed to deliver on the promises of WSIS,” said Philip Lee, World Association for Christian Communication general secretary. “Instead of bridging divides, we've seen growing inequality. Instead of democratizing information, we've witnessed the concentration of digital power in the hands of a few corporations.”  Twenty years on, a new paradigm is needed, added Lee—one that prioritizes public interest over private profit. “It's time for a fundamental transformation that puts people and communities at the centre of digital governance,” he said. Marianne Ejdersten, WCC director of communication, noted that digital technologies have already transformed the world for many of us in all the places we live and work.  “While these advances do present challenges, they also present communicators with the tools they need to do their jobs even more effectively,” she said. “These technologies offer new ways to communicate, inform, and advocate for human dignity and rights.” The WCC central committee, which convened 18-24 June in Johannesburg, South Africa, approved the paper “Use of AI in WCC Communications” as a guide and starting point for implementing and monitoring the work of WCC communications until the WCC 12th Assembly, with a mid-term evaluation in 2027 to review progress.  “The WSIS is one important arena to study the development worldwide and listen to partners,” said Ejdersten.  World Association for Christian Communication partners that will be highlighted during the event include the Sulá Batsú Cooperative in Costa Rica; Computer Professionals Union in the Philippines; and Gender and Media Connect in Zimbabwe. On 8 July, the World Council of Churches and the World Association for Christian Communication will cohost a community gathering and reception at the Ecumenical Centre with a focus on local and global voices for digital justice.   Learn more about The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC)   Digital Justice Guide See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland