3 September 2024
Global Digital Compact
The Global Digital Compact is an integral part of the Pact for the Future adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. It is a multilateral initiative aimed at creating a shared vision for the digital future, with a focus on inclusivity, safety, sustainability, and fairness. It seeks to foster international cooperation to bridge digital divides, promote responsible use of digital technologies, and ensure that advancements in technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), data governance, and digital infrastructure, contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Compact addresses the growing impact of digital transformation on societies, economies, and human rights while emphasizing the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach in managing the opportunities and risks posed by emerging technologies. It emphasizes the need for collaboration between governments, the private sector, civil society, and academia to create a fair, inclusive, and secure digital future for all.
Digital technologies are rapidly transforming economies and societies across the globe. Technologies have become an integral part of daily life, shaping industries, communication, and governance systems. Digital divides however persist, especially between the Global North and the Global South. These divides limit access to education, healthcare, economic opportunities, and participation in the digital economy for millions of people. The Global Digital Compact stresses that digital technologies can accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but only if all countries and individuals have access to the necessary digital infrastructure.
One of the fundamental actions outlined in the compact is the need to engage the private sector, especially large corporations, in technological engagement with less developed nations. The role of businesses is critical because they have the resources, innovation, and expertise to provide infrastructure, affordable technology, and skills development in regions that are digitally underserved.
Corporations are urged to invest in and deploy resilient digital infrastructure, such as broadband, mobile networks, and satellite coverage. These investments are crucial to reaching remote and underserved areas, providing access to the internet at affordable rates and sufficient speeds. The Compact recognizes that developing nations often face pressing development challenges and limited resources, making it difficult for them to fully engage with and benefit from digital technologies. Initiatives like Computer Class for Every School in Africa, which seeks to bring technology into classrooms and thus give children access to digital education. With corporate support, such initiatives can scale up, bringing digital literacy and educational opportunities to millions of children who would otherwise be left behind in the digital age - gaid.org/africa.
The Need for a Global Digital Compact
In a world increasingly shaped by digital advancements, significant challenges persist that hinder the potential for technology to benefit everyone equally. One of the most pressing issues is the deep digital divide that exists both between and within countries. This gap restricts access to essential technologies, education, and economic opportunities, particularly for those in developing regions and marginalized communities.
Moreover, concerns about privacy, security, and human rights in digital spaces are growing. The rise of misinformation, disinformation, hate speech, and cybercrime has made the internet an increasingly complex and sometimes unsafe environment. These issues challenge the ability to safeguard freedoms and protect individuals online.
At the same time, the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), while offering immense opportunities, introduces new risks. There are growing fears about job displacement, bias in AI systems, and a host of ethical concerns that require urgent attention to ensure these technologies serve humanity's best interests.
Recognizing these challenges, the Global Digital Compact seeks to establish a set of principles, commitments, and actions that will guide governments, the private sector, civil society, and international organizations toward a fairer and more inclusive digital ecosystem.
1. Closing all digital divides: Ensuring universal and affordable access to digital technologies, particularly in underserved and developing regions.
2. Expanding inclusion in the digital economy: Providing equitable opportunities for all to benefit from digital transformation, especially for marginalized groups, women, and small businesses.
3. Fostering an inclusive and secure digital space: Protecting human rights, privacy, and freedom of expression while promoting responsible data governance.
4. Advancing AI governance: Establishing frameworks for the safe, ethical, and responsible use of artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity.
5. Enhancing data governance: Promoting interoperable and secure data frameworks that protect privacy while fostering innovation and development.
Principles of the Global Digital Compact
The Global Digital Compact is guided by a set of cross-cutting and mutually reinforcing principles designed to shape cooperation across sectors and countries:
Inclusivity: Participation of all states and stakeholders, especially developing nations and marginalized groups, to ensure equitable access to the benefits of digital technologies.
Development-oriented: The Compact aligns with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, harnessing digital technologies to fast-track progress on eradicating poverty, reducing inequality, and addressing climate change.
Human rights-focused: International human rights law, including civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights, serves as the foundation for digital cooperation. The Compact ensures the protection of these rights online and offline.
Gender equality: Ensuring the empowerment and full participation of women and girls in the digital space, addressing the gender digital divide, and tackling gender-based violence amplified by technology.
Environmental sustainability: Leveraging digital technologies to advance sustainability, while minimizing their environmental footprint and addressing e-waste.
Innovation and competition: Promoting creativity and entrepreneurship in the digital economy, ensuring that innovation benefits societies and businesses of all sizes.
Commitments and Actions
The Global Digital Compact outlines a set of commitments and actions that governments and other stakeholders will undertake to achieve its objectives:
1. Closing Digital Divides.
Universal and affordable internet access: By 2030, governments commit to ensuring all people are connected to the internet. This includes increasing investments in digital infrastructure, particularly in developing and underserved regions, and leveraging innovative technologies to bring high-speed connectivity to remote areas.
