IGF 2023 Open Forum #163 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 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 organized 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. Building on the discussion and inputs received at IGF 2022 Open Forum on the same topic, this Open Forum will provide an opportunity to discuss the final draft of the guidance, 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 implementation of the guidance.

We anticipate that the speakers will mostly join online with some joining in-person. We will ensure a seamless interaction between onsite and online attendees by posing questions throughout the session and through the rapporteur’s active monitoring of both questions from the floor and in the online chat. The rapporteur will relay questions from the floor and from online to the moderator. The moderator will play a key role in encouraging questions throughout the session and posing directly to the speakers as well as to the audience. Throughout the session, the moderator will recap key points raised during the discussion and solicit input from both the speakers and the audience on some of the key points made. The session will devote the last 15-20 minutes for questions and feedback.