Lillestrøm, Norway, 26 June 2025 – The Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) convened an Open Forum this week at the 20th Internet Governance Forum (IGF), spotlighting the importance of inclusive, multilateral action in driving resilience and prosperity in the global digital economy.
Bringing together senior figures from the Agency for Digital Italy (AGID), the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), Nortal, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), as well as DCO Member States including the Federal Republic of Nigeria and think tanks, the session titled “Cooperating for Digital Resilience and Prosperity” highlighted the urgent need to align transformative actions and avoid fragmentation across global digital initiatives. Panelists agreed that in a world facing geopolitical polarization and economic divides, digital cooperation is no longer optional but essential for promoting inclusive growth and mitigating risk.
Speakers underscored the importance of embedding the needs of the Global South and marginalized communities into emerging digital goverenance frameworks, such as the Global Digital Compact (GDC) and the WSIS+20 review process. They also stressed that impact-driven cooperation must extend beyond the UN system, inviting more robust engagement with regional entities, national governments, and grassroots digital initiatives to ensure that knowledge, resources, and solutions are shared effectively.
Hassan Nasser, Special Envoy for Multilateral Affairs at the DCO, highlighted how the organization is helping members move from dialogue to delivery. “Digital cooperation must go beyond declarations and become a practical toolkit for development, inclusion, and innovation” he said. “It is essential for all stakeholders to prioritize coordination to ensure that collectively, we elevate our actions toward Global Digital Compact (GDC) implementation and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through our tools and frameworks, such as the data-based Digital Economy Navigator, DCO is helping Member States translate potential into policy, and policy into tangible progress for their people and economies.”
Since its founding in 2020, the DCO has grown to 16 member countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa. Guided by its mission, they ensure that digital advances directly lead to job creation, increased access to services, and greater equity for the 800 million people living in its Member States.
The DCO’s engagement at IGF 2025 comes at a critical moment as global attention builds ahead of WSIS+20, the 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society, and the ongoing implementation of the Global Digital Compact (GDC), a United Nations-led framework for a shared, inclusive digital future. These processes aim to establish guiding principles for digital governance. DCO’s engagement at IGF 2025 served as a clear reminder that success will ultimately depend on implementation at national and regional levels.
Participants stressed the importance of aligning global initiatives with national strategies, closing digital divides through innovative financing mechanisms, and investing in data-driven policymaking to build more effective and equitable digital economies. The discussion also highlighted the role of regional integration in scaling innovation and digital trade, as well as the need for greater coherence among international institutions to better serve the priorities of developing countries.
By convening this session at IGF 2025, the DCO reinforced its commitment to Member State-led, yet globally coordinated multistakeholder digital development. Its leadership in this space demonstrates that multilateralism can be both inclusive and results-oriented, delivering tools, knowledge, and partnerships that directly impact people’s lives.
As the digital future becomes increasingly central to economic and social development, the DCO’s role as a facilitator of meaningful, applied cooperation is more important than ever. Through its active participation in global forums such as the IGF and its ongoing support to Member States, the DCO continues to shape a digital economy that is open, inclusive, and built to serve all.
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