Eighteen United Nations entities joined forces during the second 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 outlined 12 priorities – from expanding connectivity to promoting responsible use of emerging technologies – to ensure that no one is left behind in the fast-evolving digital era.

The two-day global forum brought together leaders, innovators and youth change makers from around the world to spotlight how emerging technologies —from digital twins to AI-enabled virtual environments —are already reshaping governance, education, agriculture, health, climate resilience and cities.

Held yesterday, 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.

The call-to-action emphasized the importance of expanding access to meaningful connectivity; empowering people through digital public infrastructure; promoting responsible and transparent use of artificial intelligence (AI); protecting environmental sustainability and cultural heritage; fostering youth digital skills and innovation; and advancing global standards and multistakeholder collaboration.

ITU Secretary-General, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, said: “As AI and virtual worlds transform how we connect, learn, and innovate, we must ensure no one is left behind.

“This edition of UN Virtual Worlds Day shows what’s possible when we come together to ensure digital spaces truly work across the globe for all people.”

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.

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

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 illustrated 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.