Press Release: GSLDC at WSIS Forum 2026

GSLDC Co-Hosts Official WSIS Forum 2026 Side Event in Geneva, Advancing AI-Driven Climate Finance for the Global South

Geneva, Switzerland — 6 July 2026 — The Global SDGs and Leadership Development Center (GSLDC) co-organized and co-hosted an official side event at the WSIS Forum 2026, the United Nations’ flagship summit on digital sustainable development hosted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) under UNGA Resolution A/RES/80/173. The session, “AI-Driven Empowerment for Innovative Climate Finance: Bridging the Global Climate Investment Gap via an Inclusive, Digitally Equitable Just Transition” (Session 562), was held at ITU Montbrillant and convened senior leaders from the United Nations system, government, and the private sector to address one of the most urgent gaps in global climate action: financing.

A GSLDC-Led Platform for Global Dialogue

With supporting partners including the UAE Global 2031 Strategic Partnership, the Office of Sheikh Hamad Rakadh Salem Hamad Alameri, the Social Impact Investment Foundation (SIIF), and the Global Ecological Sustainable Development Union, the event brought AI-enabled climate finance and digital carbon governance to the center of the WSIS agenda.

Dr. Tan Eng Han, Co-Director of GSLDC, delivered the welcome address, opening a program that combined keynote addresses, best-practice showcases, an awards ceremony, and a high-level roundtable.

GSLDC Leadership at the Center of the Programme

GSLDC’s institutional leadership was prominently featured throughout the session:

• Dr. Francis Gurry, former Director-General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and a former UN Under-Secretary-General, who serves as Chair of GSLDC’s Advisory Council, delivered a keynote address and closed the best-practice segment with a summary of the session’s three expected outcomes.
• Fabrizio Hochschild, former UN Under-Secretary-General and Emeritus Chair of GSLDC’s Advisory Committee, delivered the closing remarks for the side event.
• Grace Gao Ling, Executive Director of GSLDC, was honored with the 2026 Award for Outstanding Contributions to Multilateral Climate Cooperation & the Empowerment of Developing Economies, recognizing GSLDC’s institutional contribution to advancing inclusive, multilateral climate finance solutions.

Concrete Outcomes Driven by the Session

The side event delivered a substantive set of outcomes that will shape the next phase of global climate finance cooperation:

• Launch of the Global Digital Carbon Market Innovation Partnership (GDCMIP), a new cooperation framework for digital carbon markets, to be further developed through GSLDC’s ongoing engagement with ITU.
• Draft Geneva Principles for High-Integrity Institutional Offsetting, a preliminary governance framework to be finalized by a newly proposed Technical Working Group.
• A Policy Consensus Brief, consolidating the session’s recommendations for formal submission to WSIS and the UNFCCC.
• A Replicable Digital Carbon Case Toolkit, integrating best practices — including the Dubai ClimateEX platform, ESG-backed digital gold asset mechanisms, and an Indonesia peatland carbon credit project — for dissemination to developing countries.

Part of a Broader Geneva Mission

The side event anchored a two-day GSLDC mission to Geneva that also included a high-level bilateral meeting with ITU Deputy Secretary-General Tomas Lamanauskas, a closed-door roundtable on institutional carbon offsetting under Paris Agreement Article 6 at the Palais des Nations — co-hosted by GSLDC — and engagements at the AI for Good Global Summit 2026 and the International Trade Centre (ITC), reinforcing GSLDC’s role as a bridge between multilateral institutions, government, and the private sector on climate and digital governance.

About GSLDC

The Global SDGs and Leadership Development Center (GSLDC) partners with United Nations agencies including ITU, ITC, UNIDO, UNDRR, and UNITAR to advance leadership development, sustainable finance, and digital governance in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

For media inquiries, please contact Mr. Sovannmakara NGOUN (Jay) at jay.ngoun@ungyldc.org.