Session Summaries
What the panel discussed, concluded and recommended at Session 421 — AI and Energy for Sustainable Digital Development.
AI and Energy for Sustainable Digital Development: Governance, Infrastructure, and Global Cooperation
Thursday, 9 July 2026 · 17:00–17:45 CEST
Room E, Palexpo, Geneva
Organized by the EnergyPact Foundation
Key Issues Discussed
The AI–energy paradox
AI is simultaneously the fastest-growing source of energy demand — data-centre electricity consumption reached roughly 480 TWh in 2025, growing 17% in a single year, with projections reaching 945 TWh by 2030 — while also offering tools to optimise the energy systems it depends on.
The physical cost of AI infrastructure
Power grids in several countries are already saturated and water consumption in data centres is significant — U.S. data centres alone consume roughly 1% of Lake Geneva's total water volume annually. At night, when renewables are unavailable, demand is met by fossil fuels, meaning AI's actual carbon footprint is systematically underreported.
The rebound effect
Efficiency gains per AI task are real but immediately absorbed by growth in usage. Every technological advance is outpaced within months by new demand, making efficiency necessary but insufficient without governance frameworks to cap or steer consumption.
The question of restraint and intent
Not every use case requires AI. Deploying AI without a clear answer to “what problem are we actually solving?” creates unnecessary dependency, increases attack surfaces, and undermines resilience. The most resilient AI may be the AI you choose not to use.
Digital sovereignty and concentration of power
Around 70% of global cloud infrastructure is controlled by three companies, more than 50% of global computing power is concentrated in one country, and the EU estimates its dependency on non-EU digital infrastructure at above 80% — creating both soft power risks (language, values, cultural framing of AI models) and hard power risks (the ability of one country or company to disable another's critical systems).
Governance as a learning organization
Existing regulatory frameworks were designed for 19th-century governance speeds and cannot keep pace with AI's rate of change. Governance must evolve from static compliance to a dynamic, collective capacity to learn, measure and adapt — with standards, metrics and accountability distributed across the entire value chain.
Education and data literacy
Responsible AI deployment requires that citizens, policymakers and engineers understand what AI is, what it costs, and what it replaces. Educating future generations is necessary but not sufficient — today's decision-makers must develop the same literacy urgently.
Key Outcomes of the Session
- 01
The session established a shared diagnostic framework — the AI–energy nexus — structured around five interconnected dimensions: the core tension between AI as load and AI as tool; infrastructure under strain; resilience and the case for restraint; governance as a collective learning challenge; and digital sovereignty as a precondition for a stable and inclusive digital order.
- 02
Practical solutions were identified: liquid cooling technologies (including NVIDIA's closed-circuit hot-water cooling systems) can significantly reduce water and energy consumption in data centres; AI-responsive grid management — demonstrated in a UK pilot involving Emerald AI, NVIDIA, Nebius, National Grid and EPRI — shows that data centres can shift from energy consumers to active participants in grid stabilisation.
- 03
A key reframing was proposed: data is easier to transport than electricity. Bringing compute to where clean energy, cool climates and spare grid capacity already exist — rather than building energy infrastructure around existing data centres — represents a structural opportunity to reduce AI's environmental footprint.
- 04
The session produced a shared call to action: build the awareness, the literacy and the governance capacity to ensure that AI scales responsibly — not just more efficiently.
Recommendations & Forward-Looking Actions
Standardise the metrics
Establish standardised metrics for AI's energy and water footprint, aligned with ITU's Green Digital Action initiative, so that the true cost of AI infrastructure is visible, comparable and accountable across jurisdictions.
Require use-case justification
Before AI deployment in public infrastructure and critical systems, the burden of proof should be on demonstrating necessity — not on justifying restraint.
Make grids AI-responsive
Accelerate the transition to AI-responsive grid infrastructure by enabling data centres to participate actively in grid stabilisation — through demand flexibility, co-location with renewable energy sources, and energy storage integration.
Govern at the speed of the technology
Develop governance frameworks capable of evolving as fast as what they regulate — moving from static compliance models to dynamic, multi-stakeholder learning organizations that distribute accountability across designers, operators, regulators and users.
