UNECE Joins United Nations’ Global Call-to-Action to Accelerate Social Progress Through AI-Powered Virtual Worlds

13 June 2025: UNECE joined forces with 17 other UN entities during the 2nd UN Virtual Worlds Day to urge governments, civil society, academia, and the private sector to harness the transformative potential of AI-powered virtual worlds to drive development that works for all. 

The call-to-action outlines 12 priorities—from expanding connectivity to promoting responsible use of emerging technologies—in order to ensure that no one is left behind in the fast-evolving digital era. 

"Harnessing virtual worlds through common frameworks and standards can drive regional cooperation and smart, sustainable development. This initiative speaks to the heart of UNECE’s work to digitize its normative and capacity building instruments and enable communities to deal with the most pressing economic, environmental and social challenges in a data-driven and forward-looking manner,” said UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean. 

Held under the theme “From Innovation to Impact: Delivering on the Pact for the Future”, the second edition of UN Virtual Worlds Day highlighted the importance of interagency cooperation and demonstrated the growing momentum across the UN system to foster shared innovation, global standards, and inclusive digital ecosystems. 

Twelve priorities for a digital future for all 

The call-to-action emphasizes the importance of expanding access to meaningful connectivity; empowering people through digital public infrastructure; promoting responsible and transparent use of AI; protecting environmental sustainability and cultural heritage; fostering youth digital skills and innovation; and advancing global standards and multistakeholder collaboration. This includes concrete measures such as investing in digital infrastructure and platforms that reach underserved communities (Call 1), building inclusive, accessible, and multilingual systems to deliver public services such as health and education (Call 2), and fostering the ethical and transparent use of AI with robust safeguards for privacy, human dignity, and non-discrimination (Call 3). The call also highlights the potential of immersive technologies to drive inclusive economic growth, enable new business models, and create opportunities across diverse sectors and regions (Call 6).

The priorities in the call directly respond to the Pact for the Future, adopted at the 2024 UN Summit of the Future, and support the implementation of its Global Digital Compact and Declaration for Future Generations, as well as the World Summit on the Information Society+20 (WSIS+20) process beyond 2025. 

They also offer concrete proposals to inform the 2025 Second World Summit for Social Development (WSSD2), which aims to accelerate action on poverty eradication, the promotion of full employment and decent work, and social inclusion. 

From vision to action: Partnering to deliver the digital future 

The second edition of UN Virtual Worlds Day was co-organized by a broad coalition of UN entities, including: ITU, ITCILO, FAO, UNECA, UNECE, UNECLAC, UNESCWA, UNFCCC, UN Guatemala, UN-Habitat, UNICC, UNICEF, UNRISD, UN Tourism, UNU, UN Futures Lab, World Bank, and WIPO. 

The collaboration illustrates the UN system’s capacity to co-create global solutions and work across sectors and regions to catalyze innovation that serves the public good, promoting open, rights-based digital transformation. 

The event reaffirmed the need for practical, scalable partnerships to ensure that the benefits of virtual worlds and AI reach rural, remote, and underserved communities worldwide, leaving no one behind. 

UN Virtual Worlds Day also unveiled the Citiverse Use Case Taxonomy Overview, the first flagship deliverable of the Global Initiative on AI and Virtual Worlds—a UN-led platform for promoting open, interoperable, and trustworthy AI-powered virtual worlds for people, businesses, and public services. 

The interactive catalogue showcases real-world applications of AI-powered virtual environments transforming education, climate action, urban governance, public services, and economic resilience. 

Read the full text of the Call-to-Action and explore the Citiverse Use Case Taxonomy: www.itu.int/un-virtual-worlds-day/2025