IGF 2023 Open Forum #65 Effective Governance for Open Digital Ecosystems

 The Universal DPI Safeguards Initiative: How do we mitigate the risks of DPI?

Background:

DPI can accelerate sustainable development by enabling new services, supporting underserved communities including women and responsible use of data for public and private innovation. Unlike other digital technologies or solutions, DPI is meant to be deployed at population scale. This amplifies the impact of risks such as data privacy issues, surveillance, and exclusion. People must be protected and empowered through DPI and countries are making directional decisions affecting people now. While numerous governments and development cooperation partners globally have embarked on the journey of building DPI, many of them based on digital public goods, a universal framework ensuring that DPI remains inclusive, safe, and sustainable is absent.

Without such safeguards, DPI presents significant challenges, including potential misuse of data by governments, exposure to cybersecurity risks, exclusion of marginalized groups, and possible vendor lock-in. Left unaddressed, these could undermine citizen trust, limit economic benefits, and threaten human rights.

Recognizing this gap, in his Policy Brief on the Global Digital Compact, the UN Secretary-General wrote: “The task before us now is to create common frameworks and standards for digital public infrastructure and services”. The UN Secretary-General called for collaboration “with diverse stakeholders to craft a framework of design principles rooted in best practices, and to define the parameters for a safe, inclusive, and sustainable digital public infrastructure.” Answering this call, UNDP and the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology are launched the Universal DPI Safeguards Initiative at UNGA 78 to ensure that DPIs are well-governed, and consequently, they promote inclusion, human rights, safety of users, security of data, and sustainability.

Objective

The open forum session aims to deepen understanding and awareness of the need for a globally recognized DPI Safeguards Framework, emphasizing its role in sustainable development while ensuring aspects like data privacy and security. By gathering insights from experts and country representatives, the session will document best practices and identify key risks. Feedback from the session will refine the ongoing development of the DPI Safeguards Framework.

Format
The 60-Minute open forum will take the form of a panel discussion, featuring experts and country representatives from various geographies. Panelists will share their experiences and perspectives, engaging in a dialogue with the audience to exchange ideas and solutions.

Policy Questions

1. To what extent can a globally recognized DPI Safeguards Framework contribute to the ethical practice among DPI practitioners?
2. In what ways can we establish a balanced approach to ensure that DPI is utilized to expedite progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while averting its potential instrumentalization for mass surveillance?
3. Which good examples and lessons learned from country implementation exist, where we can build upon?
4. Which role can Digital Public Goods play in the safe and inclusive implementation of DPI and how do they enable democratic oversight and governance?
5. What considerations and stakeholders' engagements should be integrated into the process of developing a comprehensive DPI Safeguards Framework?

Expected Outcomes

1. Provide informed guidance to the UNDP and the Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology regarding the structured development of the DPI Safeguards Framework, ensuring a comprehensive and collaborative approach.
2. Elevate awareness surrounding the Universal DPI Safeguards Initiative, effectively engaging and mobilizing partners towards a shared vision of digital public infrastructure safeguarding.
3. Foster a conducive environment to generate momentum towards the establishment of the Universal Safeguards Framework.