Prioritise digital sovereignty
Nations and communities must conduct structured assessments of which critical systems require sovereign infrastructure and governance, and act accordingly — including reducing dependency on a small number of hyperscalers where systemic risk is high.
All Session Outcome Documents
Every session of WSIS Forum 2026 that published an outcome document — 84 documents across 99 sessions, in programme order. 15 sessions have no outcome document published.
Monday 06 July, 09:00
The Action Line C7 on E-business Beyond WSIS+20
Session 299 by: International Trade Centre, Universal Postal Union, UN Trade and Development
AI for Educational Transformation and Youth Development: Opportunities and Risks
Session 130 by: International Competence Development Committee (ICDC), The Chinese Society of Educational Development Strategy (CSEDS)
Redefining Digital Citizenship: Safeguarding and Empowering Citizens in the AI Age
Session 126 by: United Nations Development Programme Egypt Country Office (UNDP)
Strengthening health data governance legislative frameworks: The foundation of trusted digital health and AI
Session 127 by: Transform Health
AI for Good at Scale: The Community-Led Impact Flywheel
Session 571 by: Interlai Foundation
Scientists as Bridge-Builders: Contributing Research to Global Digital Public Goods
Session 530 by: Global Youth Development Alliance
Monday 06 July, 10:00
Human-Centred AI and Cognitive Readiness: Preparing Learners and Entrepreneurs for the Next Digital Economy
Session 151 by: Dr Victor (Vik) Perez, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU)
Control Systems for Excellence: Data & Processing Systems (specific reference to bionic eyes)
Session 156 by: IGF Dynamic Coalition on Data Driven Health Technologies
Democratizing Innovation: Citizen Data, Indigenous Knowledge & Participatory STEM
Session 321 by: Women in Technology in Nigeria - WITIN & Nigeria Data Protection Commission – NDPC
Meaningful Connectivity by Design - The Role of Technical Standards in Connecting the Unconnected
Session 518 by: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
Beyond the Access Gap: Gendered Realities of Digital Inclusion in Africa with Evidence from Four Countries
Session 162 by: Research ICT Africa
Accessible digital educational environments: transferring research knowledge
Session 155 by: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
No document
Monday 06 July, 11:00
The Global Shield: Collaborative Cyber Resilience for global e-Commerce and logistics
Session 324 by: Universal Postal Union
Anchoring AI Evolution in Humanity: Pathways for Ethical, Inclusive, and Cross‑Boundary Collaboration
Session 191 by: Zhu Consulting
Closing the Connectivity Gap in the Age of AI and E‑Governance
Session 193 by: Paradigm Initiative
Case Studies on Connectivity: Young Practitioners in the Forefront
Session 195 by: IEEE-Innovation Partner
Building an Inclusive Digital Transformation in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Digital Futures, Leadership and Diversity in Decision Making
Session 166 by: OTDEC - TACTIC - Ana Gabriela Valdiviezo Black
No document
Monday 06 July, 13:00
WSIS Action Line C1: WSIS+20 in Action: Implementation, Cooperation and Review – Part I
Session 334 by: UNDESA
Re-engineering Institutions for Digital Transformation and AI Readiness
Session 248 by: Hant International Consulting
Governing the Systemic Impacts of AI Where Regulation Doesn't Reach: Standardised Commitments and Lateral Requirements across Value Chains
Session 337 by: AI Commons (AIC) Framework Working Group, Centre Leo Apostel for Interdisciplinary Studies (CLEA), Free University of Brussels (VUB)
The role of humans in the cyber age
Session 141 by: EC MEDICI Framework of cooperation
Monday 06 July, 14:00
WSIS Action Line C7 E-agriculture - Advancing Trusted Data Governance, Inclusive AI, and Digital Public Goods to enable scalable DPI and collaborative, Multilingual Innovation Ecosystems for Agrifood Systems Transformation
Session 304 by: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Measuring what matters: Embedding gender equality in AI governance through gender-specific indicators
Session 271 by: The Gender in Digital Coalition (GiDC)
No documentBuilding E-waste Management Systems
Session 272 by: The Communications, Space & Technology Commission of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the International Telecommunication Union
Monday 06 July, 15:00
Children First: Empowering the Next Generation with a Holistic Digital Code of Conduct
Session 170 by: eWorldwide Group
Dialing up Mobile Phone Data for Official Statistics
Session 171 by: (ITU/ World Bank/UN-CEBD Task Team on Mobile Phone Data (MPD)
Monday 06 July, 16:00
WSIS Action Line C7 E-government Inclusive e-government services: Reaching the hardest to reach through multi-channel service delivery
Session 298 by: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs; Universal Postal Union
Transforming Global Education through Digital Innovation: Bridging Access, Skills, and Leadership
Session 167 by: Nation Builders University
Digital Inclusion in an Unequal World
Session 347 by: ICT4D Collective
From Ideas to Action: the integration of the Sao Paulo Multistakeholder Guidelines within the broader digital governance processes
Session 173 by: CGI.br - Brazilian Internet Steering Committee. OFCOM - Swiss Federal Office of Communications. FOC – Freedom Online Coalition. GPD – Global Partners Digital.
