Session
Subtheme
Organizer 1: Catherine Sumner, UN Women
Speaker 1: Dornnapha Sukkree, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 2: Catherine Sumner, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Speaker 3: Varun Hemachandran , Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 4: Smita Gupta, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 2: Catherine Sumner, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Speaker 3: Varun Hemachandran , Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 4: Smita Gupta, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Moderator
Catherine Sumner, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Online Moderator
Varun Hemachandran , Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Rapporteur
Catherine Sumner, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Format
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: The layout and duration of the session will enable a demonstration of how a Digital Public Good to both prevent and respond to human trafficking has been designed, developed and deployed. The session will present an anonymised case study of how a survivor of trafficking can obtain legal information, protection and a civil remedy from using the DPG. The session will include perspectives from: • the CSO Mast Human that works to counter human trafficking in Thailand and provides legal assistance to people who have been trafficked • the DPG co-creator, Agami OpenNyAI in India • the Thai Government counterpart Department of Special Investigations in Ministry of Justice to show how the DPG enabled greater access to the Government’s online administrative labour grievance mechanism through which people can seek unpaid wages and other labour entitlements • UN Women on the gender inclusive aspects of the DPG. • Q&A
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: The layout and duration of the session will enable a demonstration of how a Digital Public Good to both prevent and respond to human trafficking has been designed, developed and deployed. The session will present an anonymised case study of how a survivor of trafficking can obtain legal information, protection and a civil remedy from using the DPG. The session will include perspectives from: • the CSO Mast Human that works to counter human trafficking in Thailand and provides legal assistance to people who have been trafficked • the DPG co-creator, Agami OpenNyAI in India • the Thai Government counterpart Department of Special Investigations in Ministry of Justice to show how the DPG enabled greater access to the Government’s online administrative labour grievance mechanism through which people can seek unpaid wages and other labour entitlements • UN Women on the gender inclusive aspects of the DPG. • Q&A
Policy Question(s)
How can DPI eco-system partners engage and use the Universal DPI Safeguards Framework as a guide to building safe and inclusive DPI for societies that ensure that women and girls will gain knowledge of, access to and use/ benefit from DPI?
How does the Global Digital Compact commit to digital inclusion, including for women and girls?
How can Digital Public Goods support global counter-trafficking efforts?
What will participants gain from attending this session? Participants at this session will:
• Understand why intentionally considering the needs of half the world’s population from design of DPGs, to development, deployment and evaluation is critical to attaining the SDGs and avoiding exclusion in digital developments
• See demonstrations of DPGs in various stages of design and deployment that address both prevention and response to forms of violence against women and children through access to:
• Trusted information
• Forum discussions with peers and service professionals
• one-on-one interactions with lawyers/ paralegals/ health services
• Emergency alerts sent to trusted contacts, including police or DSI notifying them of imminent violence and their need for protection
• Audio or video or images collected as evidence which is not stored on the phone of the woman or girl.
• legal remedies
• Information and access to legal documentation and social protection programmes supporting women and girls
Description:
This session will showcase a number of DPG initiatives being taken at a country level that have actively considered how women and girls will gain knowledge, access and use digital systems to enhance access to services and access justice. Some of the initiatives that will be presented during the side-event will explore ways to prevent and respond to forms of violence experienced by women and girls. At its core Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and Digital Public Goods (DPGs) are about better access to public services, less discrimination and strengthening social innovation around delivering key services to last mile, vulnerable populations. For Digital Public Infrastructure to work for women and girls, governments, regulators, donors, technology providers and CSO advocates will need to proactively consider the life arc of a girl to a woman and understand how the key components of digital ID, digital payments and data exchange can be leveraged to deliver real benefits for women and girls in all their diversity over a lifetime. UN Women has worked with a range of partners to consider how the specific needs of women and girls have been addressed in DPI/DPG design, development and deployment. We have seen that there are: 1. Gaps in functionality of existing DPGs and DPI to respond to the needs of women and girls 2. Gaps in DPG data collection and analytic functions that assess the impact of DPGs/DPI for women and girls 3. The lack of targeted DPGs that address the needs of women and girls to both prevent and respond to forms of gender based violence During 2025-2030, UN Women, as a member of the Digital Public Goods Alliance, is collaborating with a range of partners to demonstrate how DPGs can contribute to the attainment of SDG5 on gender equality and SDG16 on Access to Justice.
This session will showcase a number of DPG initiatives being taken at a country level that have actively considered how women and girls will gain knowledge, access and use digital systems to enhance access to services and access justice. Some of the initiatives that will be presented during the side-event will explore ways to prevent and respond to forms of violence experienced by women and girls. At its core Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and Digital Public Goods (DPGs) are about better access to public services, less discrimination and strengthening social innovation around delivering key services to last mile, vulnerable populations. For Digital Public Infrastructure to work for women and girls, governments, regulators, donors, technology providers and CSO advocates will need to proactively consider the life arc of a girl to a woman and understand how the key components of digital ID, digital payments and data exchange can be leveraged to deliver real benefits for women and girls in all their diversity over a lifetime. UN Women has worked with a range of partners to consider how the specific needs of women and girls have been addressed in DPI/DPG design, development and deployment. We have seen that there are: 1. Gaps in functionality of existing DPGs and DPI to respond to the needs of women and girls 2. Gaps in DPG data collection and analytic functions that assess the impact of DPGs/DPI for women and girls 3. The lack of targeted DPGs that address the needs of women and girls to both prevent and respond to forms of gender based violence During 2025-2030, UN Women, as a member of the Digital Public Goods Alliance, is collaborating with a range of partners to demonstrate how DPGs can contribute to the attainment of SDG5 on gender equality and SDG16 on Access to Justice.
Expected Outcomes
The outcome from the session is for UN Women and partners aims to continue to raise awareness and advocate for greater knowledge, investment and implementation of DPGs for gender justice.
The session will be a demonstration of why investing in DPGs for gender justice is both cost-effective and potentially ground-breaking.
The session will emphasise the mutually reinforcing effects of government, civil society, community, donors, tech enablers working together so design, develop and deploy DPGs that deliver for women and girls.
As a member of the Digital Public Goods Alliance, one of UN Women’s roadmap activities is to explore key issues through a series of discussions convened by UN Women during the Commission on the Status of Women, Generation Equality Action Coalitions and other high-level UN meetings and the publication of reports on DPG4DPI for women and girls.
UN Women will publish a summary of the key findings from the session.
Hybrid Format: The session will include several mechanisms to facilitation interaction between onsite and online speakers and attendees including:
• questions to participants at three points during the session (using SLIDO or another feature) and a review of the attendee responses
• short video presenting an anonymised case study of a client who has been trafficked seeking assistance and how the DPG can facilitate protection and financial remedies
• lightening talk interventions from countries that support DPG use globally and are interested in their use to support survivors of trafficking in their own country
• Q&A