UNESCO hosts high-level talks on ‘information integrity’ at BRIDGE Summit

A high-level UNESCO diplomatic session at the BRIDGE Summit 2025 in Abu Dhabi has warned that the erosion of trust in information, fuelled by AI, algorithms and online manipulation, is now a major global challenge affecting governance, democracy and social stability.

The closed-door meeting brought together senior government officials, global media leaders, and technology executives to shape early outlines of a cooperative framework aimed at protecting information integrity worldwide.

The session, titled “Alliances for Legitimacy and Integrity in Global Narratives,” examined how rapidly shifting digital ecosystems, fabricated media, and new forms of influence are reshaping decision-making across politics, economics and society.

Participants included UAE Minister Noura Al Kaabi, former Senegalese President Macky Sall, BRIDGE Alliance Chairman Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, former UK Deputy Prime Minister Sir Oliver Dowden, European Commission adviser Peter Kerstens, and representatives of major media and tech organisations such as Thomson Foundation and Microsoft.

Al Hamed stressed that information integrity is now the most pressing issue facing global media, noting that truth itself has become “a battleground for competing interests.” He said the BRIDGE Summit was created to reconnect fragmented stakeholders, governments, media, tech, and creators, around shared ethical standards. He also praised UNESCO as the “conscience of the world” and a guardian of cultural and intellectual integrity.

Speakers discussed strategies to counter the speed of misinformation, strengthen independent media, build societal resilience, and ensure that AI and algorithms reflect human values such as transparency, justice and respect.

UNESCO will synthesise insights from the session to guide future international dialogue on media development, digital literacy and information integrity.

The roundtable was part of a programme of more than 300 sessions at the inaugural BRIDGE Summit, which runs from December 8-10 at ADNEC, hosting over 60,000 participants from 132 countries and more than 430 speakers.