9:00 – 9:20 Opening Ceremony

The opening remarks featured senior representatives of the UN and set the context for the day’s discussions.

• Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary General, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
• Seizo Onoe, Director, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU
• Sameer Chauhan, Director, United Nations International Computing Centre (UNICC)
• Karima Cherif, Head of Communications and Outreach, United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD)
• Dmitry Mariyasin, Deputy Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
• Mounir Tabet, Deputy Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA)
• Radia Funna, Futurist and creator of the xHuman theory and Chair of the 1st UN Virtual Worlds Day 

9:20 – 11:10 High-Level Segment: Regulating Virtual Worlds

This high-level segment featured senior government and corporate leaders who are actively working on policy and regulatory challenges posed by the metaverse and virtual worlds.

Moderator: Rebecca Mukite, Head of Public and International Relations, Uganda Communications Commission

• H.E. Mr Nape Nnauye, Minister, Ministry of Information, Communication and Information Technology, Tanzania (United Republic of) 
• H.E. Mr Younus Al Nasser, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Data & Statistics Establishment, Digital Dubai
• Paula Llobet Vilarrasa, Councillor for Tourism, Digital Agenda, Innovation, and Investment, Valencia, Spain
• Jouni Markkanen, Tampere City Board, Finland
• Karl-Filip Coenegrachts, Chair of the Board of Directors and Executive Director, Open & Agile Smart Cities (OASC), Belgium
• Bertrand Levy​, Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships, The Sandbox
• Christina Yan Zhang, CEO, The Metaverse Institute 

11:40 – 12:25 Award Ceremony of the UN metaverse Think-a-thon 

This event brought together youth to leverage their ideas and virtual world technologies in particular spatial computing and metaverse to create innovative solutions for the SDGs. It provided an exclusive opportunity for young innovators to harness the potential of virtual technologies and innovative approaches to generate actionable insights, propose practical solutions, and foster a collective vision for creating smarter, more sustainable cities and communities.

Moderator: Nevena Alexandrova, Agricultural Extension Officer, Policies and capacities for Innovation Unit leader, Office of Innovation, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

• Sameer Chauhan, Director, UNICC
• Seizo Onoe, Director, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU
• Radia Funna, Chair of the 1st UN Virtual Worlds Day 
• Shin-Gak Kang, Chair, ITU Focus Group on metaverse
• Yazeed I. Alabdulkarim, Advisor, Research & Innovation, Saudi Information Technology Company (SITE)

12:25 – 12:30 Launch of the Minecraft Education Challenge

12:30 – 13:30 Digital Solutions – Real Impact: Leveraging Virtual Worlds for Global Change 

This session highlighted a series of transformative case studies where virtual worlds, the metaverse and spatial computing have been harnessed to address global challenges. The experts delved into lessons learned, emerging challenges, the vast opportunities for sustainable development brought by virtual worlds and metaverse and their impact on society from a multidisciplinary view and the policy challenges they will bring. Participants engaged in a dynamic discussion on how our day-to-day lives will be impacted by virtual worlds and the metaverse, catalysing positive change and steering us toward a more sustainable and socially connected future.

Moderator: Nevine Tewfik, Senior International Relations Expert, Egypt 

• Isabelle Hupont, Scientific Officer, Joint Research Centre, European Commission [Presentation]
• Jonathan Birdwell, Global Head of Economist Impact’s Policy and Insights team [Presentation]
• Michele Zilli, Principal of Immersive Technologies, TUI Group [Presentation]
• Manuel Barreiro, CEO & Founder, Aston Group [Presentation]
• Stela Mocan, Manager, Technology & Innovation Lab, World Bank [Presentation]
• Neil Trevett, Vice President Developer Ecosystems, NVIDIA & President of the Metaverse Standards Forum [Presentation]

Questions & Answers

13:30 – 13:45 Launch of the Global Initiative on Virtual Worlds – Discovering the CitiVerse

Moderator: Franca Vinci, Head of Learning Services, UNICC

• Seizo Onoe, Director, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU
• Sameer Chauhan, Director, UNICC
• H.E. Mr Younus Al Nasser, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Data & Statistics Establishment, Digital Dubai

14:30 – 15:15 Safeguarding the Virtual Experience: Safety, Privacy, and Accountability in Virtual Worlds

The session focused on identifying challenges and opportunities related to privacy, accountability, safety and security in these virtual spaces. This panel discussion delved into the unique aspects of virtual worlds such as online communities and spatial computing, and addressed the measures and safeguards that need to be in place. 

