WSA Global Congress – Hyderabad, India
Digital Democracy & Us: Impact Solutions for Global Challenges
Where: T-Hub - Hyderabad, India
When: April 6 - 9, 2025
Why join?
If you are passionate about addressing global challenges, data & democracy, and digital divides, join the WSA Global Congress – the world’s largest community of social entrepreneurs working to change the world through digital technology, one day at a time.
- Share your ideas on social issues on a global stage with direct exposure to innovators, government and the private sector
- Exchange, learn, and co-create on an eye-to-eye level with an especially diverse multi-stakeholder community
- Learn from Indian ecosystem partners about digital & IT infrastructure & meet the buzzing innovation ecosystem in Hyderabad
View invitation View evolving program
Key Topics
Digital Democracy
Citizen Participation, Access, and Transparency
Digital tools are transforming how we engage with governance, offering new ways to amplify voices, access information, and participate in decision-making. Yet, it also raises critical questions: How do echo chambers shape public opinion? Can we safeguard privacy and trust in the face of data misuse? What happens to democracy when millions lack digital access?
Join for bold discussions, discover best practice solutions and learn from international experts.
It's in our hands
Data, Digital Divides, Ethics
The digital world is a reflection of our choices—how we manage data, uphold sovereignty, and define ethical boundaries. Are we building systems that empower people or reinforce control? Who owns our digital identities, and how do we ensure fairness in an interconnected age?
Impact Solutions
Social Entrepreneurship, UN SDGs, ESGs
How can digital innovation address the world’s toughest challenges? From climate action to social equity, health, education or inclusion. Discover global best practices and connect with global changemakers and innovation experts.
Winners
For 20+ years, every year over 200 nationally elected solutions get judged by 400+ global jury members across 3 voting rounds and 45 overall global winners are selected. These 45 overall winners are then recognized and celebrated during the Global Congress.
Key Participants
Program flow
WSA Global Congress Evolving Program by WSA
Support the WSA Youth Community
Empower Young Innovators. Shape the Future.
In times of crisis and misinformation, young changemakers need support more than ever. WSA equips them with the knowledge, networks, and opportunities to drive real impact.
At the WSA Global Congress 2025 in India, youth innovators will connect with global leaders to tackle today’s biggest challenges through digital solutions. But many can’t afford to attend.
Help us raise €15,000 to fund scholarships for 10 young innovators from crisis regions. Your support covers travel, stay, and participation—turning dreams into action.
Every contribution counts. Let’s make innovation accessible to all!
Digital Sangam: Bridging Citizens & Digital Innovation for High Impact
Digital Sangam is an international expo at that will occur at the WSA Global Congress, taking place on 7th-8th April at T-Hub, Hyderabad.
A flagship exhibition of the WSA Global Congress 2025, Digital Sangam is a key highlight organized by the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) in collaboration with the Government of Telangana. This dynamic expo celebrates the intersection of technology and citizen empowerment, showcasing how digital solutions can drive inclusive growth and sustainable development.
Digital Sangam highlights Telangana’s advancements in digital transformation and its commitment to an inclusive digital future. The exhibition features innovative solutions that enhance governance, strengthen community engagement, and empower individuals. Attendees can experience interactive demonstrations, engage with WSA 2024 global winners, and explore best practices in digital innovation for social, economic, and environmental impact.
As a collaborative effort across governance, education, health, and sustainability, Digital Sangam reinforces the idea that digital justice must align with social justice to create equitable, lasting change.
Limited Slots Available – Apply Now!
Be part of the global confluence of innovation by securing your place at Digital Sangam and shaping the future of citizen-centric digital transformation!
Apply now
Statements
ITU Secretary-General’s statement for the World Summit Awards (WSA) Global Congress 2025
Technology is more than networks and devices — it can connect people and communities, bridge socioeconomic divides, amplify marginalized voices, and turn dreams into reality.
This vision has driven the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process for the past twenty years.
As we approach the 20-year review of the WSIS process, we celebrate two decades of progress, partnership, and perseverance in harnessing digital solutions to tackle global challenges.
With five years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the urgency to act has never been greater.
The WSIS+20 Review is our chance to both reflect on the past and look towards the future.
It also reaffirms the power of multistakeholder collaboration — governments, international organizations, the private sector, civil society, the technical community, and academia all working together — to put digital technologies at the service of the SDGs.
On behalf of ITU, the United Nations agency for digital technologies, I thank the World Summit Awards for its commitment to the WSIS process and congratulate all the WSA Winners and Young Innovators.
Their achievements remind us that our shared digital future is not something that merely happens to us, but something we can actively shape.
I invite these young innovators to showcase their ideas at the youth track of the WSIS+20 High-Level Event in July 2025, where we will continue to build a better digital future for all.
Supporting and Strategic Partners
The Global Congress is co-organized by WSA and the DEF.
World Summit Awards (WSA) is a global community initiative that champions innovation ecosystems in 182 UN member states. WSA operates an international jury and award system to identify and honour digital impact solutions tied to the UN SDGs. WSA is working with a network of global experts with a focus on digital ingenuity for people, planet and prosperity.It serves as a due diligence engine and trend tracking pipeline for ESG partnerships. WSA was initiated in 2003 in the framework of the UN World Summit on the Information Society and closely works with UN entities like UNESCO, ITU, UNIDO, and the Youth Office to achieve its objectives – which include narrowing digital divides and contributing to an inclusive knowledge society.
The Digital Empowerment Foundation started almost at the sametime as WSA, as a Delhi-based nonprofit organization. Since morethan 20 years DEF is working towards empowering people to gainaccess to better healthcare, education, skills and livelihoodopportunities through digital literacy and digital tools. Theorganization’s main focus is to make technology easily accessible tothe masses, to empower women, youth, persons with disabilitiesand the elderly through providing functional digital literacy, medialiteracy, and digital up-skilling across agriculture, micro and nano-business, health, education, livelihood, and entrepreneurial skills.
