BRIDGE Summit 2025: UNESCO and UAE explore the future of trustworthy information
Leaders unite in Abu Dhabi to safeguard truth and digital trust
On the opening day of BRIDGE Summit 2025 in Abu Dhabi, a high-level closed session under UNESCO’s auspices tackled one of the most pressing issues of the digital age: the integrity of information in a world dominated by individual content creators, algorithms, and accelerating technology.
The roundtable, held on December 8, convened global leaders, policymakers, media experts, and technology executives to discuss shared challenges, align on priorities, and explore frameworks for safeguarding truth, trust, and societal resilience in information flow.
Global experts discuss the future of trustworthy information
Titled “Alliances for Legitimacy and Integrity in Global Narratives,” the hour-long session examined shifts in the information landscape, including erosion of institutional trust, manipulation through fabricated media, and the influence of online communities on political and economic decisions.
Chaired by Adeline Hulin, UNESCO Chief of Unit for Media Literacy, and Christopher Isham, President of CT Group’s US Intelligence Practice, the session featured insights from:
Macky Sall, former President of Senegal, on governance and the Global South perspective
Noura Al Kaabi, UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on cultural diplomacy
Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, Chairman of BRIDGE Alliance, on media governance
Sir Oliver Dowden, former UK Deputy Prime Minister, on democratic resilience
Peter Kerstens, European Commission, on digital standards
Caro Kriel, Thomson Foundation, on independent media resilience
Nikhil Kolar, Microsoft, on content ecosystems and AI safeguards
UAE emphasises ethics and human-centred technology
Abdulla Al Hamed underlined that information integrity is the biggest challenge facing media and entertainment today, pointing to the rapid pace of technological change and the speed at which narratives now shape societies.
He praised UNESCO’s participation, describing it as the “conscience of the world and the voice of ethics”. He added that BRIDGE Summit provides a platform reconnecting governments, international organizations, media institutions, technology companies, experts, and content creators, grounded in the principle that technology must serve humanity and innovation must be rooted in ethics.
“The UAE’s vision aligns with UNESCO’s mission,” Al Hamed said. “Algorithms must reflect our shared values, infused with justice, transparency, and respect, so technology becomes a vehicle for knowledge rather than distortion.”
Strategies to counter misinformation
The roundtable included discussions on real-time diplomacy, mass coordination, countering falsehoods, perception management, and embedding human purpose (‘heartware’) to support social cohesion. Participants stressed that narratives shape reality, and identifying ways to disrupt harmful loops is key to societal resilience.
Insights from the session are expected to inform future international dialogue on media development, digital literacy, and information integrity, reinforcing cooperation between institutions that steward ethical standards in global communication.
BRIDGE Summit 2025: A global hub for collaboration
This session is part of over 300 sessions at the debut BRIDGE Summit, taking place from December 8–10 at ADNEC, Abu Dhabi.
The summit will host more than 60,000 participants from 132 countries and over 430 speakers, offering leaders, innovators, and institutions a platform to exchange perspectives, address shared challenges, and explore collaboration across media, entertainment, technology, finance, culture, and the creative economy.
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