The United Nations General Assembly officially adopted the Global Digital Compact (GDC), which was annexed to the Pact for the Future during the historic Summit of the Future held at the UN Headquarters in New York last month.
In the Pact for the Future and its annexes, which included the Global Digital Compact, which Zambia through its Permanent Representative to the UN Dr Chola Milambo, and Ambassador Anne Karin Eneström, then Permanent Representative of Sweden successfully negotiated, the international community has committed to promote peace and security, invigorate the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), foster just and inclusive societies, and ensure that technology always serves the common good of humankind, among others.
The GDC, a comprehensive framework for global governance of digital technology and artificial intelligence, was developed twenty years after the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). It charts a roadmap for global digital cooperation to harness the immense potential of digital technology, aiming to connect everyone to the Internet and close digital divides. The GDC complements and renews existing mechanisms like the WSIS Process and Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Secretariat to advance global digital cooperation.
It commits governments to upholding international law and human rights online and to taking concrete steps to make the digital space safe and secure for all.
The GDC breaks new ground with commitments for Global Digital Governance in areas like Artificial Intelligence, Data Governance and Digital Public Infrastructure.
The compact aims to connect all people, schools, and hospitals to the Internet, make digital technologies accessible and affordable, and increase investment in digital public goods and infrastructure.
In building an inclusive digital space, the compact seeks to strengthen legal and policy frameworks to protect children online, ensure the Internet remains open and secure, and promote access to independent and fact-based information.
The GDC further seeks to strengthen international data governance by supporting the development of interoperable national data governance frameworks.