2. Expanding Inclusion in the Digital Economy
Enabling environments for digital innovation: Governments will create predictable and transparent regulatory frameworks that encourage innovation, protect consumer rights, and foster competition in the digital economy.
Supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): Efforts will be made to ensure that SMEs, particularly in developing countries, can access digital markets and compete fairly.
Digital skills development: By 2030, national digital skills strategies will aim to provide basic digital literacy to all and advance intermediate and specialized skills, with a focus on women, youth, and vulnerable populations.
3. Fostering a Safe and Secure Digital Space
Human rights in the digital space: Governments commit to upholding human rights online, including freedom of expression and privacy. Legislation related to digital technologies will be aligned with international human rights law.
Tackling online harms: Governments, companies, and civil society will collaborate to combat cyberbullying, hate speech, misinformation, and sexual exploitation of children online. Robust risk mitigation measures will be put in place to protect users' privacy and freedom of expression.
Internet governance: The Compact reaffirms the need for global, multi-stakeholder internet governance. The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) remains the primary platform for discussions on internet governance.
4. Advancing Responsible Data Governance
Privacy and security: Governments and stakeholders will develop data governance frameworks that protect personal data and privacy while facilitating responsible data use for innovation.
Data for development: Strengthened international cooperation will aim to close data divides, including gaps in gender and geographical data. By 2030, efforts will focus on increasing the availability of reliable data to monitor the SDGs.
Cross-border data flows: Stakeholders will work towards secure and trusted cross-border data flows, fostering collaboration between regulatory bodies to ensure compliance with privacy and data protection standards.
5. Enhancing AI Governance
Human-centric AI governance: AI systems will be governed in ways that prioritize transparency, accountability, and human oversight. The Compact promotes ethical AI use that aligns with international law and human rights principles.
Capacity-building for AI: Developing countries will receive support to build the infrastructure and expertise needed to harness AI for sustainable development. Collaboration between the public and private sectors will focus on AI capacity-building.
Establishing an Independent International Scientific Panel on AI: The Compact calls for the creation of a UN-led panel to assess the opportunities and risks of AI and provide scientific guidance for AI governance.
6. International Cooperation and Multi-Stakeholder Engagement
One of the core tenets of the Global Digital Compact is the need for broad-based international cooperation and the inclusion of all relevant stakeholders. Governments, international organizations, the private sector, civil society, academia, and technical communities must work together to realize the goals set out in the Compact. Key platforms for cooperation include:
The Internet Governance Forum (IGF): A global multi-stakeholder platform for discussing internet governance issues.
World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS): Provides a forum for advancing digital cooperation, including the WSIS+20 review in 2025.
The Compact will leverage existing UN initiatives to mobilize financial and technical resources for digital development.
7. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Follow-Up
To ensure accountability and track progress, the Global Digital Compact includes several mechanisms for monitoring and follow-up:
The UN Secretary-General will provide regular reports on progress made in implementing the Compact. This will include a comprehensive implementation map reflecting the contributions of all stakeholders. Panels such as the AI Independent International Scientific Panel will provide expert assessments of emerging technologies and their impacts on human rights and sustainable development.
In 2027, a high-level review of the Global Digital Compact will be held to assess progress and make recommendations for future efforts.
8. Financing the Global Digital Compact
The success of the Global Digital Compact depends on adequate and sustained financing from a variety of sources:
Public and Private Sector Investments: Governments, multilateral institutions, and the private sector must pool resources to scale up investments in digital infrastructure, skills development, and AI governance.
Philanthropy and Blended Finance: Philanthropic contributions, along with innovative financing mechanisms such as blended finance, will play a crucial role in supporting digital transformation efforts, particularly in developing countries.
Innovative Financing Mechanisms: The compact advocates for the creation of blended financing mechanisms that include the corporate sector, governments, and multilateral development banks. These financing models could help scale digital infrastructure projects in developing countries. For example, a partnership between governments and tech companies could provide affordable internet to rural schools, allowing them to participate in digital education.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): The compact highlights the role of CSR in addressing inequalities, especially in digital education and access. Companies can contribute by providing low-cost digital devices, training teachers in digital literacy, or supporting local tech startups that develop regionally relevant digital tools.
The Global Digital Compact makes clear that closing the digital divide is not just a technological challenge but a moral and economic imperative. Access to the digital world is essential for achieving the SDGs, improving educational outcomes, and creating equitable opportunities for economic growth. By fostering public-private partnerships and engaging the corporate sector, the compact envisions a world where digital technology benefits everyone, including the most disadvantaged populations.
The successful implementation of this vision will depend on the sustained engagement of governments, international organizations, the private sector, civil society, and academia, all working together to realize the immense promise of the digital age.