Call for Case Submissions & Nominations

Global Digital Economy Lighthouse Program

Identifying, recognizing, and scaling digital innovations that drive inclusive and sustainable development worldwide.

Official Program Poster

Program Flyer

A quick visual overview of the Lighthouse Program, participation pathway, benefits, and key dates.

Global Digital Economy Lighthouse Program poster

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.

Operational maturity Implemented and stably operated for at least 6 months.
Problem response Addresses a specific development challenge with verifiable outcomes.
Inclusivity Generates benefits for underserved groups, including women, youth, rural populations, persons with disabilities, and MSMEs.
Compliance No major safety, data privacy, ethical, or legal incidents in the past 3 years.
Framework alignment Contributes to the Global Digital Compact, the 2030 Agenda, or comparable frameworks.
Evaluation Framework

Evaluation Indicator Framework

Cases are assessed across four dimensions, with weighted sub-indicators that emphasize impact, scalability, sustainability, and trustworthiness.

Impact Weight 50
  • Problem-solving capacity (15)
  • Inclusive empowerment (15)
  • Green and low-carbon performance (10)
  • Industrial ecosystem empowerment (10)
Scalability Weight 20
  • Validated scalability (10)
  • Cross-scenario replicability (10)
Sustainability Weight 20
  • Local context adaptability (10)
  • Local operational autonomy (10)
Trustworthiness Weight 10
  • Ethical compliance management (5)
  • Data security safeguards (5)

Key Dates

Round I and Round II milestones for submissions, review, promotion, and casebook publication.

From now – 15 JuneGlobal Call for Submissions (Round I)
16 – 25 JuneRound I Evaluation and Notification
2 JulyLaunch of Round I Outstanding Cases
Second week of JulyInternational Summit Showcase & Rolling Call Launch
July – AugustRound II Submission and Evaluation
SeptemberFinal Assessment & Casebook Launch
September – DecemberGlobal Dissemination & Partnerships Development

Why Participate?

Selected Lighthouse Cases can gain formal recognition, global visibility, knowledge inclusion, collaboration opportunities, and long-term branding value.

Global Recognition

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.

Knowledge Asset

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.

Premier International Platform

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).

Global Replication Support

Join the “Lighthouse Cooperation Network” with priority access to cross-regional technical assistance, partnership matching, and facilitation of pilot-scale funding.

Honorable Mention Opportunities

Eligibility for Honorable Mention recognition in four priority SDG-aligned areas: South-South cooperation, MSME empowerment, climate action, and gender equality.

Long-term Branding

Authorized to use the “Global Digital Economy Lighthouse Program” logo; participation in year-round global roadshows, media outreach, and joint branding initiatives.

Open for Submissions

Submit or Nominate a Lighthouse Case

Self-application and nomination pathways are available. No application fee is required.

Global-Digital-Lighthouse-Case-Collection@ungyldc.org
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