Session
Organizer 1: Freedom Online Coalition
Organizer 2: Smriti Parsheera, Interledger Foundation
Organizer 3: Bidisha Chaudhuri, University of Amsterdam
Organizer 4: Sookthi Kav, International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore
Speaker 1: Maarja Kask, Government, Eastern European Group
Speaker 2: Smriti Parsheera, Interledger Foundation
Speaker 3: Luca Belli, FGV Law School
Speaker 4: Rasmus Lumi, Director General for International Organisations and Human Rights, MFA Estonia
Speaker 5: Bidisha Chaudhury
Speaker 6: Keith Breckenridge
Speaker 8: Armando Manzueta
Speaker 9: Sabhanaz Rashid Diya, Tech Global Institute (moderator)
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: The roundtable format would be the most suitable for this session as it presents a conducive environment for a free flowing exchange of ideas and collective knowledge building. It is preferable to a classroom or theater setting in a situation where the attendees are meant to be equal participants in the conversation. The duration of 90 minutes has been suggested to allow sufficient time to allow the speakers to share insight, followed by an open conversation with the audience.
- What are the societal, political, and economic considerations driving DPI adoption in different countries, and how do these relate to the global DPI movement? What are the key policy, regulatory, and infrastructure prerequisites to develop right-respecting digital public infrastructure?
- What role should each of the relevant stakeholders (governments, international institutions, funders, civil society, academia, technical community, and individual users) play in influencing the development and use of DPI?
- How can the Freedom Online Coalition further support key stakeholders in designing and implementing rights-respecting DPI systems?
What will participants gain from attending this session? Participants will gain a nuanced understanding of how DPI is being deployed globally, and how implementation choices reflect broader societal contexts and governance models. The session will introduce real-world case studies highlighting both successes and challenges in DPI development, particularly related to human rights.
Attendees will:
- Learn about the political and economic forces shaping DPI in different countries.
- Engage with examples of how DPI can both empower and marginalize;
- Contribute insights from their own regions and experiences;
- Examine the space for multistakeholder collaboration in shaping DPI governance;
- Explore how DPI can work towards securing social and economic benefits for communities, and enable the fulfillment and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Description:
We are witnessing a global movement toward the adoption of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), with countries all over the world deploying systems such as digital identity, payments, and data exchanges. While DPI has emerged as a driver of inclusive digital transformation and innovation, its design and implementation must respect and promote human rights to avoid risks such as exclusion, surveillance, and discrimination.
This workshop aims to examine how DPI systems are being shaped by diverse political, societal, and economic factors across regions. The session will explore the intersection between global DPI frameworks (like the UN Global Digital Compact and the Universal DPI Safeguards Framework) and country-level realities that influence DPI outcomes, and examine the importance of ensuring rights-respecting approaches to the design, development, and deployment of DPI systems. Building on regional outreach by the FOC, this session will draw insights from stakeholder experiences in India, Estonia, Brazil, South Africa, and the Dominican Republic, with speakers highlighting how DPI design choices reflect local political economies, the roles of state and market actors, and the implications for digital inclusion, civic participation, and human rights. The FOC will also highlight its efforts to develop “Rights-Respecting Principles for Digital Public Infrastructure", and use the session as an opportunity to hear recommendations from the IGF community on how to strengthen the principles.
This conversation is particularly timely in light of the WSIS+20 Review Process, where DPI may feature prominently in revising the WSIS Action Lines. Furthermore, DPI has become a central element in international cooperation, with the Indian and Brazilian G20 Presidencies prioritizing it, and its relevance to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is widely acknowledged.
The session will inform two key outcome streams. First, the session will catalyze continued engagement within the IGF community. Insights gathered may also be used in the development of a research brief on the political economy of DPI and stakeholder roles, co-authored by a number of the session’s speakers. Additionally, the session will explore community interest in establishing an intersessional work stream on DPI, with the longer-term goal of proposing a new Dynamic Coalition on DPI to foster sustained multistakeholder collaboration on this issue.
Hybrid Format: On-site and online moderators will ensure that there is a seamless level of interaction between those present at the venue and those participating virtually. Both in-person and online will also be invited to ask questions through the available platforms. Ample time will be carved out for engagement from audience members. We will aim to set rules of engagement for all attendees (inform them about the different ways they can interact during the event, let online attendees know how they should use the chat feature, help them understand when to stay muted, advise all participants on how and when they should ask questions, tell them who to contact in case any issues arise). We would also prepare compelling content and structure of the agenda while being wary of meeting length. We have not had any complementary tools or platforms planned at this time.