Distinguished Ambassador Jayasuriya,
Distinguished UN Tech Envoy Gill,
Dear speakers and guests,
It is a great pleasure and honor to welcome you all to this event, jointly organized by Italy, Sri Lanka and Wikimedia, together with the competent UN offices in charge of this edition of UN Open-Source Week: the UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies and the UN Office of Information and Communications Technology. I would like to thank them for the great support they offered us for the organization of this event.
Today’s “Edit-A-Thon” holds special meaning for my country. This year, Italy proudly marks the 70th Anniversary of its membership in the United Nations—a journey of shared values, multilateral commitment, and global partnerships. We share our pride for this milestone with Sri Lanka, one of the 16 countries that, like Italy, was admitted to the UN in 1955. At the same time, we join the international community in celebrating the 80th Anniversary of the United Nations itself—an enduring symbol of cooperation and peace.
In this spirit of celebration and reflection, we have chosen to focus today on one of the most vital frontiers of our time: the digital commons. Open-Source technologies are not just tools—they are building blocks for inclusive development, transparent governance, and shared innovation. They embody the idea that knowledge should be open, accessible, and collaborative—a vision that Italy proudly shares.
This is why we are especially pleased to co-host this event with an organization that epitomizes this spirit: the Wikimedia Foundation, whose platforms like Wikipedia have become universal knowledge commons, that have made a difference in the life of many people, especially students and young people like you.
As we look to the future, the Global Digital Compact presents a historic opportunity. Italy firmly supports its core objectives: ensuring universal connectivity, safeguarding human rights online, promoting digital trust and security, and, crucially, fostering a digital space that is open and inclusive. Open source is not a peripheral part of this conversation—it is central to realizing that vision.
Artificial intelligence is of course part of this picture, but we must ensure that AI is developed and governed in an ethical, human-centered, and inclusive way—one that narrows the digital divide rather than widening it.
Dear friends,
Information travels today faster than ever before. This unprecedented access to information holds immense potential for progress, education, and understanding. Yet, alongside this opportunity comes a profound challenge — the rapid spread of disinformation and misinformation, which threatens the very foundations of truth, trust, and social cohesion. So, when we look for good sources of information, let’s not forget that the UN disseminates daily information that is fact-checked and science-based, that is objective and reliable.
Equally vital is the role played by open knowledge platforms such as Wikipedia, which embodies the principles of transparency, verifiability, and community oversight. By enabling millions of volunteers worldwide to scrutinize and update content continuously, Wikipedia serves as a powerful countermeasure to falsehoods and biased narratives.
Italy has also been playing its part to preserve information integrity, more recently in our capacity as Vice-Chair of the Board of the UN Committee on Information until May 2025.
Excellencies, Dear participants,
To conclude, in our interconnected world, no country, no actor, can do it alone. By embracing open standards, sharing knowledge, and collaborating across borders, we can build a digital future that serves the public good.
Let this event be a small but meaningful step on that journey.
Thank you once again for joining us, thank you for travelling from all parts of the world, including Italy, to be here today.
All the best for today’s challenging “Edit-A-Thon”!
Grazie. Thank you
