by István Kopácsi
Following the adoption of the political declaration during the United Nations' 75th anniversary in September 2020, the Secretary-General released his report, Our Common Agenda, in September 2021, proposing a Global Digital Compact (GDC) to be agreed upon at the Summit of the Future in September 2024, through a technology track engaging all stakeholders.[1]
The GDC is an initiative, designed to foster a digital future that is inclusive, open, sustainable, fair, safe, and secure for everyone. The draft Compact version of 27 August (Fourth Revision, ”Rev 4”)[2], after defining its objectives, consists of three main sections that outline the principles, the commitments and actions, and the follow up and review mechanisms.
Principles[3]
Central to the draft Compact is the principle of inclusive participation, where all states and stakeholders are involved to bridge digital divides both within and between nations, ensuring that everyone can benefit from an equitable digital environment.
The draft Compact is deeply rooted in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with a focus on harnessing digital technologies to accelerate progress, eradicate poverty, and ensure that no one is left behind. This approach is particularly crucial for developing countries, which include the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, and small island developing states, as these nations face unique challenges.
The draft Compact is also firmly anchored in international law, particularly international human rights law, emphasizing the necessity of respecting, protecting, and promoting all human rights in both online and offline environments. Digital technologies are to be leveraged to advance these rights, ensuring their full realization. Gender equality is another cornerstone of the draft Compact, with a strong emphasis on empowering all women and girls, and the draft Compact also calls for the elimination of all forms of violence, including sexual and gender-based violence, which can be exacerbated by digital technologies.
Environmental sustainability is another critical principle, with the draft Compact recognizing the potential of digital technologies to advance sustainability goals while minimizing their environmental impact. Furthermore, the draft Compact addresses the concentration of technological capacity and market power, which often leads to inequities. It seeks to ensure that the benefits of digital cooperation are fairly distributed and that these benefits do not worsen existing inequalities. Accessibility and affordability are emphasized as essential components of an equitable digital environment, with the draft Compact advocating for universal access to digital technologies and services, and supporting linguistic and cultural diversity in the digital realm.
Interoperability is recognized as a crucial driver of development, the draft Compact promotes the idea that digital systems should be capable of communicating and working together, which in turn fosters compatible governance approaches. Safe and secure technologies, particularly emerging ones like Artificial Intelligence (AI), are to be handled responsibly, with accountability, transparency, and human-centric oversight at every stage of their lifecycle. The draft Compact also highlights the importance of fostering creativity and competition, which are seen as key to driving digital innovation. By encouraging innovation, societies and businesses, regardless of their size or origin, can thrive in the digital economy.
In terms of cooperation, the draft Compact underscores the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders, including governments, the private sector, civil society, the technical community, and academia, in advancing a safe and secure digital future. It calls for a forward-looking approach, one that is adaptable to the rapid changes in digital technologies and capable of anticipating new risks and challenges.
Commitments and actions
The draft Compact outlines a series of commitments and actions to achieve its objectives, which are organized under five key goals. To close digital divides and accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the draft Compact commits to ensuring universal and meaningful connectivity by 2030. This includes connecting all people to the internet and ensuring affordable access, with a particular focus on developing countries.[4] The draft Compact also emphasizes the importance of digital literacy and skills, committing to establish national digital skills strategies, adapt educational curricula, and provide lifelong learning opportunities. This will ensure that people can use the internet meaningfully and navigate the digital space securely.[5]
In the realm of digital public goods and infrastructure, the draft Compact commits to developing and maintaining safe and secure digital public goods, such as open-source software and AI models. These are seen as essential for driving inclusive digital transformation. The draft Compact also focuses on expanding inclusion in and benefits from the digital economy. It supports the creation of enabling environments through predictable and transparent policy, legal, and regulatory frameworks that foster innovation, protect consumer rights, and promote fair competition.[6]
Capacity building is another key area, particularly in developing countries, where the draft Compact emphasizes the need to ensure that digital systems are safe, secure, and resilient. The draft Compact also aims to foster innovation and entrepreneurship, especially among underrepresented groups, to ensure that more people can participate in and benefit from the digital economy.[7]
A critical aspect of the draft Compact is fostering an inclusive, open, safe, and secure digital space that respects, protects, and promotes human rights. It commits to upholding international human rights law throughout the lifecycle of digital technologies, ensuring that users are safe and protected from violations, abuses, and discrimination. The draft Compact reaffirms the importance of global and multistakeholder internet governance, with a continued emphasis on the Internet Governance Forum as the primary platform for these discussions.[8]
In terms of digital trust and safety, the draft Compact commits to addressing various online harms, including violence, hate speech, disinformation, and cyberbullying.[9] It aims to establish robust risk mitigation and redress measures, particularly for vulnerable groups such as children. The draft Compact also advocates for responsible, equitable, and interoperable data governance approaches. It emphasizes the need for strong data privacy and security measures to protect human rights while fostering innovation. This includes a commitment to strengthening support for developing effective and interoperable data governance frameworks, with particular attention to the needs of developing countries.
