UN Seeks Global Input on Digital Future Through Global Digital Compact
With Europe leading today’s conversations about a safer, more inclusive, and more equitable digital future for all, Digital for Planet is pleased to play a continued role in the debate.
Last week on 22-23 September, during the Summit of the Future in New York, the United Nations (UN) adopted The Global Digital Compact as an Annex to the Pact for the Future. It represents an ambitious framework focused on digital cooperation and AI and data governance.
The UN Initiative
The UN is spearheading a worldwide effort to shape the future of the digital landscape with the launch of the Global Digital Compact (GDC) initiative. As part of the broader Our Common Agenda Report issued by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, GDC is intended to create a globally shared vision for a safer, more inclusive, and more equitable digital world. In the face of rapid technological advancement, the initiative aims to address critical challenges like digital inequality, data privacy, cybersecurity, and human rights.
Public Consultation and Engagement
One of the unique aspects of the GDC is its emphasis on inclusivity in decision-making. The UN has sought the input from a wide array of stakeholders through public consultations. The goal was to ensure that the GDC reflects the diverse needs and aspirations of users worldwide, including those in underserved or marginalised communities. Submissions from various sectors – including governments, businesses, non-profits, and individuals – were encouraged to ensure the initiative benefits from a truly global perspective.
This process has culminated on 22-23 September 2024 in the formal adoption of the GDC during the UN Summit of the Future, which aims to reshape global governance for the 21st century.
Key Objectives
The Compact sets forth principles, objectives, and concrete actions to be implemented by 2030 to harness the benefits of digital technologies, support an open, free and secure digital future, and uphold human rights while addressing critical challenges such as digital divide, sustainable development, and AI governance.
The key objectives of the GDC are as follows:
- Close all digital divides and accelerate progress across the Sustainable Development Goals
- Expand inclusion and benefits from the digital economy for all
- Foster an inclusive, open, safe and secure digital space that respects, protects and promotes human rights
- Advance responsible, equitable and interoperable data governance approaches
- Enhance international governance of artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity
‘UN-packing’ the Most Pressing GDC Objectives
The first objective is to be achieved by focusing on three key dimensions: connectivity, digital skills, and digital public infrastructure.
As to connectivity, the leaders recognise the importance of universal connectivity and commit to connecting all people, education and health institutions to the Internet by 2030.
Building on that, the UN recognises that resilient, safe, inclusive, and interoperable digital public infrastructure has the potential to increase social and economic opportunities for all. This should be done through leveraging digital public goods, such as open-source software, open data, open artificial intelligence models, open standards and open content.
To fulfil the second goal, the governments have committed to support international, regional, and national efforts to develop enabling environments for digital transformation, including predictable and transparent policy, legal and regulatory frameworks, and sharing of best practices.
With regard to the third objective of fostering an inclusive, open, safe and secure digital space, the UN recognises that internet governance must continue to be global and multi-stakeholder in nature, based on digital trust and human rights.
As for advancing data governance, governments agreed that by 2030 they will develop data and metadata standards designed to prevent and address bias, discrimination or human rights violations and abuses throughout the data life cycle. The data should also be used globally to help the world in achieving our Sustainable Development Goals.
Finally, the UN agreed to establish a multidisciplinary Independent International Scientific Panel on AI with balanced geographic representation, and to initiate Global Dialogue on AI Governance involving governments and all relevant stakeholders, which will take place in the margins of existing relevant UN conferences and meetings.
Europe at the Forefront of Implementing the GDC
The above-mentioned objectives have already been established in the European policy frameworks governing the digital ecosystem. For example, the Horizon Europe programme requires projects to include among their activities a specific focus on ethics, with reference to projects with AI implementations, as well as to plan standardisation activities and to set up the project design and execution to follow European Union’s values and the European Commission’s priorities. These are closely aligned with those of the GDC.
Furthermore, the second objective of the GDC to expand inclusion and benefits from the digital economy for all closely resonates with the European Commission’s 2020-2024 priority ‘An Economy that works for people’, also revamped in the Political guidelines 2024-2029 for the next European Commission.
In terms of data governance, EU-funded projects are required to follow EU regulations and guidelines to ensure the protection of user data and intellectual property, as well as to ensure that data and research outputs generated during each project are made as accessible as possible, with particular attention dedicated to interoperability.
A Way Forward
The GDC represents a significant stepping stone to create a global framework that balances innovation with inclusivity, equity, security, and sustainability. To achieve these goals, international cooperation will be key.
The road ahead will not be easy, but the Compact provides a roadmap for a collaborative digital future that benefits all. By aligning the interests of diverse stakeholders and fostering a shared commitment to responsible digital practices, the UN hopes to create a digital ecosystem that enhances human well-being and strengthens global cooperation.
We actively work in this direction. For example, D4P is partner in an important consortium of the INPACE Project, which strives for, among other things, digital education in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region. The objective of universal connectivity and the commitment to connect all people and educational and health institutions to the Internet by 2030 is actively supported through by SNS JU projects, such as 6G4Society. In this project, D4P works specifically towards a secure, inclusive, affordable, environmentally sustainable, and socially accepted network infrastructure. Last but not least, in September 2024, we kicked-off a new project, ENFORCE, which is committed, among other things, to the protection of human rights.
In summary, the goals set by the GDC are already embedded not only in key EU policies and objectives, but also in most of the European research and innovation projects in which D4P participates. We are fully committed to contributing to the achievement of these ambitious goals globally.
Read more on what we do on our website.