Draft:Global Digital Compact
Submission declined on 25 July 2025 by Stuartyeates (talk).
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Comment: The sources are clearly digital, they need to be linked so we can check them. Stuartyeates (talk) 21:58, 25 July 2025 (UTC)
UN Global Digital Compact (2024)
[edit]The Global Digital Compact (GDC) is a United Nations-led initiative to create a globally shared framework for digital technology. Finalized during the Summit of the Future in September 2024, the compact seeks to establish principles for digital cooperation between governments, the private sector, and civil society. Its stated goal is to foster an open and secure digital environment for all participants. Key areas of focus include closing the digital divide, regulating artificial intelligence (AI), protecting data, and applying human rights principles online.[1]
Background and Development
[edit]The proposal for a Global Digital Compact originated in UN Secretary-General António Guterres's 2021 report, Our Common Agenda. The report identified a need for a unified approach to digital governance, noting that technology's rapid expansion had outpaced the development of global policy.[2]
The GDC was developed through a multi-stakeholder process that included consultations with member states, technology firms, non-governmental organizations, and academics. Intergovernmental negotiations were co-facilitated by the permanent representatives of Rwanda and Sweden to the United Nations.[3]
Stated Objectives
[edit]The Global Digital Compact outlines several primary objectives intended to guide digital development in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
- Digital Inclusion: To improve safe and affordable internet access and digital literacy for all people.[4]
- Internet Governance: To maintain a single, open, and secure global internet, opposing fragmentation and network shutdowns.[5]
- Artificial Intelligence Governance: To develop shared standards for AI that are consistent with international human rights law.[6]
- Data Governance: To create frameworks for data use that give individuals greater control over their personal information.[7]
- Information Integrity: To build consensus on how to address misinformation and disinformation while protecting freedom of expression.[8]
- Digital Human Rights: To ensure the protection of human rights in the digital context, including privacy and freedom from online harassment.[9]
Reception and Analysis
[edit]The Global Digital Compact has received a mixed response. Proponents consider it a positive step toward establishing global norms for digital technology, praising its multi-stakeholder approach and its foundation in human rights principles.[10]
Conversely, some civil society and digital rights groups have expressed reservations. The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) argues that the Compact's effectiveness will depend entirely on its implementation. The group raised concerns about its non-binding nature and a potential over-reliance on "digital solutionism"—the belief that technological solutions can solve complex societal problems. The APC and other critics also point to a need for stronger, more explicit commitments on issues like state surveillance, data privacy, and accountability mechanisms for corporations and governments. Other noted areas requiring further action include gender mainstreaming and addressing the environmental impact of digital infrastructures.[11][12]
See Also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ United Nations. "Global Digital Compact (Final Agreed Text)." United Nations, 2024.
- ^ United Nations Secretary-General. “Our Common Agenda.” United Nations, 2021.
- ^ United Nations General Assembly. "Summit of the Future: Pact for the Future (with Annex: Global Digital Compact)." A/RES/78/nnn, September 2024.
- ^ BBC News. "UN Launches Global Digital Compact to Bridge Technology Divide." September 24, 2024.
- ^ The Economist. "The UN’s Digital Compact: A Step Towards Global Tech Cooperation." October 2024.
- ^ Nature. "UN Digital Compact Sets New Path on Global Data and AI Ethics." September 2024.
- ^ DW. "What the UN’s New Digital Pact Means for the World." September 2024.
- ^ Reuters. "UN Nations Agree to Non-binding Pact for Digital Governance." September 2024.
- ^ BBC News. "UN Launches Global Digital Compact to Bridge Technology Divide." September 24, 2024.
- ^ The Economist. "The UN’s Digital Compact: A Step Towards Global Tech Cooperation." October 2024.
- ^ Association for Progressive Communications (APC). "UN Global Digital Compact: Opportunities and Gaps." September 2024.
- ^ The Guardian. "Digital Rights Groups Warn UN Compact Lacks Enforcement Teeth." September 22, 2024.
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