Recognizing the importance of cross-border data flows,[10] the draft Compact commits to advancing consultations to develop best practices for facilitating these flows securely and with trust. In the realm of AI governance, the draft Compact advocates for a balanced, inclusive, and risk-based approach, ensuring meaningful participation from all countries, especially developing ones. The draft Compact commits to advancing equitable AI governance that respects international law, promotes transparency, accountability, and robust human oversight, and fosters capacity building, particularly in developing countries.
Follow up and review
The follow up and review mechanisms outlined in the draft Compact are designed to ensure effective implementation. The Compact will be implemented at the national, regional, and global levels, with respect for national realities and priorities. The active engagement of all stakeholders, including the private sector, technical and academic communities, and civil society, is essential for its success. International and regional organizations, as well as other stakeholders, are invited to endorse the draft Compact and participate in its implementation and follow-up. The Secretary-General is tasked with establishing modalities for voluntary endorsement, making this information public by December 2024.[11]
The draft Compact also recognizes the importance of financing to unlock its full potential. It calls for public, private, and multilateral resources to support its implementation, with governments encouraged to integrate digital transformation into development assistance. The draft Compact builds on existing processes and forums, such as the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and the Internet Governance Forum, to advance its implementation. The upcoming WSIS+20 Review in 2025 will play a crucial role in identifying how these processes can support the Compact’s goals.[12]
Various UN entities, including ITU, UNCTAD, UNDP, and UNESCO, are invited to support the Compact’s implementation within their existing mandates. The UN Regional Economic Commissions and UN country teams will also play a role in advancing digital transformation at the regional and national levels. To track and monitor progress, the Secretary-General will provide an implementation map, reflecting contributions from the UN system and other stakeholders. This will be included in the Secretary-General’s report on the implementation of WSIS outcomes ahead of the WSIS+20 Review.[13]
Recognizing the need for system-wide coordination, the draft Compact requests the Secretary-General to submit a proposal to the General Assembly for establishing an office to facilitate this coordination. Additionally, the draft Compact commits to a high-level review during the 82nd session of the General Assembly to assess progress and identify emerging opportunities and challenges for global digital cooperation. This review will be based on a progress report by the Secretary-General and will include input from various stakeholders, ensuring a comprehensive assessment of the Compact’s impact.[14]
[1] https://www.un.org/techenvoy/global-digital-compact
[2] https://www.linkedin.com/posts/center-for-ai-and-digital-policy_un-global-digital-compact-rev4-aug-27-activity-7234574351415554049-e1Gz?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
[3] Draft Compact, 2-3.
[4] Ibid., 3.
[5] Ibid., 4-5.
[6] Ibid., 6.
[7] Ibid., 7.
[8] Ibid., 8.
[9] Ibid., 9.
[10] Ibid., 13.
[11] Ibid., 16.
[12] Ibid.
[13] Ibid., 17.
[14] Ibid.
