Governments must ‘own’ the Global Digital Compact

In the third revision of the Global Digital Compact (GDC), the United Nations (UN) and its member states acknowledge the profound influence of digital technologies on the contemporary world and underscore their role in driving progress towards the 2030 Global Agenda.

Articles 31(a)(b)(c) and 35(a)(b)(c) of the GDC highlight the responsibilities of developers, the platform economy, and digital technology companies. These sections urge stakeholders to be accountable for the innovations they introduce into the digital realm, ensuring that thorough risk assessments, transparency, and mitigation strategies are in place to reduce any unintended effects their innovations may have on users and the broader society. However, the draft does not sufficiently emphasise the vital role of the public sector in establishing necessary standards, or “minimum thresholds” through regulatory measures across various levels of public governance.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in his policy brief (2023), asserts that “industry self-regulation is inadequate. We need to convene stakeholders in a concerted effort to address the ramifications of emerging technologies.” To ensure that multi-level and multi-stakeholder digital governance effectively meets the needs of the public, it is imperative to recognise and clearly articulate the essential role of governments in establishing the requisite regulatory frameworks for the digital domain within the GDC.

If you’d like to learn more read our position paper below:

Read our position paper

Read the third revision of the draft Global Digital Compact here

Or contact Dio Herdiawan Tobing, Head of Digital Policy d.tobing@worldbenchmarkingalliance.org