IGF 2022 Open Forum #107 Technology and Human Rights Due Diligence at the UN

International organizations, such as the UN, increasingly employ digital technologies for a wealth of purposes, including risk prediction, enhancing humanitarian and development aid, and strengthening peace operations. Human rights due diligence (HRDD) and human rights impact assessments (HRIAs) are indispensable to ensure that digital tools help to advance peace, the SDGs and human rights, rather than cause harm, in particular vis-à-vis 'those most vulnerable and affected' in the Global South.

In his Roadmap on Digital Cooperation, the UN Secretary-General has asked UN Human Rights to develop UN “system-wide guidance on human rights due diligence and impact assessments in the use of new technologies, including through engagement with civil society, external experts and those most vulnerable and affected.” This call is echoed in the strategy to implement the Secretary-General's Call to Action for Human Rights.

Along with partners from the Secretary-General’s 3A/3B virtual roundtable on human rights, the UN Human Rights Office has carried out multistakeholder fora to gather feedback on this guidance, with a view to ensuring that diverse perspectives of Member States, CSOs, companies, and marginalized communities are meaningfully incorporated. This Open Forum will provide an opportunity to discuss the latest (third) draft of the guidance as a work in progress, and gather candid feedback from a broad range of civil society experts, Member States, private companies, UN entities, and other stakeholders, which will inform the next steps in the elaboration and implementation of the guidance. The Open Forum will:

• Highlight the importance of developing human rights due diligence of technology at the United Nations in the context of increasing global digitalization;
   
• Provide an update on progress made, including sharing feedback on draft 3 of the guidance and responses to main concerns raised thus far; and
   
• Create space for multi-stakeholder debate and discussion on the most recent draft;
   
• Seek inputs from diverse stakeholders on how to best ensure the perspectives of non-English speaking communities, as well as marginalized populations are meaningfully incorporated in the guidance, as well as in the drafting process;