Digital public infrastructure a pillar of UN’s ambitious Global Digital Compact

Digital public infrastructure (DPI) has made it into the United Nation’s ambitious Pact for the Future, designed to boost cooperation and multilateralism among member nations.

The pact, adopted last weekend during the UN’s Summit of the Future in New York, outlines several goals that are to be achieved by 2030, including increased investment into digital public goods and digital public infrastructure, especially in developing countries.

The Pact supports adopting open standards and interoperability and promises to develop safeguards for “inclusive, responsible, safe, secure and user-centered” digital public infrastructure. Another goal is to exchange best practices and use cases of DPI to inform governments, the private sector and other stakeholders.

“We recognize that there are multiple models of digital public infrastructure and that each society will develop and use shared digital systems according to its specific priorities and needs. Transparent, safe and secure digital systems and user-centered safeguards can promote public trust and use of digital services,” the document states.

The Pact for the Future is viewed as the brainchild of UN chief António Guterres and an attempt to boost participation inside the UN. Counting 56 action points, the document covers everything from bridging digital divides and managing AI to climate change action and the UN Security Council reforms. One of its initiatives is the Global Digital Compact, a set of proposals focused on the responsible use of digital technologies and bridging the digital divide.

Critics, however, argue that the new plan lacks specifics and that its impact will be limited, according to The Guardian.

Despite these fears, the new UN initiative has already brought some concrete results. Among them is the first version of the Universal Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Safeguards Framework, released this month.

The document lays out guidelines for DPI design and implementation, minimizing risks and ensuring adherence to standards and regulations. Work on the Framework started in 2023 under the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology (OSET) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with a goal to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The initiative involved the World Bank, the Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA), GovStack, the Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure, Co-Develop as well as governments of Bangladesh, Estonia, Germany and more.

The UN Summit of the Future also saw its first pledges, with Brazil and Malawi committing to adopting universal digital public infrastructure safeguards as part of the International Telecommunication Union’s SDG Digital event.

Article Topics

digital public infrastructure  |  DPI Safeguards Framework  |  Global Digital Compact  |  SDG 16.9  |  SDG Digital  |  UNDP  |  United Nations