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Statement delivered by the Republic of Lithuania on behalf of the Baltic States at the WSIS+20 General Assembly Overall Review – Preparatory Process 1st Preparatory Meeting on Friday, 30 May 2025.

Excellencies, Dear Colleagues,

Let me congratulate you on your appointment as co-facilitators for one of the key processes this year and thank you for providing its roadmap.

I thank you for organizing this timely meeting and opportunity to deliver our thoughts and ideas as we start with the process of the WSIS+20 overall review.

I am delivering this statement on behalf of Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and my own country - Lithuania. We also align ourselves with the statement delivered by the European Union.

Over the past two decades, the vision of a human-centered, inclusive, and development-oriented Information Society has both deepened and broadened in scope. In 2005 WSIS was discussing dial-up Internet with half a billion users, predominantly in the developed world. Today broadband internet is the tool for 5,5 billion internet users, that represents 67% of world population. Significant strides have been made in raising awareness and developing advanced tools to foster digital inclusion and support development goals. However, the practical realization of this vision remains uneven across regions and populations. Emerging digital divides, ethical dilemmas, and evolving governance challenges now call for renewed commitment and forward-thinking strategies. While the foundational goals of the WSIS vision remain highly relevant, they must be reimagined and adapted to meet the demands of today’s rapidly evolving and increasingly complex digital landscape.

WSIS has consistently promoted a multistakeholder model that brings together governments, civil society, the private sector, technical community, and international organizations in shaping digital policy. This collaborative and inclusive approach helps ensure that a wide range of voices—particularly those from underrepresented regions and communities—are integrated into policy discussions, leading to more equitable, responsive, and context-aware governance frameworks. In this vein the role of the Internet Governance Forum should be strengthened, which also means institutionalizing it beyond 2025. Undermining the multistakeholder internet governance model that undermines openness, inclusiveness, and digital security must be firmly resisted. Also, discussion about enhanced cooperation should be ceased. With IANA transition within ICANN in 2016 addressed the root cause of this process – ensuring that no particular state government has exclusive oversight role over critical internet resources. Debate about public policy component of internet governance must be continued, instead.

It is also essential to ensure synergies and complementarity between the WSIS-post 20 and the Global Digital Compact—an especially critical consideration, amid the current liquidity crisis.

Safeguarding human rights online, bridging digital divides, and enhancing information and media literacy must remain our top priorities in the development of the Information Society.

We believe that the current WSIS Action Lines offer sufficient flexibility to address emerging technologies, including AI. However, the governance of AI must be firmly grounded in international law—particularly international humanitarian law and international human rights law. The fundamental rights and freedoms that apply offline must be equally respected and protected in the digital environment.

The rapid proliferation of social media platforms, combined with the rise of AI-driven content creation tools, has significantly amplified the spread of misinformation and disinformation. These developments pose complex and evolving challenges that must be addressed under WSIS+20 review process.

With less than five years remaining to achieve the SDGs—and many targets still off track—there is an urgent need to strengthen the contribution of the WSIS framework to the implementation of the SDG agenda.

Excellencies,

Digital connectivity underpins progress across nearly all SDGs—from education and healthcare to economic growth and climate action. In today’s digital age, ensuring that no one is left behind also means ensuring that no one is left offline. Baltic states remain committed to this endeavor and we are looking forward to actively engaging in the process.