Global Digital Rights Coalition for WSIS

The Global Digital Rights Coalition for WSIS (GDRC-WSIS) promotes a human rights-based, people-centric and multistakeholder approach to the WSIS+20 review process.

The GDRC-WSIS is a collective of civil society organisations from the Global Majority and Global North, offering our shared expertise to advance human rights and multistakeholderism in the WSIS+20 review process.

The Global Forum for Media Development joined the Global Digital Rights Coalition for WSIS in April 2025.

GDRC-WSIS statements and joint publications

Ten Steps to Strengthen Stakeholder Engagement in the WSIS+20 Intergovernmental Phase (October 2025)

The coalition has published the following joint publications:

• Global Digital Rights Coalition for WSIS (GDRC-WSIS) Input to the Zero Draft of the WSIS+20 Outcome Document

• Global Digital Rights Coalition for WSIS (GDRC-WSIS): Joint Input to Elements Paper for the WSIS+20 overall review

• Civil society joint input: ITU Council Working Group on WSIS & SDGs Call for Inputs on the WSIS+20

Members of the coalition also contributed to the following cross-stakeholder publications:

• Five-Point Plan Follow-up: Eight Practical Recommendations [Cross-stakeholder]

• Five-Point Plan for an Inclusive WSIS+20 Review [Cross-stakeholder]

GDRC-WSIS Priorities

The GDRC-WSIS is working to achieve the following priorities:

1. Promote a human rights-based, people-centric, sustainable and development-oriented approach to the WSIS+20 review:

Ensuring that the review and implementation of the WSIS action lines and outcomes are anchored in international human rights law. This includes strengthening the WSIS framework to safeguard against human rights abuses including surveillance, Internet shutdowns and censorship; promoting rights-respecting regulation; and formally recognising the role of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

2. Advance the multistakeholder approach to global Internet governance and digital policy processes:

Including through promoting the practical implementation of the Sao Paulo Multistakeholder Guidelines, which will create more open, transparent, accessible, equitable, and inclusive policymaking at all levels.

3. Strengthen the WSIS vision and its institutions like the Internet Governance Forum (IGF):

Preventing the WSIS institutions from being subsumed into or diluted by other digital governance processes and ensuring the continued existence and effectiveness of the IGF. New global digital frameworks, such as the Global Digital Compact, should be implemented through the WSIS architecture.