Monday 06 July, 17:00
Beyond State vs. Corporate: Community Data Governance Models from the Global Majority
Session 175 by: Tech Global Institute, Paradigm Initiative, InternetLab
No documentPoland’s Model for Digital Resilience: Secure Schools, Skilled Citizens, Strong Society
Session 176 by: NASK – National Research Institute
No document
Tuesday 07 July, 09:00
Bridging the Intelligence Divide: AI Capacity Building and Knowledge Sharing for the Global South
Session 183 by: CAST UN Consultative Committee on Information Technology (CCIT)
Business Perspectives on Furthering the Outcomes of the WSIS+20 Review
Session 255 by: International Chamber of Commerce - ICC Basis
No document
Tuesday 07 July, 10:00
WSIS ActionLine C6 Enabling Environment
Session 295 by: International Telecommunication Union
The Future of Education and Research in the AI Era: Equipping Young People for Tomorrow
Session 541 by: International Telecommunication Union
I.T.U. – leaving no one behind…. I need a Telephone to connect to yoU
Session 352 by: Institute for Digital Culture, University of Leicester
Tuesday 07 July, 11:00
AI, Digitalisation and the Transformation of Jobs: Ensuring Decent Work
Session 296 by: International Labour Organisation
Strengthen Digital Capacity-Building to Create an Inclusive and Secure Digital-Intelligent Future Beneficial to All
Session 357 by: Chinese Academy of Cyberspace Studies
AI and Healthcare: Building the Foundations of Intelligent Health Systems
Session 566 by: United Nations Development Programme Egypt Country Office (UNDP)
No document
Tuesday 07 July, 13:00
AI Empowerment for Older People from a Gender Mainstreaming Perspective
Session 188 by: Aging & Technology Policy Lab, KAIST Graduate School of Science and Technology Policy
Structural Asymmetry: Addressing the Sovereign Risk of AI Labor Displacement
Session 196 by: Santiago & Company
No document
Tuesday 07 July, 14:00
WSIS Action Line C9: Media - Towards Resilient Information Ecosystems in Times of Crisis: Rethinking ‘Preparedness’ in Digital Governance
Session 309 by: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Scaling trust: from Digital Proof-of-Life to a UN Digital Identity ecosystem
Session 528 by: United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, United Nations International Computing Centre, United Nations Development Programme, Inter-American Development Bank
Helping SMEs Succeed in Digital Trade: Lessons from European & ASEAN Trade Promotion Organisations
Session 368 by: UN International Trade Centre
Deep Skilling for the Quantum Age: A Global Education Model for Women and Girls
Session 222 by: Innovation Network Global; Innovation Network Canada, Dynamic Coalition on Emerging Technologies (DC-ET), UN Internet Governance Forum
Smart Hydrology: Data, AI and the Future of Water Management
Session 366 by: WMO
No document
Tuesday 07 July, 15:00
WSIS Action Line C7 E-environment
Session 303 by: ITU/WMO/UNEP
No documentFrom Fragmentation to Coherence: The Role of the International Law Association in Global AI Governance
Session 203 by: International Law Association’s Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Technology Law
I Thought AI Was Only for Tech Experts: A Practical Introduction to Engaging with AI for Women
Session 318 by: International Council of Women
Tuesday 07 July, 16:00
Enhancing CEDAW Accountability through AI Governance and Tech Value Chains
Session 215 by: Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women – Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls - Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights - UN Women - International Telecommunication Union
Competition Policy, Platform Ecosystems, and Fair Opportunities for Small Developers: Building an Inclusive App Economy
Session 212 by: Association for Competitive Technology
Promoting and enhancing cybersecurity among small and medium-sized enterprises for the sustainable development: trends and best practices
Session 206 by: Kaspersky
Tuesday 07 July, 17:00
Science in the Age of AI: Knowledge, Data, and Trust
Session 216 by: International Science Council & Committee on Data of the ISC
Whose Wallet, Whose Future? Operationalizing Multistakeholder Financing for Digital Development
