Advancing digital rights, connecting billions, and democratizing data will cost money. After the last week’s World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+20 High Level Event it is clear: if we want to achieve digital justice and inclusion, we need to discuss how this process will be funded.

At WSIS+20, government, private sector, and civil society delegates from around the world gathered in Geneva to review to what extent the original WSIS outcomes and Action Lines from 2003 and 2005 have been achieved, as well as to make recommendations on global digital governance. WACC was on the ground to advocate for communication for all.

Key topics included the need for greater inclusion of marginalized communities in digital ecosystems, digital technology’s potential to advance sustainable development, and ways to strengthen the multi-stakeholder model of digital governance. These discussions are now feeding into an “Elements Paper” that will inform decisions of Member States at the UN General Assembly later this year.

The WSIS agenda is an ambitious one, raising the pressing question of who will pay the cost of fulfilling both expected promises once the WSIS+20 process concludes in December and existing commitments of last year’s Global Digital Compact – and how. The world’s current bleak finance scenario only makes this more urgent, as the usual funding sources for such collective efforts have mostly dried up.

On the one hand, debt has soared for many countries around the world. In 2023, developing countries owed about USD 11.5 trillion. This undermines sustainable development efforts across the Global South, without counting the costs of responding to the climate crisis.

On the other hand, the international development finance system remains under major strain. Despite the cautious optimism of the recent Seville Financing for Development Conference, concrete commitments are lacking: the US has cut development financing, Europe is redirecting funds to defence, and the UN’s proposed global “AI fund” to support developing countries is yet to materialize.

WACC believes this core financing gap must be addressed. Here are four ideas for discussions in the coming months to move towards turning the vision of digital justice into reality: