In an era where technology is reshaping every facet of human life, digital innovations are emerging as crucial tools for sustainable development. From AI-powered solutions in health and education to the creation of digital public infrastructures, technology is unlocking new pathways for innovation and transforming public service delivery across the globe.
As digital transformation becomes a cornerstone of modern living, it is also climbing to the top of policy agendas worldwide. Policymakers are increasingly focused on ensuring that digital advancements, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI), foster a more inclusive and sustainable future.
The year 2025 holds significant promise, marked by key milestones such as the five-year countdown to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deadline and the 20th anniversary of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
Against this backdrop, global efforts to advance digital transformation will center on events designed to accelerate progress, foster partnerships, and highlight country-level successes. Here are five major events shaping the digital development landscape in 2025:
1) Paris AI Action Summit
Date: February 10–11, 2025
Location: Paris, France
In February, Paris will host the AI Action Summit, uniting global leaders from government, international organizations, academia, and the private sector. The summit will focus on harnessing AI to drive social, economic, and environmental progress. Building on previous AI safety summits held in the UK and South Korea, discussions will center around five key themes: public interest AI, the future of work, innovation and culture, trust in AI, and global AI governance.
An inclusive approach is integral to the summit’s goals, with preparatory events gathering diverse insights. For instance, a 2024 workshop emphasized equity and sustainability in AI governance, especially for the Global Majority. The summit aims to deliver meaningful commitments to ensure AI becomes a tool for global progress.
2) World Bank Global Digital Summit
Date: March 17–20, 2025
Location: Washington, D.C., USA
Under the theme “Digital Pathways for All,” the World Bank’s second Global Digital Summit highlights its deepening focus on digital development. With the institution’s new scorecard now including digital transformation indicators, and $100 billion raised for development challenges through IDA21, the summit signals a renewed commitment to addressing digital divides.
The event will bring together policymakers, tech leaders, and civil society to explore how digital technologies can transform economies, enhance public services, and empower marginalized communities.
3) Global AI Summit on Africa
Date: April 3–4, 2025
Location: Kigali, Rwanda
Hosted by Rwanda’s Ministry of ICT and Innovation, this inaugural summit will focus on leveraging AI to foster inclusive economic opportunities across Africa. Amid growing concerns about global AI divides—only 5% of African AI innovators currently have adequate access to computational resources—the summit aims to champion equitable AI access.
Key discussions will build on initiatives like the AI Hub for Sustainable Development, which accelerates sustainable AI-driven industrial growth in Africa. This is a critical step to ensuring AI serves as a catalyst for inclusive development, leaving no one behind.
4) Hamburg Sustainability Conference (HSC)
Date: June 2–3, 2025
Location: Hamburg, Germany
Germany will host the second Hamburg Sustainability Conference, a multistakeholder initiative aimed at scaling partnerships and solutions for sustainable development. Last year’s event laid the groundwork with the launch of principles on responsible AI and an AI SDG Compendium.
This year, the HSC will take a step further by formalizing a Declaration on Responsible AI for the SDGs, outlining a shared vision for responsible AI governance to drive impactful development outcomes.
5) WSIS+20 High-Level Event
Date: July 7–11, 2025
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Celebrating 20 years since the inaugural World Summit on the Information Society, this landmark event will reflect on progress in building an inclusive digital future. Organized by ITU in collaboration with UNESCO, UNDP, and UNCTAD, the summit will assess achievements, challenges, and opportunities in digital transformation.
Running alongside WSIS+20, the AI for Good Global Summit will convene 40 UN agencies and global stakeholders to explore AI solutions for sustainable development. Later in July, Norway will host the Internet Governance Forum, reinforcing global commitments to a sustainable digital ecosystem.
6) UN General Assembly High-Level Week and SDG Digital
High-level General Debate begins 23 September 2025
New York, United States
This year’s UN General Assembly high-level week marks the organization’s 80th anniversary. As in past years, digital technologies are expected to be high on the agenda of world leaders as they convene in New York. One topic of particular interest will likely be how to realize the commitments and actions adopted in the Global Digital Compact, one annex to the Pact of the Future agreed in 2024. The GDC sets out a shared vision to deliver “an inclusive, open, sustainable, fair, safe and secure digital future for all” and realizing this vision will require action from all stakeholders.
The week will also be an opportunity to identify new partnerships, models, and commitments to accelerate the SDGs. With only five years left until 2030, just 17 percent of the SDG’s 169 targets are on track for completion. Digital is one powerful accelerator of progress on the SDGs, with the potential to support 70 percent of SDG targets. SDG Digital, organized by UNDP and the International Telecommunications Union, convenes leaders from governments, civil society, the private sector, youth, and academia to realize this potential for digital technologies to support a more sustainable, inclusive, and responsible future. The third edition of SDG Digital will take place this year, building on the commitments delivered in 2023 and 2024.
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7) Global Digital Public Infrastructure Summit
4-6 November 2025
Location TBD
The past several years have seen growing recognition of the fundamental role that digital public infrastructure (DPI) —including digital payments, identification, and data exchanges—can play in fostering inclusive digital transformation and delivering government services at scale. For instance, the 50-in-5 initiative, a campaign to help countries design and launch DPI, has already attracted 22 countries to join its campaign.
The first Global DPI Summit was held in Egypt last year and co-hosted by Co-Develop, the International Telecommunications Union, the UN Office for the Special Envoy on Technology, UNDP, and the World Bank. The summit brought together an emerging and growing global DPI community, representing more than 100 countries. Its outcome statement identified seven ‘big bets’ for DPI in 2025, including developing safeguards to ensure safe and inclusive DPI, increasing knowledge sharing, and adopting international standards on DPI. Expect the 2025 summit to bring in even more DPI leaders and provide the space for further progress in delivering these foundational technologies to support development.
8) 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 30)
10-21 November 2025
Belém, Brazil
Fifty thousand people are expected to descend on Belém in November, as the city hosts the thirtieth UN climate conference to be held in the Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest. Among the many pressing issues participants will face is how to leverage the benefits that digital technologies can offer in reducing carbon emissions while constraining their rapidly expanding carbon footprint. Recent research gives reason for concern, particularly given the demands of energy-hungry AI. By 2030, AI is poised to drive a 160 percent increase in data center power demands.
In 2024, COP29 organized the first Digitalization Day to draw attention to the relationship between digital technologies and climate change and saw the adoption of the Declaration on Green Digital Action by 76 governments and more than 1700 non-state actors. COP30 can build on these achievements and identify pathbreaking solutions to scale.
9) G20 Summit
22-23 November 2025
Johannesburg, South Africa
South Africa will host this year’s G20 presidency, the first in Africa, under the theme ‘Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability.’ Although the G20 has its roots in global financial and economic issues, in recent years, the group has expanded its portfolio, including by delivering a series of digital-related agreements on issues such as AI, DPI, and connectivity.
South Africa intends to build on these efforts in 2025. This year, the G20 digital economy working group is expected to focus on four priorities: connectivity for inclusive digital development; digital public infrastructure and transformation; digital innovation ecosystems; and equitable, inclusive, and just AI. In addition to the work of the digital economy track, under South Africa’s leadership, the G20 will also organize a task force on AI, data governance, and innovation for sustainable development. South Africa has identified several deliverables for the task force, including an AI for Africa initiative to turbocharge implementation of the AU Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy and a technology policy assistance facility, to support the development of national AI policies and strategies.
10) Digital Public Goods Alliance Annual Members Meeting
December
Location TBD
The Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA) will hold its annual members meeting, a multistakeholder convening that brings together the open-source technical community with governments, philanthropies, civil society and development actors to support the development and use of open-source digital technologies. DPGA recently unveiled a new strategy to strengthen global DPG advocacy as it also works to bring together the wider community of DPG actors.