Session 224 by: Tech Global Institute, Research ICT Africa, Factum, Foundation for Media Alternatives
No document
Wednesday 08 July, 07:30
2nd Business Roundtable
Session 568 by: International Chamber of Commerce Business Action to Support the Information Society (ICC BASIS) and United States Council for International Business (USCIB)
No document
Wednesday 08 July, 11:00
Enabling Inclusive Digital Development: Regulatory Capacity-Building through Multilingual Peer-to-Peer Learning between EU and Sub-Saharan Africa
Session 158 by: Swedish Program for ICT in Developing Regions (SPIDER), Stockholm University
Whole-of-Society Approaches to Countering Digital Scams
Session 384 by: United Nations Development Programme
Investing in what already works: Public access institutions as drivers of digital equity
Session 199 by: International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, UNESCO, Universal Postal Union
Putting data justice at the heart of AI governance
Session 385 by: IT for Change
Wednesday 08 July, 12:00
Knowledge Café - Meaningful Connectivity by Design: Exploring Practical Pathways and Solutions Together
Session 445 by: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
Wednesday 08 July, 13:00
Human-Centred Model for Global AI Governance: What Can Be Learned from the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence (Vilnius Convention)
Session 229 by: Permanent Mission of the Republic of Lithuania
Tool or Takeover? AI, Music, and Creative Ownership
Session 317 by: Lindsey Mastis, Blue Moves Media
Wednesday 08 July, 13:15
The 2nd Interregional Dialogue on Digital Cooperation: Regional and Inter-regional pathways for the WSIS 2035 and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance
Session 388 by: The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Egypt and The UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, The UN Economic Commission for Africa, The UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, The UN Economic Commission for Europe
Wednesday 08 July, 14:00
Connected and coherent: the Yin and Yang of digital education
Session 327 by: ITU, UNICEF, UNESCO
Wednesday 08 July, 16:00
Beyond Ethics and Regulation: Compassionate AI for a Just and Sustainable World
Session 574 by: Satyarthi Movement for Global Compassion (SMGC)
Rethinking skills in the AI age
Session 582 by: MSIT Korea/OECD
Wednesday 08 July, 17:00
High-Level Dialogue on Financial Mechanisms for Digital Development
Session 468 by: International Telecommunication Union
Thursday 09 July, 10:00
The Politics of Knowledge in the AI Age: Empowering Human Agency through Standards, Human Rights, and the Role of Corporations
Session 395 by: International Telecommunication Union, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Harvard Kennedy School Carr-Ryan Center
Thursday 09 July, 11:00
From local to global Internet governance
Session 393 by: ISOC France
Thursday 09 July, 13:00
Advancing Quantum Safe Transitions: Ethical, Legal, Social, and Policy Dimensions
Session 207 by: Data Economy Policy Hub (DepHUB), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Information for All Programme (IFAP), and Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU
Measuring What Matters: Revisiting ICT Core Indicators for the WSIS Vision
Session 266 by: Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development
No documentWho Certifies the AI That Moves Among Us? Building Independent Safety Assurance for AI in the Physical World
Session 208 by: Responsible AI for Safety and Ethics (RAISE)
Thursday 09 July, 14:00
Preventing Non-Consensual Intimate Image Abuse: Global Responses to Tech-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence
Session 397 by: SWGfL
Thursday 09 July, 15:00
Sustainable financing for digital development
Session 116 by: Association for Progressive Communications and the Swiss Federal Office of Communication
When digital systems fail: Understanding the Risk of a Global Digital Pandemic
Session 408 by: ITU/UNDRR/SciencesPo
Operationalizing Digital Resilience
Session 235 by: GNKS Consult; Marconi Society Resilience Institute
Thursday 09 July, 16:00
Common But Differentiated Responsibilities – How can we realize this principle in WSIS implementation?
Session 237 by: Global Digital Justice Forum
Better Data for AI – A Possible Task
Session 239 by: UN-CCSA/ UNCTAD/ITU/ Colombia, Norway, UK
No document
Thursday 09 July, 17:00
High-Level Dialogue - LLDCs
Session 420 by: ITU
WSIS+20 Outcome Document: Fostering Digital Transformation in Africa
Session 423 by: Africa ICT Alliance (AfICTA)
From Dialogue to Practice: NRI-Driven Multistakeholder Labs for WSIS Implementation
Session 425 by: AGID - Italy, APC , LAC IGF, IGF Secretariat and other stakeholders
AI and Energy for Sustainable Digital Development: Governance, Infrastructure, and Global CooperationOur session
Session 421 by: The EnergyPact Foundation
Rethinking learning for the AI era
Session 250 by: DiploFoundation/Geneva Internet Platform, Beijing Institute of Technology
Digital Inclusion as a Driver of Community Development
Session 355 by: ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, Rhizomatica and Association for Progressive Communications
How can we articulate Global AI Governance with Human Rights and Multistakeholder Engagement?
Session 424 by: Data Privacy Brasil
Friday 10 July, 09:00
Making AI Safe in the Real World: From Governance Principles to Operational Tools
Session 241 by: Council of Europe
Inclusion Without Safety Is Not Empowerment: Automation Is Scaling Harm Faster Than We Can Respond
Session 243 by: Away from Keyboard Inc, Soroptimist International, Women 4 STEM
Building fit-for purpose networks: Emergency Telecommunications in Action
Session 428 by: ITU/GSMA
No document
Friday 10 July, 10:00
WSIS+20 in Action: Implementation, Cooperation and Review – Part II
Session 314 by: UN DESA
Rethinking capacity building and digital learning for today and tomorrow's world (WSIS Action Line C4 session)
Session 293 by: International Telecommunication Union, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Safe at Scale: Translating the UN Automated Driving Systems (ADS) Regulation into Global Action
Session 245 by: The Institute for AI International Governance of Tsinghua University
Building Digital Trust: The Role of International Standards in Inclusive Digital Transformation
Session 246 by: The British Standards Institution
Sovereign Health Systems and the Collective Privacy Gap: What the World's First Indigenous-Sovereign AI Health Initiative Reveals About the Limits of Current Governance
Session 488 by: Innovation Network Global (ING), Innovation Network Canada, Dynamic Coalition on Emerging Technologies, UN IGF
Friday 10 July, 10:15
High-Level Dialogue Parliamentarian: Parliamentary Dialogue on Digital Governance
Session 429 by: Inter-Parliamentary Union, International Telecommunication Union, United Nations Development Programme, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
Friday 10 July, 11:00
Developing strategies for AI literacy in action
Session 136 by: TikTok
Friday 10 July, 11:15
Building Trust and Protection for Essential Digital Services
Session 436 by: ICRC
Friday 10 July, 13:00
High Level Dialogue: Strengthening the Resilience of Telecommunication Submarine Cables
Session 476 by: ITU/Portugal/Nigeria
Friday 10 July, 16:00
Closing Ceremony and Chair’s WSIS Forum 2026 Summary
Session 533 by: WSIS/ITU