Global Digital Economy Lighthouse Program
Identifying, recognizing, and scaling digital innovations that drive inclusive and sustainable development worldwide.
Program Flyer
A quick visual overview of the Lighthouse Program, participation pathway, benefits, and key dates.
Why this Program Matters
The program responds to the Global Digital Compact by spotlighting digital solutions that close divides, support inclusive governance, and help communities adopt practical innovations.
What Is a Lighthouse Case?
Lighthouse Case refers to exemplary digital practices implemented by various industry entities in the digital economy sector, including enterprises, industrial parks, universities and research institutions, international organizations, industry associations and alliances, which guide and empower others through measurable, inclusive and replicable impact.
Six Case Categories
The program welcomes urban, rural, regional, and cross-border digital innovation cases.
Digital Urban Governance
Inclusive Digital Services
Green & Resilient Cities
Digital Economy & Local Livelihoods
Smart Mobility & Spatial Development
Social Inclusion & Vulnerable Groups
Minimum Requirements + Framework Alignment
Cases should be mature, impact-driven, inclusive, compliant, and aligned with global digital and sustainable development frameworks.
Evaluation Indicator Framework
Cases are assessed across four dimensions, with weighted sub-indicators that emphasize impact, scalability, sustainability, and trustworthiness.
- Problem-solving capacity (15)
- Inclusive empowerment (15)
- Green and low-carbon performance (10)
- Industrial ecosystem empowerment (10)
- Validated scalability (10)
- Cross-scenario replicability (10)
- Local context adaptability (10)
- Local operational autonomy (10)
- Ethical compliance management (5)
- Data security safeguards (5)
Key Dates
Round I and Round II milestones for submissions, review, promotion, and casebook publication.
Why Participate?
Selected Lighthouse Cases can gain formal recognition, global visibility, knowledge inclusion, collaboration opportunities, and long-term branding value.
Official certificate jointly issued by ITU, ITC, DEC40, and GSLDC, recognizing your case as a globally endorsed benchmark in digital innovation within the UN ecosystem.
Case inclusion in the Global Digital Economy Lighthouse Case Collection (2026), publicly accessible on the websites of the four organizing institutions as global public goods.
Invited to present at the Global Digital Economy Conference (Beijing, 2 July 2026) or the AI for Good Global Summit (Geneva, 2nd week of July 2026).
Join the “Lighthouse Cooperation Network” with priority access to cross-regional technical assistance, partnership matching, and facilitation of pilot-scale funding.
Eligibility for Honorable Mention recognition in four priority SDG-aligned areas: South-South cooperation, MSME empowerment, climate action, and gender equality.
Authorized to use the “Global Digital Economy Lighthouse Program” logo; participation in year-round global roadshows, media outreach, and joint branding initiatives.
Submit or Nominate a Lighthouse Case
Self-application and nomination pathways are available. No application fee is required.