The international community is about to have its first-ever global instrument on digitalisation, which is expected to be adopted at the Summit for the Future in September 2024. The instrument, called the Global Digital Compact (GDC), will guide countries to maximise digital cooperation by bringing the benefits of digital technologies for all without leaving one behind.
The GDC will feature timely and pressing topics on digital society and digital future, ranging from connectivity and internet fragmentation, data protection, online human rights, content moderation, artificial intelligence (AI) regulation, and digital commons as the global public good. It is expected to outline shared principles for an open, free, inclusive, and secure digital future.
Recently, as the commissioned authority providing oversight to the development of the compact, the UN Secretary-General's Tech Envoy Amandeep Singh Gill, along with appointed country co-facilitators Rwanda and Sweden, started a round of consultations to gather feedback from member states and key stakeholders towards the GDC negotiation.
