Retreat on Digital Affairs

Ireland's EU Council Presidency - Retreat on Digital Affairs
About this Event

The increasing economic, political and societal importance of digital technologies has led to growing political engagement and focus on their design, development and deployment.

Within the EU, this is reflected in Ireland’s programme for the Presidency of the EU Council, where digital affairs feature widely across the three pillars of our Presidency: Competitiveness, Values and Security.

In International Geneva and across the multilateral system, the increased centrality of digital technologies to the human experience has led to a concomitant politicisation of the ITU and the broader field of multilateral cooperation on digital affairs.

In a period of geopolitical turmoil, the EU is called upon at home and abroad to defend and vindicate our founding values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and human rights. This extends to the EU’s critical role in protecting the international legal order, democracy, peacebuilding, and multilateralism, with the governance of telecommunications, AI and digital affairs a central concern in this regard.

A number of critically important events will take place in the coming period, which will determine the direction of multilateral cooperation on digital affairs, including the ITU Plenipotentiary, the next Global Dialogue on AI Governance and the high-level review for the Global Digital Compact.

Living up to Ireland’s Presidency motto of “strength with unity”, a unified and strong EU voice in these fora and on these issues is crucial in promoting our messaging and delivering upon our agreed, common priorities.

Against this backdrop, the retreat of EU Counsellors for Digital Affairs in Geneva will take place at the Geneva Press Club, Domaine de Penthes, Chemin de l'Impératrice 18, 1292 Pregny-Chambésy, on Tuesday, 1 September 2026 from 09.30 to 14.30.

Following introductory remarks by Ireland’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Laurence Simms, the first session ‘Preparing the path to the ITU Plenipotentiary’ will be an opportunity to discuss EU preparations for the upcoming ITU Plenipotentiary, taking place in Qatar in November 2026. The second session, ‘How the EU can shape global AI Governance’, will focus on how the EU in Geneva can contribute to global discussions on AI governance, including the next Global Dialogue on AI Governance taking place in New York in May 2027.

Please note that attendance is expected at expert level and is limited to 1 per delegation.

Agenda

🕑: 09:30 AM
Arrival and Coffee
🕑: 09:45 AM
Introduction - Welcome Remarks by Ireland’s Permanent Representative, Ambassad
🕑: 10:00 AM - 11:15 AM
Session 1 - Preparing the path to the ITU Plenipotentiary

Info: The ITU Plenipotentiary in Qatar in November 2026 will be crucial in determining the direction of work of the organisation and thereby shaping the organisation’s ability to influence and affect the development of information and communication technologies worldwide.
Guiding Questions:
How can the EU most effectively convey its key messages and ensure its priorities are adopted at PP26?
What partnerships can the EU leverage to maximise its impact at the ITU PP?
How can the EU work most effectively with CEPT to support their work and impact at PP26?

🕑: 11:15 AM - 11:30 AM
Coffee break
🕑: 11:30 AM - 12:45 PM
Session 2 - How the EU can shape global AI Governance

Info: Geneva is emerging as a multilateral arena where competing approaches to AI governance are translated into narratives, norms and standards. As global competition between the US and China increasingly extends to the governance sphere, the EU has a strong interest in ensuring that emerging governance frameworks remain compatible with its human-centric, human rights-based and interoperable multistakeholder approach.
Guiding Questions:
What outcomes can we expect from the Global Dialogue on AI Governance process and how can the digital ecosystem in Geneva contribute to the discussions?
How can the EU in Geneva shape these discussions with a view to ensuring governance frameworks adopt and retain a human-centric, human rights-based and interoperable multistakeholder approach?
How can we leverage our multistakeholder partnerships to strengthen our engagement, build coalitions and participate actively in all relevant processes related to global AI governance?

🕑: 12:45 PM - 01:00 PM
Wrap-up and conclusion
🕑: 01:00 PM - 02:30 PM
Lunch