“Booth 39”: the ICT4D Collective at WSIS 2026

Three authors of Digital Inclusion in an Unequal World
Three of the 32 authors who helped craft the tapestry: Digital Inclusion in an Unequal World: An Emancipatory Manifesto, speaking in our Session 347 (Credit: ITU Official Photographer)

It is a long time since the ICT4D Collective last had a booth at the WSIS Annual Forum, but given our active involvement in both WSIS and AIforGood in 2026 we were delighted to have been allocated Booth 39 in this year’s much redesigned exhibition area. We are so grateful to Gitanjali Sah and Sarah El Omari for making this possible (and thanks too for the t-shirts to add to our collections).

Booth 39 provided a great opportunity to catch up with friends made since the ICT4D Collective was established in 2004 as well as the chance to meet many new faces working in similar areas and sharing similar values. It also provided an excellent base from which to foray out into the many sessions in which we were involved during the week (see link to our programme of activities at WSIS). For Tim, Booth 39 also provided a great opportunity to raise the profile of his new book among those engaged in the WSIS process. The pictures below share glimpses of what members of the collective engaged in mainly around Booth 39 during the week.

Some of the resources we had freely available on the stand are also available online:

Find out more

‘Digital Transformation for Inclusive Labour Migration Governance’ at the ITCILO

Group photo ITCILO Digital Governance Initiative 2026

Prof G. ‘Hari’ Harindranath spent a fantastic week at the ITCILO‘s (the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization) beautiful campus in Turin, Italy during June 2026 where he led sessions on ‘Digital Transformation for Inclusive Labour Migration Governance’, as part of the ITCILO’s Digital Governance Initiative. His sessions covered the following key themes in the digitalisation of labour migration:

  • Responsible digitalisation of labour migration processes
  • Policy coherence and the whole-of-government approach to labour migration digitalisation
  • Digital maturity and capability assessment frameworks for labour migration digitalisation
  • Data as an asset in the digitalisation of labour migration, building capacity for data management, data integration and interoperability, and stakeholder engagement
  • Responsible data practices including data ethics and data justice

The week brought together representatives from the entire spectrum of stakeholders in labour migration including government, public employment services, private recruitment, social protection, migrant support services, research and international development.

Sara's drawing of what we discussed on Digital Transformation for Inclusive Labour migration



Labour migration management is increasingly digital but digitalisation is not inherently transformative. Without appropriate governance and institutional frameworks, multi-stakeholder engagement and a steadfast focus on accountability and inclusion, digitalisation is likely to leave the most vulnerable (migrant workers) behind.

Thank you to the amazing team at ITCILO especially Michela Albertazzi Elton Di Tommazi Maciel, Marion Christophe and Sebastián Bermúdez Meza as well as Charles Crevier and Mauricio Escribens. I wish the Digital Governance Initiative at the ITCILO every success.

Written by Prof. G. “Hari” Harindranath