Moderator: Anamaria Meshkurti, Tech Investor and Strategic Board Member, AMVS Capital

• Madan M. Oberoi, Executive Director of Technology and Innovation, INTERPOL [Presentation]
• Fabio Maggiore, Head, Cyber Security Governance, UNICC [Presentation]
• Brent Milliken, CEO, IMVERSE [Presentation]
• Yazeed I. Alabdulkarim, Advisor, Research & Innovation, Saudi Information Technology Company (SITE)
• Dylan Reim, Lead for Metaverse Governance, World Economic Forum [Presentation]

Questions & Answers

15:15 – 16:00 Virtual Horizons: Unlocking the Potential of the Virtual Worlds for the Sustainable Development Goals

Dive into the cutting-edge realm of virtual worlds as we unveil the transformative power they hold in advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This session, “Virtual Horizons,” showcased a selection of pioneering UN projects harnessing the potential of virtual environments to drive positive change. Through immersive presentations and interactive demonstrations, participants gained insights into the innovative ways the UN is utilising virtual technologies to foster global collaboration, raise awareness, and enact real-world impact.

Moderator: Bilel Jamoussi, Deputy Director, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU

• Nevena Alexandrova, Agricultural Extension Officer, Policies and capacities for Innovation Unit leader, Office of Innovation, FAO [Presentation]
• Tom Wambeke, Chief Learning Innovation, International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ITCILO) [Presentation]
• Cristina Bueti, Counsellor, ITU and Okan Geray, Strategic planning Advisor, Digital Dubai [Presentation]
• Mounir Tabet, Deputy Executive Secretary, UNESCWA [Presentation]
• Igor Litvinyuk, Secretary, UNECE Group of Experts on Energy Efficiency [Presentation]
• Jaimee Stuart, Senior Researcher, United Nations University (UNU) and Auxane Boch, cyberpsychologist and research associate, Technical University of Munich (TUM) [Presentation]

Questions & Answers

16:30 – 18:00 Imagining Tomorrow: Exploring the Potential of Virtual Worlds to Advance the Sustainable Development Goals and Discover Opportunities in the Future Landscape

This session gathered diverse perspectives on the future of virtual worlds and their alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It explored how virtual worlds can be used to envision and plan, emphasising the intersection of emerging digital technologies, diplomacy, and global challenges. The session explored potential ways for future approaches to leveraging the virtual worlds, including spatial computing and metaverse, and aims to push the boundaries of imagination and innovation, fostering a world better prepared to tackle the challenges that lie ahead. Join us as we explore the UN and World Bank’s strategic foresight initiatives, offering a unique perspective on shaping the future landscape and contributing as a vital input to the UN Summit of the Future in September 2024.

Facilitated by:

• UN Futures Lab/Global Hub
• World Bank ITS Technology & Innovation Lab
• UN Development Coordination Office (UNDCO)
• International Training Centre of the ILO (ITCILO)

18:00 – 18:30 Digital Transformation for Hydrology and Water Resources: A look into the future

Moderator: Hwirin Kim, Head Hydrological and Water Resources Services Division, World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

• Johan Stander, Director Services Department, WMO
• Stefan Uhlenbrook, Director, Hydrology, Water and Cryosphere Branch, WMO [Presentation]
• H.E. Mr Seong Deok Yun, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva
• H.E. Mr Febrian A. Ruddyard, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Indonesia to the UN, WTO and other International Organizations in Geneva
• Ian Lisk, President, WMO Services Commission
• Monique Kuglitsch, Innovation Manager, Fraunhofer HHI [Presentation]
• Seizo Onoe, Director, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU

18:30 – 18:40 Closing Ceremony

The Conference Chair presented the closing remarks, summarising the day’s discussions and outlining the next steps.

• Radia Funna, Chair of the 1st UN Virtual Worlds Day