This background paper is intended to provide the Internet Society community and interested parties with a general overview of the ITU WTDC-25 and our perspectives on some of the main issues that may be discussed.
Delegates will gather this November in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the 9th ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-2025) to set the development agenda and priorities for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) for 2026 through 2029. WTDC-2025 will serve as a discussion forum on the opportunities and challenges of bridging the digital divide, as well as act as a catalyst for partnership and investment in infrastructure development. Preparations for the WTDC began well over a year ago and will continue through November 2025.
Internet Society’s Objectives at WTDC-25
As the Internet Society is a Sector Member of ITU-D, we will be present at WTDC with a strong focus on supporting Internet Infrastructure development, particularly in least developed countries, small island developing states, and landlocked developing countries. The ITU-D priorities of affordable connectivity, an enabling policy and regulatory environment, resource mobilization and international cooperation, inclusive and secure telecommunications/ICTs for sustainable development closely align with our strategic objectives.
Our priorities include:
- ITU-D Action Plan for 2026-2029: We will work to ensure that the ITU-D Action Plan for 2026-2029 focuses on the telecommunications development work that is urgently needed to connect the unconnected, provide meaningful connectivity, and ensure local Internet stability and resilience.
- Connectivity policies and regulation: We will support the adoption of policy and regulatory language that enables innovative policies in spectrum management, funding, and licensing mechanisms to connect the unconnected, deliver meaningful connectivity, and provide technical capacity building to strengthen local Internet ecosystems. We will promote policies that not only expand access but also strengthen security, trust, and resilience.
- Community-centered networks: We will promote policies and language within WTDC Resolutions that enable the emergence of complementary connectivity solutions to bridge the digital divide, such as community-centered networks. These are local initiatives proven to be effective in connecting communities to the Internet, especially for those who need it the most. They empower unconnected and underserved communities to gain access to government services and education, enhance local business opportunities, and address social challenges, including enabling women and girls to break through gender barriers. Importantly, they empower local communities, including First Nation and Indigenous communities, to design and build networks and Internet access that meet their needs.
- Sustainable peering infrastructure: We will work with ITU Members to promote open and transparent policy and regulatory processes that foster sustainable peering infrastructure. This includes promoting local investment, collaboration among content providers, data center operators, Internet exchange points (IXPs), and local technical communities with the aim of developing local conditions that will attract investment and growth in local content and content that is locally accessible. IXPs contribute to Internet resilience by localizing traffic, reducing latency, and dependency on international links. We will keep supporting the addition of these topics as part of the next Study Group period (2026-2029)
- The Internet’s critical role in achieving the SDGs: We will foster constructive dialogue among delegates about the Internet’s critical role in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as the importance of preserving the Internet’s fundamental characteristics of global reach, open and collaborative governance, general-purpose technology, open and voluntary standards, innovation without prior permission, interoperability, decentralized networks, and confidentiality and integrity, to ensure the Internet continues to evolve to meet future development needs.
- Digital public infrastructure (dpi): For the Internet Society, digital public infrastructure describes multistakeholder collaborations in developing and providing application-level infrastructure (such as digital payment systems) to serve the public interest. We will encourage the use of application technologies built, governed, and operated in the public interest, using open‑source software, open standards, and other digital public goods.
- Multistakeholder Internet governance: We will ensure that a multistakeholder approach continues for Internet governance and in development activities. We will highlight the effectiveness of the multistakeholder model, the role of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), and national and regional Internet governance initiatives in helping to close development gaps, and how it is essential that the WSIS+20 review upholds and continues the multistakeholder model for Internet governance.
- Informing policy through data: We curate data from trusted sources to help everyone understand the availability, evolution, and resilience of the global Internet. This includes the adoption of key new and enabling Internet technologies, which help identify where more efforts are needed. We make that data publicly available on Pulse. We will encourage strategies to collect and use data to inform policymaking, especially regarding local resiliency.
After WTDC-25, throughout the forthcoming study group period (2026-2029), the Internet Society will continue to collaborate with all stakeholders, including governments, to achieve meaningful connectivity for everyone. We will provide our expertise and share our experience working with communities on community-centered connectivity solutions to expand affordable and reliable Internet access in the hardest-to-reach areas.
We also look forward to engaging delegates in the broader UN development agenda and collaborating closely to advance the priorities that address the digital divide.
